Adopt Resolution #13-02-032 to Hire Patrol Officer

At the January 22, 2013 Personnel Committee meeting, the Committee unanimously recommended that the City Council authorize staff to recruit for a Patrol Officer from the recent recruitment held in the Fall. Action on this case is documented within the Report from the Personnel Committee on tonight’s consent agenda.

In an effort to be as efficient as possible and expedite the hiring process, staff is bringing the “Authorization to Hire a Patrol Officer” case directly to the City Council for action tonight. It is important to note, this position is not a new position, but rather to fill the vacancy left by the Patrol Officer as described below under "Notifications".

As anticipated, staff has successfully advanced Mr. Cory Gardner in the Patrol Officer recruitment process.   Mr. Gardner has accepted the City's contingent offer and has passed all of the necessary pre-employment testing. With the City Council's authorization, Mr. Gardner will be be hired on or near February 28, 2013. He will be subject to a 1-year probationary period and all other personnel policies will apply normally.

The following information is an excerpt from the case presented to the Personnel Committee on January 22, 2013:

Changes to the department’s staffing of Patrol Officers (during 2012) include, one officer out on an unpaid extended leave of absence, one officer that resigned and one officer that retired as part of the City’s Voluntary Early Separation program. The opening left by the resignation was filled in November; however, the number of officers currently available to provide the City with 24-hour protection is still down by two officers. Twenty-four hour protection consists of a minimum of two officers working at all times. During peak times there may be up to four officers on duty. Officers work a rotation of five days on duty, five days off, then two days on and two days off. There are four officers assigned to work 6:30 am to 6:30 pm each day as well as four officers working 6:30 pm to 6:30 am.

It is anticipated that the officer on unpaid extended leave of absence will not be in a position to return to work. The absence of the Patrol Officer is taking its toll on the department by reducing scheduling flexibility, reducing officers’ ability to use vacation time, and creates a liability for the department in the event that another officer would require an unplanned leave.

In order to fill our last vacancy, a Patrol Officer recruitment was last held in the Fall, resulting in the receipt of 140 applications. Staff held 15 first interviews and 4 candidates were interviewed a second time. In addition to the interview process, candidates were required to pass a report writing exercise and a physical agility test. The top 4 candidates were required to pass a "shoot / don't shoot" exercise.

Drawing upon the recent Patrol Officer recruitment file, staff feels confident that the next highest scoring candidate would be a good fit for the department. Or, at the very least, there are additional viable candidates left in the 125 remaining applicants that were not interviewed.

To authorize staff to hire Mr. Cory Gardner, effective on or near February 28, 2013, at step 1 of the wage scale.  Step 1 is currently $21.87 per hour; however, it should be noted, the City is currently negotiating the next labor agreement, which may increase the step 1 rate. 

The funding for this replacement Patrol Officer position is part of the 2013 budget. The estimated annual funding required to fill this position (at the 2012 hourly rate)  is between $65,488 and $72,292.

Motion to approve resolution 13-02-032 to to hire Mr. Cory Gardner as a Patrol Officer, effective on or near February 28, 2013, at $21.87 per hour, which is step 1 of the 2012 wage scale.