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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.c. Police Recruitment PlanCITY OF ROSEMOUNT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR DISCUSSION COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING DATE: February 9, 2000 AGENDA ITEM: Police Recruitment Plan AGENDA NO. PREPARED BY: Gary Kalstabakken, Chief of Police ATTACHMENTS: Draft of Plan, Tuition Reimbursement Policy The Council has directed that a comprehensive recruitment plan be developed for the Police Department. A draft plan was brought to the Council in October for discussion. The attached plan includes revisions that were requested by the Council to be in the recruitment plan. It is brought before the Council this month for further discussion. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion Item Police Recruitment Plan proft Purpose The Rosemount Police Department believes that a diverse work force will assist in providing the best services to the community. The department will strive to attract personnel from varied backgrounds in the areas of education, ethnicity, race, gender, place -of -birth, economic status and other factors that reflect the community members that we serve. Recruitment of personnel intensifies when an opening does occur; however, recruitment is an on -going process. All police officers are responsible for encouraging interested persons to pursue a law enforcement career and to identify persons that are felt to be good candidates for a career in law enforcement. Officers should be mindful of the need to use the informal daily contacts and performance of duties to market the City of Rosemount, the Rosemount Police Department and a law enforcement career in general. Procedure The department will utilize an internship program and the community service officer position as recruitment tools. These positions provide for a means to develop a relationship with colleges and universities that provide law enforcement education. In addition, the positions allow the department to evaluate personnel while they serve in either of the positions. Because of this evaluation capability, persons that complete an internship or serve as a CSO should be given preference in the selection process for police officer positions. Internship Program The Police Department will utilize an internship program to establish relationships with several universities and/or colleges that offer criminal justice or law enforcement degree programs. This program will also provide an opportunity for the department to observe the intern's work habits, skills and abilities. An intern may be recruited as a police officer based on the performance during the internship. Specific schools to be contacted about the internship program include; St. Cloud State University, Minnesota State University - Mankato, University of St. Thomas, Metropolitan State University and Concordia University - St. Paul. Students from any school that contact us would also be given information and considered for an internship position. These universities will be contacted because they offer the curriculum required to be eligible for licensure as a police officer in Minnesota. The exception is Concordia University; Concordia offers a criminal justice program but it does not meet POST standards. Each program is a four -year program that results in candidates that are generally more mature and well rounded. The Department will attempt to have at least two (2) interns during each calendar year. Interns will be utilized to perform some tasks for example, data entry, data gathering and analysis - and will also observe officers performing the various functions of the department. Program Costs The internship progr; Wages: Recruiting: Equipment: mm's direct cost will be minimal. Internships will be offered only as non -paid. Personnel time at each campus Copying and duplicating of department literature No additional equipment needed. Community Service Officer Program The Police Department budget includes funds to provide sixty (60) hours of work for Community Service Officers. These temporary, part-time positions have been filled by two CSOs in the past years, however, the hours could be split between three or even four CSOs. The number of CSOs is dependent on the availability of those hired to work a flexible schedule that meets the department's needs. CSO positions have been posted as being temporary; the position has been advertised as being up to two years in duration. The position has been listed to attract applicants that are currently enrolled in a law enforcement program and scheduled to complete the program requirements within two years. The department should continue to recruit persons for the CSO positions whom are already interested in a law enforcement career and enrolled in a secondary education program. This method provides the department an opportunity to observe the work habits, skills, demeanor and personality traits of the CSOs to determine if the CSO should be recruited for any future police officer openings. Observation of CSOs will occur over a longer period of time than interns, therefore, a better evaluation of the CSO's strengths and weaknesses can be done. Candidates whom display qualities that are desirable for police officers may then be recruited to move from a CSO position to a police officer position with the City of Rosemount. One change is recommended for the CSO position. As a means to attract candidates and to retain good police officer candidates to remain in the CSO position, the part-time CSO positions should be made eligible for tuition reimbursement. This would require a change in the city's Tuition Reimbursement Policy. Currently, only regular full -time employees are eligible for the program. CSOs should be made eligible for tuition reimbursement after they have completed at least three months of employment with the city. Making CSOs eligible for tuition reimbursement will allow Rosemount to compete with other cities that have programs that pay for law enforcement students' education costs. It is recommended that the CSO position become eligible for reimbursement without the extension of a job offer for a police officer position. Not making reimbursement contingent on a job offer, allows for a longer evaluation period to assess the CSO's abilities. The city does not have to commit to a candidate based on a typical selection process and background investigation. The CSO may continue to be evaluated as a police officer candidate while working as a CSO. If a candidate hired as a CSO participates in the reimbursement program and proves to be a desirable police officer candidate, a job offer could be made at any time the candidate is working as a CSO when an officer position is added or other wise becomes available. A drawback to this plan is that some candidates will receive reimbursement and then leave Rosemount for another agency - Rosemount will have spent funds for educating the candidate without reaping the rewards. However, it is common for CSO's to develop loyalty to the department and once a candidate is identified as a good candidate, efforts can be made to retain the good candidates if an opening is expected. CSOs interested in applying for tuition reimbursement, in addition to meeting the existing requirements, should be approved on a case -by -case basis by the City Council. Approval should be granted based on the job and academic performance of the applicant and the predicted future needs for police officer positions on the department. For example, if an opening is not expected to occur until well after the applicant completes the academic training, the council may elect to deny tuition reimbursement. Program Costs - CSO Wages $8.25 per hour $29,000 Annual (Based on 60 hours per week) Equipment $800 initial per CSO $100 annual maintenance per CSO Tuition Reimbursement $1500 - 2000 per CSO Annually (Based on 12 -16 credits per semester at a state university) TOTAL $34,600 Annually (Based on two CSOs attending a public university) Recruitment for Police Officer Openings When an opening is expected specific steps will be taken to recruit a pool of candidates from a broad spectrum. The selection process to be utilized will be brought to the City Council for approval before the position is announced. In addition to job announcements in local and state publications, the Internet and out -of -state recruiting should be utilized. Internet Opportunities The proliferation of the Internet provides an easy and cost effective means to post job announcements. Any position openings should be posted on a variety of Internet sites. Sites to consider include: • Peace Officer Opportunity Line - Minnesota POST Board • City of Rosemount Home Page • Women Peace Officers Association of California • LawEnforcementJob.com • Jobs4Police.com ■ • Policeguide.com Each of these sites contains job announcements that are current and appear to be kept up- to -date. There are also links from a variety of other sites. The POST Board POOL on- line is an extension of a commonly used "job line" telephone number supported by the POST Board. Interested persons from outside Minnesota that already have an interest in seeking a police officer position in Minnesota may be reached through these sites. Recruiting Trips Potential law enforcement candidates may be recruited from other states. Minnesota may be considered desirable because of a reputation for professional law enforcement and higher pay than most other states. However, Minnesota's licensing requirements do create a potential obstacle. It is recommended that recruitment outside Minnesota only be done when a police officer opening already exists or is anticipated in the near future. The most likely attendees of career fairs at colleges are seniors, and some juniors, whom are getting close to entering the job market. If Rosemount does not have a job to offer, the attendees will quickly move to another employer's booth. It is difficult to build a reputation at a college because the student's graduate, move on and are replaced by new students. Since Rosemount does not hire on an annual basis and when hiring does occur it is normally only for one position, out -state recruiting is best suited for those times when an opening actually does exist. Recruiting could be targeted at virtually any metropolitan area, which has a number of college campuses located in the area. The specific sites will be chosen when an opening occurs based on the ability to attend any career fairs or similar events scheduled that meet the timeline for the hiring process. Cost: $3500 These funds should be budgeted annually but will not be used unless an opening occurs and the Council approves a recruiting trip in the selection process. The suggested amount is the estimated cost to travel to three (3) cities. Other Considerations New programs and methods to recruit and train personnel continue to evolve.. The chief of police and others assigned to assist in recruiting are responsible for reviewing professional journals and maintaining professional contacts that may lead to developing different or enhanced recruiting or selection methods. Efforts to combine recruiting and hiring efforts with other agencies should be explored. This may include the agencies providing information on each other's departments when recruiting at colleges and career fairs and establishing data banks on qualified applicants. The department should continue to participate in the Law Enforcement Opportunities Career Fair and the LEO organization. LEO is good for networking with other persons involved in recruiting. The LEO Career Fair is well attended and does provide a good means to acquaint potential candidates with Rosemount. The department should also regularly attended career fairs at colleges, universities and other venues. Evaluation of Recruitment Methods In order to revise and improve the department's recruiting methods, information from applicants, interns, CSOs and police officers hired will be gathered and analyzed. The information will be utilized to determine if the recruitment efforts are attracting applicants from the targeted sites and if the applicants being attracted are good candidates. Out -State Recruiting Tracking • Total contacts at each site. • Total information packets /applications distributed at each site. • Total number of applications actually submitted from each site. • Number of applicants from each site that proceed in process to interview. • Number of applicants hired from each site. • Number of applicants hired, by other Minnesota communities, from each site. • Total cost of recruiting trips to each site. Internships and Community Service Officers Tracking • Total contacts at each college or career fair visited. • Total applications distributed through each college and/or career fair. • Total applications received from each college and/or career fair. • Number of candidates from each college and/or career fair that are considered for the position. • College of the selected candidate. • Finalists that are hired by other agencies. • Interviews with candidates selected for positions • Surveys of previous interns and CSOs to solicit information on recruiting efforts and position evaluation. r Police Officers Tracking • Total contacts at each college or career fair visited. • Total applications distributed through each college and/or career fair. • Total applications received from each college and/or career fair. • Number of candidates from each college and/or career fair that are considered for the position. • College of the selected candidate. • Finalists that are hired by other agencies. ■. Interview hired candidate to determine what attracted the candidate to Rosemount. } CITY OF ROSEMOUNT POLICY TITLE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM POLICY NUMBER PE - 1 PROPOSED BY : ADMINISTRATION DATE APPROVED BY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 9, 1989 DATE AMENDED, BY COUNCIL DECEMBER 3, 1991 PURPOSE The City of Rosemount encourages its employees to improve their skills and knowledge through education. To assist employees in attaining personal education and career goals, the City offers the following tuition reimbursement program to eligible employees. This program is intended for the voluntary use of employees to encourage achievement of personal goals, and is not intended to address employer requested or required classes, seminars, or programs. Eligibility for the reimbursement program shall be based on the following criteria. I. ELIGIBILITY I. a. Regular full -time, non -union employees and union employees eligible through approved labor agreement, upon successful completion of their initial probationary period with the City, or as individually agreed, shall be eligible to apply for reimbursement of job- related educational courses under the City's Tuition Reimbursement Program. b. This program is voluntary, and as such all course work shall be completed outside normal working hours. C. In order to be considered for tuition reimbursement, the course or degree program, must be directly related to the employee's current job or to a position to which the employee could be directly promoted within the City. d. Tuition reimbursement shall be considered only for course work taken at recognized accredited colleges, vocational schools, or approved adult educational programs. e. Tuition Reimbursement forms are available from the Personnel Office. II. APPROVAL j II. a. In order to be eligible for tuition reimbursement, all requests for course work or a degree program must receive prior approval from the employee's department head and the city administrator. III. REIMBURSEMENT III. a. Upon successful completion of a pre - approved educational course, the City shall reimburse the employee for 100 percent of the course tuition and other associated fees, necessary textbooks, and materials. Expenses for which the employee could be compensated through other educational incentive programs such as the GI Bill will not be covered. The City will pay 100 percent of all costs of taking a class not to exceed $750 a year for classes approved by Administration and successfully completed. The City will also pay 50- percent of costs above the initial $750 for classes approved by Administration and successfully completed. b. Successful completion of the course shall be considered: 1. A letter grade of "C" or better, or; 2. A numerical grade of 11 70 " or better, or; 3. A pass in a Pass /No Pass System, or; 4. A certificate from the instructor indicating satisfactory completion of the course if grades are not issued. C. Financial reimbursement will be granted after the following conditions have been met: 1. The employee has received prior approval under the Tuition Reimbursement Program. 2. The employee has completed the course and submitted proof of successful completion of the course to their department head. 3. The employee has submitted proof of payment for the course to their department head.