Policy Text
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
G.O. 255.04
255.04
HIRING/PROMOTIONAL INTERVIEWS
02-14-96
PURPOSE
To establish procedures for the interviewing of potential employees and em ployees certified for
promotions.
POLICY
To hire/promote the most qualified applicant avail able based on Civil Servic e Rules and qualifications
identified during the final interview.
PROCEDURE
A. GENERAL
1. The Personnel Services Division (PSD) shall:
a. obtain the names of the applicants ce rtified by City Human Resources
Department for vacant positi ons within the Department.
b. require the successful applicant to comp lete the Pre- Employment Investigation
Form (SPD 469).
(1) The background investigation shall be pa rt of the hiring pr ocess. No job
offer shall be made until the background investigation is completed.
(2) The applicant shall be advised, w hen filling out the SPD 469, that all
questions are to be answered as comp letely as the question calls for and
the form is to be completed in the applicant's own handwriting.
NOTE: Even if the applicant has recently been backgrounded by another lawenforcement agency, a separate background investigation is required by law and shall be conducted .
c. conduct the background investigation and info rm the captain, supervisor, or office
chief conducting the interviews of information discovered which may have a
bearing on the applicant's consideration.
(1) The information contained in the backg round investigation folder shall be
confidential.
(2) Under no circumstance shall the applic ant be allowed to see any part of
the background investigation folder.
(3) Individual statements from the background shall not be quoted or
otherwise divulged to the applicant in order to get a response.
d. PSD will make all job offers to applic ants after consulting with the interviewer.
2. The Office Chief in charge of the Office with the vacancy shall identify the supervisor(s)
who shall conduct the interviews to fill the vacant position(s).
3. The interviewer shall be given copies of each candidate's application forms prior to the
interview.
a. During the course of the interview, no ques tion, direct or indirect, shall be asked
concerning an applicant's:
(1) race(2) religious creed(3) color(4) national origin(5) ancestry(6) sex(7) age(8) physical handicap or medical condition(9) sexual preference.
b. An informational handout shall be given to each interviewer before the interview,
which shall give samples of acceptable and unacc eptable questions.
c. The interviewer shall forward all interview notes to PSD. All interview notes shall
1 OF 3
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
G.O. 255.04be maintained by PSD for two (2) years pursuant to Government Code 34090.
d. Supervisors interviewing for the first time shall contact the Administrative
Services Officer (ASO) in PSD before the in terview for a short training session, if
necessary.
4. Any individual deliberately fa lsifying, deceiving, committing fraud, or other misconduct in
connection with an application and/or resume shall be disqua lified from consideration
under Civil Service Rule 4.3, Disqualification.
B. CIVILIAN POSITIONS ABOVE ENTRY LEVEL
1. PSD shall notify office chiefs of vacancies in their office and:
a. inform them of pending interview(s).
b. provide a list of names of indi viduals who wish to be interviewed.
c. make a recommendation as to who should conduct the interview to fill the
positions.
2. When applications and supporting documents ar e received from City Human Resources
Department, PSD shall verify the information for accuracy.
C. OFFICER POSITIONS
1. An appointing authority designated by the Ch ief of Police (COP) shall appoint Police
Cadets and/or Lateral Officers.
a. The appointing authority shal l work closely with the PSD staff to ensure the
interviewing process is conducted according to current department policy and
applicable State and Federal laws.
b. The completed background investigation folder shall be presented to the
appointing authority before the in terview with the applicant.
2. If the appointing authority desires an applicant 's response to a particular statement or
situation, the question s hall be asked in the broades t term possible and without
identifying the source of information.
a. Because inquiries are solicited by the investigating officer with a guarantee of
confidentiality for the responder, the appoint ing authority shall take special care
to ensure that confidentiality and trust.
b. Failure to comply with the above is a direct violation of department policy.
3. Before beginning the hiring interview proce ss, the Captain, ASO of PSD, or designee
from the Office of Technical Services shall meet with the appointing authority to discuss
the upcoming process and offer additional in formation necessary for its successful
completion.
4. If a background investigation or interv iew indicates a candidate may not be in
compliance with the drug policy or there is an incident that makes the candidate
questionable for hiring, the appointing authority shall conf er with the COP before hiring
the candidate.
D. SERGEANT AND LIEUTENANT PROMOTIONAL INTERVIEWS
1. Once a promotional list has been establis hed, the COP shall interview the certified
candidates for sergeant and/ or lieutenant positions.
2. The COP's secretary shall arrange and schedule the interviews and provide the COP
with the personnel files of the candidates.
3. The COP shall make the selection after the