Policy Text
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GENERAL ORDER
TITLE ACCREDITATION
Specialized and Acting Assignments CALEA 11.5.1(a-d)
PRIOR REVISIONS
12/01/98; 11/04/99; 10/01/01;
PROPONENT UNIT
08/20/03; 06/20/05; 06/05/08,
Personnel Services Division 11/27/19
ATTACHMENT:
NUMBER ISSUE DATE REVISION DATE TOTAL PAGES
16.2 07/01/1998 10/14/2024 5
I. PURPOSE: This Order establishes procedures and criteria for appointing members to specialized
and acting supervisor positions.
II. DISCUSSION: Because the accomplishment of some law enforcement objectives is dependent
upon the availability of specially trained members, some positions / assignments may require
training before appointment while others allow for training after appointment. The specific training
required depends upon the specialty and the extent of training necessary to attain proficiency
and/or certification.
III. POLICY: The Gainesville Police Department shall:
A. Make announcements to all members, whenever possible, for specialized assignment
vacancies,
B. Select candidates based on the appropriate levels of skills, knowledge, qualifications, and
abilities,
C. Encourage all qualified applicants to apply for specialized and acting assignments.
Lieutenants and above (managerial positions) are exempt from this process and may be
assigned to a specialized assignment at the discretion of the Chief of Police. This is not
applicable to acting out of class assignments which is addressed in the collective bargaining
agreement.
IV. DEFINITIONS:
A. Specialized Assignment / Position: [CALEA 11.5.1.a]
1. Specialized Assignment / Position is one that:
i. Requires unique and/or additional training,
ii. Is designed for a particular and limited purpose; and\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
iii. Serves as a support function.
2. Positions / units identified as specialized assignments include:
i. Airport Officer
ii. Breath Test Operator
iii. Canine Unit,
iv. Evidence Technician,
v. Emergency Services Team (EST),
vi. Field Training Officer,
vii. Forensic Crime Unit
viii. Traffic Safety Team,
ix. School Resource Officer,
x. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT),
xi. Traffic Homicide Investigator,
xii. Covert Assignments,
xiii. North Florida Hospital Officer
xiv. Negotiation Response Team (NRT),
3. ‘Specialized’ v. ‘Specialty’ Assignments: Other assignments designated as ‘specialty’
for the purposes of pay are identified in the respective collective bargaining agreements.
4. ‘Specialty’ assignments may or may not be included in the list of ‘specialized’ assignments.
V. PROCEDURE:
A. Specialized Assignments/ Administration: The Chief of Police shall approve specialized
assignments within the Department.
1. Responsibility: The overall responsibility for training selected members, and for
managing, staffing, and administering specialized assignments will be as follows:
i. Bureau Commanders: Shall be responsible for the following:
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a Specialized Units: Specialized assignments under their command which
comprise a unit.
b Specialized Functions: Specialized assignments identified by function (such as
polygraphist, traffic homicide investigator, etc.) under their command.
ii. Team Commanders: Teams comprised of members from more than one bureau (e.g.
SWAT/NRT/ALERT) shall be the responsibility of the designated Team Commander.
2. Vacancies:
i. The division will select three (3) members for an interview/selection panel for the
position vacancy; one member will be identified as the panel chair. The panel will be
diverse and members will be of a higher rank than the vacancy. The Bureau head must
approve the panel members and panel members are to have no contact with applicants
applying for the vacancy.
ii. The division with a vacancy will work with the Personnel Services Division to create a
vacancy notice for the position on a standard template. The announcement shall
describe the minimum qualifications for the position.
iii. The vacancy notice must state that a Letter of Interest from the officer outlining the
minimum requirements as well as an up-to-date resume is required and must be
attached to the response email.
iv. The vacancy notice shall indicate that the application period will be 'open' for a period
of at least two calendar weeks from the date the notice is posted.
v. All responses must be sent directly via email to the GPD internal Vacancies email
address for the Personnel Services Division solely used for vacancy notices.
vi. The Personnel Services Division will review the emails to confirm that the applicant
has met the minimum standards for the position.
vii. The interview panel chair will be notified by the Personnel Services Division after the
closing date the names of all individuals applying for the position.
viii. The Personnel Services Division will pull and set aside the personnel files for all
applicants. The Personnel Services Division will review the files and confirm that an IA
review is completed. Copies of performance appraisals must be requested from City
Human Resources as they are stored in the NEOGOV system.
ix. The interview panel will review each applicant personnel file and create notes for the
selection report.
x. The interview panel will establish a date and times for all interviews and inform
applicants of their selected times. No overtime is permitted for the interviews but they
may take place while on-duty.
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xi. The panel chair will create five (5) to ten (10) questions for the interviewees to answer,
these questions may include practical scenarios related to the vacant position. Oral
questions must be in a standard format provided by the Personnel Services Division.
The panel members will take notes for each response and these notes will be used for
the selection report and will be retained by the Personnel Services Division.[CALEA
11.5.1.d]
xii. The selection panel will individually score the response of the applicants as well as the
applicant's resume, letter of interest, and notes from the applicant's personnel file, all
on a scale of one (1) to ten (10). The panel members will reach a consensus on each
applicant. [CALEA 11.5.1c]
xiii. The panel chair will write a memo directly to the chief of police listing the top five (5)
applicants, based on scores and consensus, for selection. The memo is to include a
brief description of why the applicant was selected for the top five with examples from
the interview and other documents used in the process. The Chief of Police will have
final authority on all transfers and determining transfer dates. Opinions are never
to be included in the memo nor are any endorsements or non-panel member
recommendations.
xiv. At the conclusion of the process and selection, the Personnel Services Division will
retain all files and create eligibility lists per the Chiefs direction if applicable.
3. Training: Specialized training, either formal classes or on-the-job, shall be provided for by
the supervising authority / designee, and shall focus on the development of skills,
knowledge, and abilities particular to the specialization.
i. Special Response Teams such as SWAT, EST and NRT shall engage in training and
readiness exercises as determined by their respective Commanders and Manual.
The teams shall periodically train together.
ii. Documentation: Training shall be documented according to General Order 33.1
Regularly scheduled / recurring training sessions (e.g. canine, SWAT), shall also be
documented.
4. Duration of Assignment(s) [CALEA 11.5.1.b] Duration of the assignment shall be at the
discretion of the Chief of Police.
5. Specialty Pay: Pursuant to collective bargaining, some specialized assignments may
include specialty pay.
i. Specialty duty is temporary in nature and not considered as a separate grade or rank.
ii. The assignment is made or withdrawn at the sole discretion of the Chief of Police.
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