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PD Hiring Standards Revised 9-17Page 1 of 8 SCHERTZ POLICE OFFICER APPLICANT MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR CERTIFIED OFFICERS Once an individual has taken and passed an entry level exam for the Schertz Police Department, they must then meet the employment requirements. An individual not meeting any of the following requirements will not be eligible for employment even though they may have passed the entry exam. A. AGE - A qualified applicant: 1. Must be between 21 and 45 years of age at the time of appointment. B. CITIZENSHIP - a qualified applicant: 1. Must be a citizen of the United States C. CRIMINAL RECORD – A qualified applicant shall not: 1. Be on probation for a criminal offense; 2. Have been convicted of a misdemeanor offense above the grade of a Class C misdemeanor within the last 10 years in the State of Texas, or equivalent grade in another jurisdiction; 3. Have ever been convicted of an assault involving family violence; 4. Have ever been convicted of a felony offense; 5. Cannot have any criminal charges pending; D. DRIVING RECORD – A qualified applicant must: 1. Possess a valid Texas driver’s license at the time of appointment. 2. Not have had their driver’s license suspended in any jurisdiction within the last 24 months prior to application. 3. Not have been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated nor Driving Under the Influence of Drugs in the ten-year period immediately prior to the most recent application. 4. Reflect a mature responsibility toward his/her driving privilege; and 5. Conform to the Department’s standard for driving history found in Hiring Standards Disqualifiers. E. EDUCATION – A qualified applicant must: 1. Have graduated from an accredited senior high school. In lieu of a high school diploma, the applicant must have obtained a G.E.D. from an approved source. 2. Ability to speak, communicate and write effectively in flawless English, using excellent grammar. 3. Possess the ability to read, learn, and understand the laws, policies, and procedures governing the police officer’s position. Page 2 of 8 F. MORAL CHARACTER - A qualified applicant must: 1. Be of good moral character, and 2. His/her reputation must be of the highest order as will be determined by a complete background investigation. G. VISION – A qualified applicant must: 1. Have uncorrected vision of no worse than 20/200 in each eye, corrected to 20/20 vision in one eye and not worse than 20/40 vision in the other eye. 2. If an individual has a satisfactory history of soft contact lens wear for more than one year and is able to meet correction to 20/20 in one eye and no worse than 20/40 in the other eye, safety concerns are considered mitigated and applicant processing may continue. 3. If an applicant has had laser eye corrective surgery, a six-month waiting period after corrective surgery is required prior to an applicant being allowed to apply. The applicant must provide evidence of complete healing by an ophthalmology clinical evaluation upon requests. 4. Applicants must be able to successfully complete the Farnsworth D-15 color vision test. 5. Applicants will be examined for night blindness (also known as nyctalopia) and must meet specified standards. H. HEARING- A qualified applicant must possess: 1. Normal hearing without the aid of listening devices. 2. Applicants must take an audiometer test and meet specified hearing standards. Please note that no applicant will be considered who exceeds any of the following: a. Average hearing loss of 25 decibels (ANSI) at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hertz b. Single reading of 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hertz c. Single reading of 35 decibels at 500 Hertz d. Single reading of 45 decibels at 4000 Hertz I. DRUG DEPENDENCY - A qualified applicant must: 1. Submit and pass an examination for drug dependency or illegal drug usage. J. PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT EXAM - A qualified applicant must: 1. Pass an approved physical assessment exam. An offer of employment to any applicant shall be withdrawn if it shall be determined upon the basis of medical examination that the employment of such applicant poses a direct threat to the health or safety of the applicant or others in the workplace and that the threat may not be eliminated or satisfactorily reduced through reasonable accommodation. 2. Pass an approved physical fitness exam. This exam is to specifically test the applicant’s ability to perform required functions in a simulated exercise that will Page 3 of 8 include running, climbing, crawling, dummy drag and handcuffing. The currently approved course can be found on the department’s website. 3. The City of Schertz will make reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants for the purpose of enabling individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions of the position. Such reasonable accommodations shall be determined upon the basis of individual consultation with the applicant. The City may decline particular accommodations where it determines that undue hardship may result or where a direct threat may not be eliminated or satisfactorily reduced through reasonable accommodations. K. LICENSING REQUIREMENTS - A qualified applicant must: 1. Possess a current Texas Peace Officer License by the time of appointment. L. PSYCHOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS - A qualified applicant must: 1. Submit to and pass a psychological examination provided by the City. M. LITIGATION - A qualified applicant must: 1. Explain in full any lawsuit(s) in which he/she is or was in any way involved. N. WORK HISTORY - A qualified applicant must: 1. Be able to show through his/her work history that he/she is an honest, competent, mature and cooperative employee. 2. Be able to fully account for any periods of unemployment. O. FALSE STATEMENT – An applicant: 1. Who intentionally makes any false statement, either oral or written, shall be subject to disqualification at any time during the application process and shall not be eligible for reapplication. 2. Who intentionally omits information shall be subject to disqualification at any time during the application process and shall not be eligible for reapplication. P. POLYGRAPH - A qualified applicant must: 1. Submit to and pass a polygraph examination approved by the City. Page 4 of 8 SCHERTZ POLICE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYMENT DISQUALIFIERS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES In addition to the minimum requirements, physical, and psychological standards, the Department has established guidelines regarding elements of an applicant’s personal history that, if present, could cause an applicant to be eliminated from consideration. A. Contradictory Information Asserted contradictory information may serve as a ground for disqualification, or may be given appropriate weight in the decision to reject or to approve an applicant. When the asserted contradiction is restricted to information supplied by the applicant, or to admission of the applicant, the applicant shall be advised of the asserted contradiction, and be given a fair and equitable opportunity to explain. Where the asserted contradiction is based upon information supplied by a third party under assurances of confidentiality, the degree of specificity and details of the asserted contradiction that are provided to the applicant shall be as much as can reasonably be provided without disclosing or jeopardizing the source of the confidential information. When false, inaccurate, or omitted information is discovered and it cannot be determined that the contradicted information was intentional, the applicant may be temporarily disqualified for a minimum period of one year from the date of consideration. B. Credit and Financial Responsibility An applicant’s history of credit problems as evidence of financial irresponsibility may properly be considered and/or serve as a basis for disqualification under the following circumstances: 1. An applicant may be temporarily disqualified until selection criteria are met if: a. At the time of application, the applicant had a total of at least $500 in debt, other than for medical or hospital services, which were past due by at least 90 days; or b. At the time of application, the applicant had experienced at least two collection actions-either accounts placed for collection with a collection agency or lawsuits filed- within the 24 months immediately preceding the application; and if there is no evidence that the applicant attempted to defraud his/her creditor; or c. At the time of the application, the applicant has declared bankruptcy within a 24-month period prior to the date of application and there is no attempt on the part of the applicant to make restitution to his/her creditor; or Page 5 of 8 d. The Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TGSLC) lists the applicant as being delinquent on student loan payments; or e. Verifiable information is received that the applicant is delinquent on child support payments. 2. An applicant shall be disqualified a minimum period of ten years from the date of consideration if: a. The applicant engages in activity that demonstrates either serious financial irresponsibility or an attempt to defraud. C. Criminal Behavior Criminal behavior on the part of the applicant, regardless of the date of the offense and whether identified by admission or conviction, will be examined very closely. Criminal behavior may result in temporary or permanent disqualification depending on such factors as recency, frequency, or severity of the offense. An applicant shall be subject to search of local, state, and national records to disclose any criminal record. General Provisions - a. Offenses that Occurred in Other Jurisdictions 1. An applicant that has committed an offense that occurred in another jurisdiction, regardless of the classification in that jurisdiction, shall be classified in its equivalent under the current State of Texas laws. b. Temporary Disqualifications 1. Applicants convicted of Class C Misdemeanor(s) will be evaluated on a case- by-case basis and may result in either temporary or permanent disqualification. c. Permanent Disqualifications 1. Actions involving moral turpitude may result in permanent disqualification and shall be considered on a case-by-case basis with appropriate consideration of circumstances. d. Admissions - For the purposes of applicant consideration concerning admissions: Felony and misdemeanor admissions will carry the same disqualification as the criminal behavior. Page 6 of 8 D. Drugs 1. The below listed selection criteria will result in permanent disqualification of an applicant upon admission or revelation through investigation. a. Applicant admits or is found to have manufactured, grown, sold, transported, or distributed illegal drugs, of any kind, will result in a permanent disqualification. b. A positive response from a drug screen to any controlled substance not prescribed by a doctor. c. The usage of hallucinogens, cocaine, methamphetamines and all other controlled substances will result in permanent disqualification. 1. An applicant that has used the following drugs prior to application will be temporarily disqualified until criteria are met: a. Any voluntary and/or willful consumption or use of marijuana in any form including marijuana derivatives, or synthetic marijuana or the unauthorized use of prescription medications within the past two (2) years from the date of application. b. Any voluntary and/or willful consumption or use of marijuana in any form including marijuana derivatives, or synthetic marijuana or the unauthorized use of prescription medications within two (2) to five (5) years shall be considered on a case-by-case basis with consideration given to circumstances, frequency and date(s) of use. 3. Permitting the use and/or association with the use of controlled substances. The guidelines for disqualification will depend on the frequency with which the applicant has permitted and/or associated with the usage of controlled substances and the severity of the drug in question. a. A distinction will be made between: 1. Residing within a household where the use and/or sale of controlled substances has or is taking place, 2. Close association with individuals (e.g., family, friends, relatives) who either sell and/or frequently use controlled substances. b. Power to terminate the use of controlled substances within any given casual social situation. Page 7 of 8 c. Power to extricate oneself from the social situation. d. Prior knowledge of the use of controlled substance within any given casual social situation. e. Each of the above situations in this section will be considered on a case by case basis. E. Driving 1. The driving record scale is designed to balance out the number and age of accidents and citations. Each category is given a point value. This point value is reduced according to the age of the citation or accident. Points assigned to each offense Months 0-12 13-24 25-36 37-60 At fault accidents 6 4.5 3 1.5 Driver Safety Course Sect 143A 5 3.75 2.5 2.5 No Insurance 5 3.75 2.5 2.5 Speeding / Hazardous Citations 5 3.75 2.5 2.5 No Fault Accidents 3 2.25 1.5 0.75 Non-hazardous Citations 2 1.5 1 0.5 2. An applicant will be temporarily disqualified, until the criteria are met, if: a. The applicant fails to have a valid Texas Driver’s License prior to acceptance of employment with the City of Schertz. b. The applicant is in danger of having their driver’s license suspended or revoked. c. The applicant accrues 18 or more points on the above driving point scale. d. The applicant is involved in two or more at-fault accidents in the past 12 months. e. The applicant is involved in 4 or more at fault accidents in the past 36 months. f. The applicant’s driver’s license has been suspended in the last 24 months in any state. g. The applicant cannot provide current proof of liability insurance. Page 8 of 8 F. Military History 1. Applicants who are veterans must conform to the standards set by TCOLE. 2. Any military arrest or conviction according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice will be considered in the same manner as a civilian arrest or conviction with respect to the grade of offense; (i.e. felony or misdemeanor). G. Tattoos 1. No visible tattoos depicting a presentation of graphic violence or sexually explicit or could be interpreted as racist, offensive or genuinely unsuitable are permitted. 2. No personnel are permitted to have any tattoo on or above the neck or on the upper chest or upper back that cannot be covered with a shirt collar worn in an approved manner. Any tattoo above the neck must be completely covered by hair that is in compliance with this policy. 3. Any employee that has a tattoo on the leg, ankle or foot must wear socks and/or long pants that cover the tattoo. No employee is permitted to have a visible tattoo past their wrist to their fingertips.