Policy
1000
Alameda Police Department
Alameda Police Department Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/09/21, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Alameda Police Department
Recruitment and Selection - 653
Recruitment and Selection
1000.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The employment policy of the City of Alameda shall provide equa l opportunities for applicants and its employees regardless of race, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental handicap, marital status, military or veteran status, or sex, and shall not show partiality or grant any special favors to any applicant, employee or group of employees. The rules governing employment practices for this department are maintained by the Alameda Department of Human Resources.
1000.2 POLICY
In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law, th e Alameda Police Department provides equal opportunities for applicants and employees regar dless of actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orienta tion, gender identity or expression, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status , marital status, and any other classification or status protected by law. The Alameda Police Department does not show partiality or grant any special status to any applicant, employee, or grou p of employees unless otherwise required by law.
The Alameda Police Department will recruit and hire only those individuals who demonstrate a commitment to service and who possess the traits and characteristics that reflect personal integrity and high ethical standards.
1000.3 RECRUITMENT
The Administration Bureau Commander should employ a comprehensi ve recruitment and selection strategy to recruit and select employees from a qualified and diverse pool of candidates.
The strategy should include:
(a) Identification of racially and culturally diverse target mar kets. (b) Use of marketing strategies to target diverse applicant pool s. (c) Expanded use of technology and maintenance of a strong internet presence. This may include an interactive department website and the use of department-managed social networking sites, if resources permit.
(d) Expanded outreach through partnerships with media, community groups, citizen academies, local colleges, universities, and the military. (e) Employee referral and recruitment incentive programs. (f) Consideration of shared or collaborative regional testing pr ocesses.
The Administration Bureau Commander shall avoid advertising, recruiting and screening practices that tend to stereotype, focus on homogeneous applicant pools o r screen applicants in a discriminatory manner.
Alameda Police Department
Alameda Police Department Policy Manual
Recruitment and Selection
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/09/21, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Alameda Police Department
Recruitment and Selection - 654
The Alameda Police Department should strive to facilitate and expedite the screening and testing process, and should periodically inform each candidate of his/her status in the recruiting process. 1000.4 SELECTION PROCESS
The Alameda Police Department shall actively strive to identify a diverse group of candidates who have in some manner distinguished themselves as being outst anding prospects. Minimally, the Alameda Police Department should employ a comprehensive scr eening, background investigation, and selection process that assesses cognitive an d physical abilities and includes review and verification of the following:
(a) A comprehensive application for employment (including previo us employment, references, current and prior addresses, education, military record)
1. The personnel records of any applicant with prior peace offic er experience in this state shall be requested from the appropriate law enforcement agency and reviewed prior to extending an offer of employment (Penal Code § 832.12).
2. This includes review of prior law enforcement employment info rmation maintained by POST (Penal Code § 13510.9).
(b) Driving record
(c) Reference checks
(d) Employment eligibility, including U.S. Citizenship and Immig ration Services (USCIS) Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 and acceptable ide ntity and employment authorization documents consistent with Labor Code § 1019.1. Th is required documentation should not be requested until a candidate is hire d. This does not prohibit obtaining documents required for other purposes. (e) Information obtained from public internet sites
(f) Financial history consistent with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (15 USC § 1681 et seq.)
(g) Local, state, and federal criminal history record checks (h) Lie detector test (when legally permissible) (Labor Code § 4 32.2) (i) Medical and psychological examination (may only be given aft er a conditional offer of employment)
(j) Review board or selection committee assessment
1000.4.1 VETERAN’S PREFERENCE
Qualifying veterans of the United States Armed Forces who recei ve a passing score on an entrance examination shall be ranked in the top rank of any resulting eligibility list. The veteran’s preference shall also apply to a widow or widower of a veteran or a spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran (Government Code § 18973.1).
Alameda Police Department
Alameda Police Department Policy Manual
Recruitment and Selection
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/09/21, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Alameda Police Department
Recruitment and Selection - 655
1000.5 BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
Every candidate shall undergo a thorough background investigation to verify his/her personal integrity and high ethical standards, and to identify any past behavior that may be indicative of the candidate’s unsuitability to perform duties relevant to the operation of the Alameda Police Department (11 CCR 1953).
The narrative report and any other relevant background information shall be shared with the psychological evaluator. Information shall also be shared with others involved in the hiring process if it is relevant to their respective evaluations (11 CCR 1953). 1000.5.1 NOTICES
Background investigators shall ensure that investigations are conducted and notices provided in accordance with the requirements of the FCRA and the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (15 USC § 1681d; Civil Code § 1786.16). 1000.5.2 STATE NOTICES
If information disclosed in a candidate’s criminal offender record information (CORI) is the basis for an adverse employment decision, a copy of the CORI shall be provided to the applicant (Penal Code § 11105).
1000.5.3 REVIEW OF SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
Due to the potential for accessing unsubstantiated, private, or protected information, the Administration Bureau Commander shall not require candidates to provide passwords, account information, or access to password-protected social media accounts (Labor Code § 980).
The Administration Bureau Commander should consider utilizing the services of an appropriately trained and experienced third party to conduct open source, internet-based searches, and/or review information from social media sites to ensure that:
(a) The legal rights of candidates are protected.
(b) Material and information to be considered are verified, accurate, and validated. (c) The Alameda Police Department fully complies with applicable privacy protections and local, state, and federal law.
Regardless of whether a third party is used, the Administration Bureau Commander should ensure that potentially impermissible information is not available to any person involved in the candidate selection process.
1000.5.4 DOCUMENTING AND REPORTING
The background investigator shall summarize the results of the background investigation in a narrative report that includes sufficient information to allow the reviewing authority to decide whether to extend a conditional offer of employment. The report shall reference the Background Investigation Dimensions and include any fi ndings of behaviors, traits, and/or attributes relevant to bias per the Bias Assessment Framework as described in the POST Background Investigation Manual. The report shall not include any information that is prohibited from us e, including that
from
Alameda Police Department
Alameda Police Department Policy Manual
Recruitment and Selection
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/09/21, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Alameda Police Department
Recruitment and Selection - 656
social media sites, in making employment decisions. The report and all supporting documentation shall be included in the candidate's background investigation file (11 CCR 1953). 1000.5.5 RECORDS RETENTION
The background report and all supporting documentation shall be maintained for a minimum of four years and in accordance with the established records retention schedule (Government Code § 12946; 11 CCR 1953).
1000.5.6 BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION UPDATE
A background investigation update may, at the discretion of the Chief of Police, be conducted in lieu of a complete new background investigation on a peace officer candidate who is reappointed within 180 days of voluntary separation from the Alameda Police Department, or who is an interim police chief meeting the requirements contained in 11 CCR 1953(f). 1000.5.7 INVESTIGATOR TRAINING
Background investigators shall complete POST-certified background investigation training prior to conducting investigations (11 CCR 1953; 11 CCR 1959).
1000.6 DISQUALIFICATION GUIDELINES
As a general rule, performance indicators and candidate informa tion and records shall be evaluated by considering the candidate as a whole, and taking into consideration the following:
• Age at the time the behavior occurred
• Passage of time
• Patterns of past behavior
• Severity of behavior
• Probable consequences if past behavior is repeated or made public • Likelihood of recurrence
• Relevance of past behavior to public safety employment • Aggravating and mitigating factors
• Other relevant considerations
A candidate’s qualifications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, using a totality-of-the- circumstances framework.
1000.7 EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
All candidates shall meet the minimum standards required by sta te law (Government Code § 1029; Government Code § 1031; Penal Code § 13510.1; 11 CCR 1950 et seq.). Candidates will be evaluated based on merit, ability, competence, and experienc e, in accordance with the high standards of integrity and ethics valued by the Alameda Police Department and the community.
Alameda Police Department
Alameda Police Department Policy Manual
Recruitment and Selection
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/09/21, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Alameda Police Department
Recruitment and Selection - 657
The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Traini ng (POST) developed a Job Dimensions list, which is used as a professional standard in background investigations.
Validated, job-related, and nondiscriminatory employment standards shall be established for each job classification and shall minimally identify the training, abilities, knowledge, and skills required to perform the position’s essential duties in a satisfactory manner. Each standard should include performance indicators for candidate evaluation. The Department of Human Resources should maintain validated standards for all positions.
1000.7.1 STANDARDS FOR DISPATCHER
Candidates shall satisfy the POST selection requirements, including (11 CCR 1956):
(a) A verbal, reasoning, memory, and perceptual abilities assess ment (11 CCR 1957) (b) An oral communication assessment (11 CCR 1958)
(c) A medical evaluation (11 CCR 1960)
1000.7.2 STANDARDS FOR OFFICERS
Candidates shall meet the minimum standards established by POST or required by state law (Government Code § 1029; Government Code § 1031; 11 CCR 1950 et seq.):
(a) Free of any felony convictions
(b) Citizen of the United States, or permanent resident eligible for and has applied for citizenship
(c) At least 21 years of age except as provided by Government Co de § 1031.4 (d) Fingerprinted for local, state, and national fingerprint che ck (e) Good moral character as determined by a thorough background investigation (11 CCR 1953)
(f) High school graduate, passed the GED or other high school eq uivalency test, or obtained a two-year, four-year, or advanced degree from an accr edited or approved institution
(g) Free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition, incl uding bias against race or ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, disability, or sex ual orientation which might adversely affect the exercise of police powers (11 CCR 1954; 11 CCR 1955) (h) Candidates must also satisfy the POST selection requirements , including (11 CCR 1950 et seq.):
1. Reading and writing ability assessment (11 CCR 1951)
2. Oral interview to determine suitability for law enforcement s ervice (11 CCR 1952)
(i) POST certification that has not been revoked, denied, or vol untarily surrendered pursuant to Penal Code § 13510.8(f)
(j) Not identified in the National Decertification Index of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training or similar federal government Alameda Police Department
Alameda Police Department Policy Manual
Recruitment and Selection
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Published with permission by Alameda Police Department
Recruitment and Selection - 658
database that reflects revoked certification for misconduct or reflects misconduct that would result in a revoked certification in California.
In addition to the above minimum POST required standards, candi dates may be subjected to additional standards established by the Alameda Police Department (Penal Code § 13510(d)).