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1. What are the milestones in the hiring process for dispatchers and records specialists?

• Initial Department Interview
• Background Investigation
• Interview with Police Technical Services Administrator
• Conditional Offer
• Polygraph Examination
• Psychological Evaluation
• Medical Evaluation 
• Internal Hiring Panel Evaluation
• Police Chief’s Interview

2. How long does a background investigation take?

Background investigations can be complex, so it depends on the applicant’s history. They typically take two to four months. 

3. What are possible disqualifiers for dispatcher and records specialist applicants?

No amount of standard-setting will eliminate the need to make case by-case judgments based on specific facts presented by each candidate’s background. Rarely is one fact a sufficient basis for disqualifying an individual; rather, it is generally necessary to investigate the circumstances surrounding each fact in order to make an educated determination of the candidate’s suitability, taking into consideration such factors as:

• The patterns of past behavior and specific combinations of fact and circumstances.
• The consequences if past undesirable behavior occurs again or becomes generally known.
• The likelihood of recurrence of the undesirable behavior
• The relevance of the past behavior to the job demands and requirements.
• The length of time between the particular undesirable act and the application for employment, with consideration given to the intervening behavior of the candidate.
• Positive attributes and/or behaviors that may mitigate past behaviors. 
• The legal rights of the candidate.

4. What will disqualify an applicant during a background investigation?

Applicants seeking employment are evaluated on an individual basis. The totality of the background investigation is taken into consideration for disqualification or non-select purposes. Bottom line, be honest from the start. In dealing with legal issues, we take into consideration the seriousness of the offense, the age of the candidate at the time of the offense, how recently the offense occurred, the career path of the candidate at the time of the offense, any mitigating circumstances, and the impact, if any, upon the candidate’s potential credibility as a witness in a court of law.

5. If my juvenile background is sealed, will my history affect recruitment?

Applicants seeking employment are evaluated on an individual basis. The totality of the background investigation is taken into consideration for disqualification or non-select purposes. It is important to underscore that a sealing or expungement usually does not relieve the applicant from providing information about the underlying conduct that led to such a sealed or expunged record. One possible exception might be an arrest/conviction expunged by a court pursuant to PC §851.8, in which case the court made a factual finding of innocence, as there is no underlying conduct to disclose. 

6. Will debt and bad credit disqualify an applicant during the background investigation?

Although this is an important area of investigation, the evaluation of a candidate’s behavior regarding the handling of finances is careful and judicious. It is critically important for the background investigator to understand the full circumstances surrounding any apparently negative financial information. Commission Regulations 1953(e)(11) and 1959(e)(10) require that a credit check be performed, “to determine the candidate’s credit standing with lenders, as an indication of the candidate’s dependability and integrity.” 

7. Are drugs or excessive alcohol use disqualifiers?

Applicants seeking employment are evaluated on an individual basis. The totality of the background investigation is taken into consideration for disqualification or non-select purposes.

8. I have been arrested before. Does this disqualify me?

It depends. We recommend you disclose the arrest and adjudication for evaluation.