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G.O. 25 LONGWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER NUMBER: GO - 25 SUBJECT: PROMOTIONAL PROCESS EFFECTIVE: OCTOBER 1, 1995 REVISED: FEBRUARY 15, 2019 GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 1 OF 7 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this General Order is to establish guidelines for the administration of examination devices used in the promotional process of sworn personnel within the Longwood Police Department. This process includes but is not limited to written examinations and oral interviews. II. SCOPE: The promotional process is of vital importance to the Longwood Police Department. The process provides for a fair, equitable, job related and non-discriminatory means of advancement for all employees who participate. A promotion is defined as advancement to a position which exercises supervisory authority over other members of the Longwood Police Department. III. ELIGIBILITY FOR PROMOTIONAL PROCESS PARTICIPATION: A. Position of Corporal: 1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: a. The member is not currently in a probationary status with the police department b. The member has three years minimum full-time law enforcement experience. This tenure requirement will be reduced by one year if the member has earned an Associates’ degree or greater from an accredited college or university. c. The member earned ratings of “Meets Standards” or better on his/her previous annual performance review GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 2 OF 7 d. Candidates for this position will be required to take part in the promotional process detail in section IV of this policy. B. Position of Sergeant: 1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: a. The member is not currently in a probationary status with the police department b. The member is currently serving as a corporal with two years’ service in that position at the Longwood Police Department. This tenure requirement will be reduced by one year if the member has earned an Associates’ degree or greater from an accredited college or university. c. Earned ratings of “Meets Standards” or better on previous annual performance review d. Candidates for this position will be required to take part in the promotional process detail in section IV of this policy. . C. Position of Administrative Manager: 1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: a. Candidates for this position will be directly appointed by the chief of police D. Position of Lieutenant: 1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: a. Candidates for this position will be directly appointed by the chief of police. E. Position of Commander: 1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: a. Candidates for this position will be directly appointed by the chief of police. F. Position of Deputy Chief: GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 3 OF 7 1. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: a. Candidates for this position will be directly appointed by the chief of police. NOTE: A degree from an accredited college or university is encouraged but not a requirement of promotion to any rank. IV. PROMOTIONAL PROCESS: A promotional process for the ranks of Corporal and Sergeant will be administered annually in May of each year. The chief of police will have responsibility for the development of the measurement instruments utilized in determining the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees eligible to participate in the promotional process. The measurement instruments selected for use in evaluating promotional potential will relate specifically to the duties and responsibilities of the position for which candidates are being examined. A variety of instruments may be utilized in the process including: A. Assessment of a candidate’s training and educational background; B. Work experience; C. Written examination; D. Oral examination/interviews and; E. Review of a candidate’s personnel file, to include disciplinary and commendatory actions. V. PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: A. Any employee who meets the eligibility criteria set forth in Chapter III above may participate in the promotional process. The employee must meet the eligibility criteria as of the closing date for submission which will be designated on the promotional announcement. B. Promotional process announcements publicizing the holding of examinations and the creation of eligibility lists to fill current or future vacancies shall be distributed and posted throughout the Longwood Police Department. GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 4 OF 7 1. The promotional process announcement will specify the position, title, and salary range; 2. A description of the minimum qualifications for eligibility; 3. The manner of making application and applicable instructions: a. All candidates wishing to participation in the promotional process shall notify the chief of police in writing and by email. b. This written notification will require the employee’s signature and does not require chain of command approval or acknowledgement by the chain of command. 4. The closing date for receipt of application; 5. The general elements of the promotional process and other pertinent information; 6. The dates, times, and location of all elements of the process. C. Candidates, who meet the minimum qualifications for the position and apply by the closing date listed in the promotional announcement, will be notified in writing of the elements of the promotional process to include: 1. Date, time, and location of each element of the promotional process; 2. A brief description of the promotional process elements, measurement instruments to be utilized and cut off scores. 3. A bibliography of source materials. 4. An additional notification will not be required if the details listed in paragraph C., sections 1, 2, and 3 are contained in the initial promotional announcement. D. Candidates may withdraw from the promotional process, in writing to the chief of police, at any time after the initial application, without prejudice. VI. PROMOTIONAL PROCESS ELEMENTS: The chief of police will determine the testing methods and methods utilized to evaluate experience, education, training, and seniority during a promotional process. GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 5 OF 7 A. Written examinations will be in multiple choice and true/false format. The established cut off score will be 75%. A score of less than 75% will eliminate the candidate from the promotional process. 1. Examination questions will be restricted to the material cited in the published bibliography. Bibliographies will be prepared and updated periodically. 2. Bibliography materials will include, but are not limited to, current General Orders, Policy and Procedures, other written directives as specified, Florida State Statutes, and other reading material that is made available to all employees. 3. Successful passage of the written examination will progress the candidate to the next phase of the promotional process. Candidates who do not achieve a passing score on the written examination are eliminated from the remaining elements of the promotional process. 4. Written examination scores are considered a successive hurdle for movement to the next phase of the promotional process and are not used to determine a cumulative score or for ranking purposes. B. Oral interviews are an integral part of the promotional process. The candidate’s verbal responses to both subjective and objective questions will be assigned numerical scores. The established cut off score will be 75%. A score of less than 75% will eliminate the candidate from the promotional process. 1. Oral interviews will be conducted by individuals selected by the chief of police. 2. Oral interviews will assess a candidate’s performance primarily focusing on knowledge, verbal communication skills, interpersonal relations skills, confidence, and common sense. C. Assessment of a candidates training and educational background. D. Review of a candidates personnel file to include commendatory and disciplinary actions. VII. DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY LIST: A. Candidates, who successfully complete all phases of the promotional process, shall be placed on an eligibility list in alphabetical order. The list will be submitted to the chief of police for approval no more than 3 days after the conclusion of the process. GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 6 OF 7 B. The eligibility list shall be valid for a period not to exceed 12 months from the date the list is approved. C. The chief of police may fill vacancies from any name which appears in the list. D. Candidates who did not successfully complete the promotional process may reapply during the next scheduled promotional process, without prejudice. E. All candidates will be notified in writing of the results of the promotional process at the conclusion of the process. VIII. APPOINTMENT TO POSITION: A. The chief of police has the sole authority to appoint employees from promotional eligibility lists to vacant positions. B. Any employee appointed to a promotional position shall be placed on probationary status in that position. C. Promotional probationary employees shall be evaluated on a monthly basis. D. Should an employee fail to perform satisfactorily during the probationary period, he/she may be subject to an extension of probation or an involuntary demotion to the former classification, resulting in a corresponding decrease in salary. IX. REVIEW AND APPEAL OF THE PROMOTIONAL PROCESS: A. Any candidate, who has participated in the promotional process, and believes that their application has been erroneously rejected, or who believes that their examination may have been incorrectly rated, will be entitled to one inspection of their eligibility, and one inspection of their examination results. The inspection(s) will be conducted within ten calendar days after notification of the candidate’s request. B. Inspections will only be permitted during regular business hours in the office of the chief of police or his designee. C. Should a candidate wish to appeal any component of the promotional process, he/she may do so by preparing a written statement to the chief of police within fifteen calendar days of the decision which is being appealed. The written statement must include specific areas of disagreement, the reason for the disagreement, and the requested solution to the disagreement. Statements meeting the criteria will be referred to the chief of police for review and final disposition. The decision of the chief of police will be final. GENERAL ORDER PROMOTIONAL PROCESS GO – 25 PAGE 7 OF 7 D. In accordance with Chapter 119, Florida State Statutes, examinations and corresponding results are not open to public inspection. X. SECURITY OF FILES: A. The chief of police shall ensure that promotional materials are stored in a secure area when not in use. These measures will include securing documents in locked file cabinets, securing documents in locked or limited access rooms, and/or securing documents in a micro-computer environment containing security passwords. B. The chief of police will dispose of all promotional process materials in a manner that prevents disclosure of information. This destruction will be in accordance with the rules promulgated by the Florida Bureau of Archives and Records Management.