HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-19 Civil Service CommissionAgenda
Civil Service Commission
Friday, April 19, 2024
8.15 a.m.
Helling Conference Room
City Hall
410 E Washington St
Iowa City, IA
1. Police Sergeant and Police Lieutenant
promotional testing
If you will need disability -related accommodations in
order to participate in this program/event, please
contact Karen Jennings, Human Resources at 319-
356-5025 or karen-iennings d( iowa-city.orq. Early
requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient
time to meet your access needs.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: April 16, 2024
To: Civil Service Commission
From: Karen Jennings, Human Resources Administrator
Re: Police Department Promotional Testing
The certified promotional lists for the ranks of Police Sergeant and Police Lieutenant have recently
been exhausted. To enable the Chief to fill future vacancies, we need to hold a new promotional
process. The Iowa Code allows up to ten names to be certified for promotional positions.
After consulting with Chief Liston and City Administration, we are recommending a testing process
for each rank which includes 2 weighted components to establish the rank order promotional lists
required by Chapter 400. The minimum requirements and proposed testing process (including
the recommended weighting) for each rank is summarized in the following table.
3 years as Iowa City Police Officer Assessment center (65%)
Associate's degree or 60 hours college Panel interview with sworn ICPD staff at the rank
credit of Lieutenant or higher, ICFD staff at rank of
Battalion Chief or higher, City
department/Division heads, and/or HR staff
(35%)
5 years in law enforcement including 2 Assessment center (65%)
years minimum as a Sergeant
Associate's degree or 60 hours college Panel interview with Captains or equivalent from
credit area agencies (35%)
Bachelor's dearee is preferred
As you can see, we are recommending that assessment centers be used in the selection process
for each of these positions. An assessment center is a process whereby assessors who have
held command staff positions in other law enforcement agencies evaluate candidates for a
position based on candidate performance in exercises designed to simulate situations
encountered by a person in the rank they are seeking to hold. Previous assessment center
exercises have included a number of the following: problem -solving, training presentation, citizen
complaint, tactical, oral presentation, in -basket, employee interview or other job -related situations.
A consultant with police administration background and experience in administering civil service
promotional testing processes will be hired to design and administer the assessment centers.
Exercises are selected based on the position being tested and are developed in conjunction with
input from ICPD command staff and Human Resources. Following completion of the assessment
center the consultant will be available to meet with candidates to provide feedback regarding the
candidate's participation in the assessment center. This is an opportunity for candidates to hear
the assessors' comments regarding their strengths and weaknesses. This type of feedback is
valuable to candidates as it provides them with information they can use in their professional
development.
Cayler Consulting is recommended to administer the promotional assessment centers. Jeff
Cayler has had a lengthy career in law enforcement, having served as Police Chief in Carroll,
April 16, 2024
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Iowa for over 30 years before retiring in 2015. He has been administering assessment centers
for law enforcement agencies for over 20 years and has both administered assessment centers
and served as an assessor in past City of Iowa City police promotional testing processes.
We recommend that City Human Resources staff be authorized to administer the panel interviews
for the Sergeant and Lieutenant processes on behalf of the Civil Service Commission. Human
Resources staff will be involved at all stages of the process to ensure that legal requirements
associated with the hiring process are met.
Testing is tentatively planned to take place this spring/early summer. I look forward to answering
any questions you may have at your upcoming meeting.
cc: Chief Liston