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CHAPTER: 006 | TITLE: Recruitment and Selection | |
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 14, 2013 | NO. PAGES: 9 | REVIEWED/REVISED: March 7, 2022 |
Sheriff of Monroe County | ||
A properly structured and administered recruitment program will result in applicants who represent a more diverse cross section of the office's service community.
The use of recruiters on a rotating basis from within the office and input from community groups representing the local minorities, will increase the number of qualified minority applicants from within the office's service community.
Overall, an effective, standardized and properly administered recruitment, screening, and selection process will improve the quality of applicants from which to fill existing vacancies.
Administrative practices and procedures
Whenever there are actual or forecasted vacancies, the office shall initiate and maintain an active recruitment program.
The office shall directly involve itself in all activities critical to the recruitment effort.
The responsibility for administering the office's recruitment program shall rest with the Executive Director of Human Resources.
Prior to initiating recruitment activities, those individuals used for recruiting purposes, shall undergo an in-service training program that provides knowledge and skills in the following areas:
The office's recruitment needs and commitments
The office's career opportunities, salaries, benefits and training
Federal and state compliance guidelines
The community and its needs (including demographic data, community organizations, educational institutions, etc.)
Cultural awareness or understanding of different ethnic groups and subculture
Techniques of informal record keeping systems for candidate tracking
The selection process utilized (including procedures involved in background investigations and written, oral and physical abilities examinations)
Recruitment programs of other jurisdictions
Characteristics that disqualify candidates
Medical requirements
The Captain/Training Director shall be responsible for supervision of new recruits during their attendance in the local basic law enforcement/corrections officer academy.
Because members of MCSO demonstrate a pride in their office, and due to their professional interest, members generally recruit qualified candidates. Therefore, all members of MCSO shall encourage those individuals they feel would be an asset to the office to apply.
Minority personnel, fluent in the community's languages and aware of the cultural environment, shall be included in recruitment activities. Placing minority personnel, especially those of supervisory ranks, in recruitment roles will:
Demonstrate the office's commitment to the minority community
Demonstrate promotability by virtue of their rank
Enhance the receptivity of the minority community to the recruiter
Increase the potential for recruiting minority personnel
A signing bonus may be authorized by the Sheriff for critical need positions. Conditions and limitations of such a bonus will be maintained by the Human Resources Division, published to the office and public as necessary
Payment of certification training tuition or officer certification examinations fee by the office, and reimbursement to the office for such training will be governed by Section 943.16, Florida Statute.
Cooperative Agreements: The office will inform local employment agencies of vacancies within the office in hopes of recruiting qualified applicants. The employment agencies will be supplied with the requirements for appointment with the office.
Community Outreach
The office shall seek recruitment assistance, referrals, and advice from community organizations and key leaders.
The office shall post job announcements with community service organizations.
The office will send recruiters/members to local educational institutions and community organizations to recruit on site for entry level law enforcement deputies.
Comprehensive Recruitment Program
The Executive Director of Human Resources shall be responsible for administering and developing a written recruitment plan which may be revised/reissued as needed. The written recruitment plan enables the office to conduct an organized and effective search for well-qualified applicants by relating job requirements to recruiting methods. The written recruitment plan shall include the following elements:
A statement of objectives.
A plan of action designed to achieve the above objectives will include:
Cost accounting of advertisement for the period the report covers for:
Newspapers
Magazines
MCSO website
School career days
Job fairs
The number of applicants hired as a result from each medium and specific entity
Based on the data collected make a recommendation as to where to focus recruitment efforts
The Human Resources Division shall prepare a written recruitment analysis progress report annually for submission to the Sheriff.
Equal Opportunity Action Policy
The office will attempt to maintain a ratio of minority group appointments in approximate proportion to the makeup of Monroe County, Florida work force.
The office has adopted the following Equal Opportunity Program.
Purpose and Policy
Equal Appointment Opportunity Policy: It is the policy of the Monroe County Sheriff's office to hire well-qualified people to perform the many tasks necessary in providing superior law enforcement to the county. An integral part of this policy is to provide equal opportunity for all persons. This requires that the personnel
policies governing recruiting, appointment, compensation, working conditions, benefits and privileges of appointment, training, appointments for advancement, transfers, and terminations of appointment be applied to all members without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability sexual orientation/preference, gender identity, gender expression, genetics or any other characteristics protected by local state or federal law.
The Policy Objective: The equal appointment objective of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office is to achieve a member profile with respect to race and sex which is an appropriate reflection of proper utilization.
Responsibility
Responsibility for the development and monitoring of the EEO policy is assigned to the Executive Director of Human Resources and includes the responsibility of communicating equal appointment policies to all levels within the office. The Executive Director will have overall responsibility for monitoring the office's performance through audit and reporting systems to assure policy effectiveness. Inherent in this responsibility is the task of identifying problem areas and establishing programs to aid in problem solving. Results of reporting systems are to be presented by the Executive Director of Human Resources to the Sheriff.
In compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requirements, the Executive Director of Human Resources will make reports and analysis as will be required by proper state and federal authorities.
Veterans’ Preference (VP)
Purpose: To provide eligible veterans and family members, preference in employment and retention in covered positions. A Veteran is defined in section 1.01(14), F.S. “Active Duty for Training” does not qualify for VP.
Scope: This guideline applies to hiring, authorities involved in the recruitment, and the interview and selection process.
General: The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office shall give notice in announcements and advertisements of vacancies that preference in appointment will be given to eligible veterans and spouses of veterans in accordance with Florida law.
The MCSO employment application shall ask whether the applicant is claiming veterans’ preference. If so, the applicant must furnish required documentation by providing a DD214 (or equivalent certification from the DVA) and any additional supporting or substitute documentation based on the applicant’s claimed preference under Section 295.07, Florida Statutes. Please note that the DD214, or equivalent certification from the DVA, must list military status, dates of service, and discharge type.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office does not use a numerically based selection process as the sole basis for the hiring decision, and eligible veterans and family members shall be given special consideration and priority at each step of the selection process.
Eligible veterans and family member applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for an open position shall be considered for selection and shall be granted an interview in all cases.
Postsecondary educational requirements may be waived for a position of employment, other than positions made exempt, for a current member of any reserve component of the
United States Armed Forces or the Florida National Guard or a veteran who has been honorably discharged if the person is otherwise qualified for the position.
For positions for which a numerically based selection process is used to determine the qualifications for entrance into employment, a veteran or family member eligible for preference in appointment and retention pursuant to Section 295.07, Florida Statutes, who obtains a minimally-qualifying score on an interview, shall have his/her score augmented by either 20, 15, or 10 percent pursuant to Sections 295.08, Florida Statutes, and F.A.C. Chapter 55A-7. Points will be awarded as follows:
Twenty percent shall be added to the aggregate score of a disabled veteran who has served on active duty in any branch of the United States Armed Forces, and who
has a service-connected disability that is compensable under the public laws administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs ("DVA") or
is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension by reason of public laws administered by the DVA and the United States Department of Defense.
Twenty percent shall be added to the aggregate score of a spouse of a Veteran:
who has a total disability, permanent in nature, resulting from a service-connected disability and who, because of this disability, cannot qualify for employment; or
who is missing in action, captured in line of duty by a hostile force, or forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power.
Fifteen percent shall be added to the aggregate score of:
a wartime veteran, as defined by Section 1.01(14), Florida Statutes, who has served at least one day during a wartime period,
the un-remarried widow or widower of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability, or
the mother, father, legal guardian, or un-remarried widow or widower of a member of the United States Armed Forces who died in the line of duty under combat-related conditions, as verified by the United States Department of Defense.
Preference in appointment and retention does not require the employment of a preference-eligible applicant over a non-preference-eligible applicant who is the most qualified for the position.
Human Resources shall document requests for preference, preferences awarded, and outcomes of requests for preference throughout the hiring process.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will determine eligibility for employment solely from the information provided on an MCSO employment application. A resume will not be considered as a substitute for the information requested on the application for purposes of qualification. All applicants, including applicants requesting Veterans’ Preference, are requested to complete, in full, an MCSO employment application. MCSO is not required to give preference in each step of the hiring process to preference-eligible applicants whose qualifications for employment or eligibility for preference cannot be discerned because of an incomplete employment application or lack of appropriate documentation.
Heads of departments and certain managerial positions are exempt.
Job Announcements and Publicity
All job announcements for position appointments with the office shall include:
A description of the duties and responsibilities
Location of the position
Pay grade of the position
For any position which requires an official application filing deadline, such vacancy shall be publicized at least ten days prior to any official application filing deadline.
Entry-level job vacancies shall be advertised through the local mass media.
To facilitate the successful recruitment of minorities and women, the office will advertise as an Equal Opportunity Employer on all applications and recruitment advertisements.
Application Process
Should any application deadline exist, it shall be boldly indicated on appointment announcements and recruitment advertisements.
All application and testing processing shall be conducted at Headquarters or other designated places.
Applications for all positions shall not be rejected with minor omissions or deficiencies, but shall be processed routinely provided such omissions or deficiencies can be corrected prior to the testing or interview process.
Professional and Legal Requirements
The authority for administering the office's role in the selection process rests with the Executive Director of Human Resources, however, the ultimate responsibility for the selection of applicants to fill existing or projected positions rests with the Sheriff.
The Human Resources Section shall maintain on file, a current manual that describes all components of the selection process. A comprehensive manual is essential for the proper administration, use, and defensibility of the selection process. The manual shall describe the order of events in the selection process.
The selection process shall use only those components that have been documented as being job related and nondiscriminatory. [Adverse impact is a substantially different rate of selection (generally less than eighty (80) percent) that works to the disadvantage of members of an ethnic group. When two or more alternative components of the selection process are available that have equal validity and utility, the office shall use that element with the least adverse impact.]
The selection process should be strictly accountable to the following checklist:
Professionally and legally accepted data collection techniques are used to identify job tasks
Measurable candidate characteristics related to predicting job performance are identified
Selection components whose measures are job-related have been used
Conclusions and inferences about candidates are logical and persuasive
Adverse impact in the selection process shall be measured by comparing the selection rates for each race, sex, and ethnic group with the group having the highest selection rate.
Adverse impact shall be minimized in the selection process.
Records and data used to monitor adverse impact shall be maintained on file by the Human Resources Section.
Written tests used as part of the selection process shall be documented as having validity, utility and a minimum adverse impact.
Any and all elements of the selection process administered or provided by a private sector organization or vendor shall meet the requirements of validity, utility and minimum adverse impact.
All elements of the selection process shall be administered, scored, evaluated and interpreted in a uniform manner. Operational elements of the selection process: time limits, oral instructions, practice problems, answer sheets and scoring formulas, etc. shall be identical for all candidates.
All selection materials shall be stored in a secure area when not being used.
Whenever selection materials are disposed of, it shall be performed in a manner that prevents disclosure of the information therein. Burning or shredding under monitored conditions is recommended.
The entire selection process shall be evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in selecting the best-qualified candidates in a fair and equitable manner on an annual basis.
For any positions that require a specialist, a manager, or an administrator, the office may have to seek an individual from outside the agency to fulfill the role. In so doing, the selection criteria for outside individuals shall be the same as for inside personnel seeking to attain the position. When qualified personnel are available, both within and without the office, the selection decision should be made in favor of office members.
Only qualified professionals shall be used to assess the emotional stability and psychological fitness of candidates.
The process applies to both certified and civilian positions.
The department maintains on file in the Human Resources Division a Selection Process Procedures Manual for review at any time.
The office shall allow re-application, re-testing, and re-evaluation of candidates not appointed on a previous attempt provided that nothing in the candidate's history indicates an unfitness for appointment.
At the time of the receipt of their formal application, candidates are informed, in writing, of all elements of the selection process, and a job description for the position being applied for will be included in the application packet. The office shall maintain contact with each applicant to advise them of the status and final disposition of their application.
If the applicant does not receive a satisfactory score from the Oral Review Board, his/her file will be placed in an inactive status for six (6) months after which time the applicant may be re-interviewed for a position.
The selection process includes:
Minimum Eligibility Requirements outlined in position job description
Oral Review Board (If applicable)
Drug Screen
Background Summary: Phase I
Eligibility Lists
Conditional Offer of Probationary Employment
Polygraph Examination
Psychological Examinations
Medical Examinations
Physical Agility Test (if applicable)
Neighborhood Checks (3)
Personal References (3)
Phase II Summary
If the applicant is disqualified at any time during the selection process, the file is placed in an inactive status. The applicant may be eligible to reapply after administrative review.
All files placed in inactive status will remain inactive for a period of two (2) years, unless the applicant reapplies. After four (4) years, the files may be destroyed. This is in accordance to the General Records Schedule GS1-SL for State and Local Government Agencies.
Newly appointed members shall be required to satisfactorily complete any and/or all entry-level training relevant to the specific position appointed to retain appointment.
The agency shall either conduct criminal background records checks at least every five years of current members who may have contact with inmates or have in place a system for otherwise capturing such information for current members.
Entry level training shall be evaluated by the Human Resources Section to ensure such training is not creating adverse impact. If adverse impact is suggested, the Human Resources Director and Training Supervisor shall meet to review the procedures and techniques being used for entry level training.
Should a new member be appointed for a special operation or assignment (e.g., undercover work), entry-level field training may be postponed until completion of the special operation or
assignment. If, however, at the end of the special operation or assignment, it is determined, by the member's supervisor that entry level field training would be of no new benefit to the member or the office, such training may be waived.
The work performance of each newly appointed road patrol Deputy shall be measured and evaluated through the Field Training Program. Field Training Officers shall use the office-established procedures for evaluating these appointees.
All newly-hired members, to include Reserve Deputies (see Chapter 038 for definition), shall be evaluated quarterly for a period of not less than one year from the date the employee actually performs the duties of the position.
A newly appointed member may contest a work-performance report concerning entry level training by following the procedures outlined in Chapter 13, Section III.
Should the member still be dissatisfied, one final appeal may be made to the Sheriff. Such appeal shall be in writing, citing the reason(s) for such appeal, and forwarded to the Sheriff within five calendar days or three work days after the District Commander's decision is received.
Any member may, at any reasonable time, ask to review his or her personnel file which is maintained by the Division of Human Resources. If after reviewing the file a question arises as to the contents of the file, the member may write a memo, via chain of command, to correct or challenge the information found. At no time may the member remove any document in the file. The Director of Human Resources may have a document removed from a file if the document was improperly filed and actually belongs in someone else’s file.
The Human Resources Division maintains the results of medical examinations, psychological evaluations and polygraph examinations in a confidential file.
The results of the polygraph examination will not be used as the sole determinant of the employment status. An admission during pretest, test or post-test interviews, together with other information, may be sufficient to support decisions relevant to employment status.