Item A - ICMA/PERF Report - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

showed that there were several items in the file which would have precluded the candidate from becoming a police officer under the current standards. The abbreviated process by which these CSOs became police officers led to the belief by many officers that the HR function within public safety was more interested in the minority status of these CSOs than their qualifications. For example, one CSO brought onto the police department had been formerly employed with another city department. When he became a CSO, he was subjected to a background and psychological exam appropriate for the CSO position. Background information at that time suggested he was a good fit for that position. When he was considered as a candidate for police officer four months later, the degree of inquiry normally undertaken was abandoned and information that eventually became known was treated differently. Criminal history information that would normally have been considered as cause for disqualification was not because the police record had been removed, although it appears that there was knowledge of the matter. Nearly two decades later, after the officer was terminated from the department and convicted of criminal charges, the 1982 criminal information mysteriously resurfaced. There was another juvenile criminal matter from 1981 that was not considered because it had been expunged. Interestingly, the request to expunge was dated after the selection process for police officer began and the expunged document consisted of a handwritten white label dated within a month of the hiring of the person. Additionally, the officer was accepted into the academy without an additional psychological screening (as confirmed by the psychiatrist) or background check (absent from the file). An interview with the psychiatrist employed by the city of Eugene indicated that an additional screening should have been conducted for the armed position. Recent interviews were conducted with some of those who were involved in the '1985 process. They recall being concerned about applicant quality, however, there 44