Behind the Scenes of the Police Department Hiring Process

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Part 1 – An inside look at the extensive and comprehensive process to become a Bellevue Police Officer

It has been a busy and exciting month at the Bellevue Police Department (BPD) – as four police officers have graduated from the Field Training Program this month (Marco Carrillo, Marissa Holwerda, Chatelle Ogea, and Heather Scholl). As many of you already know, we are in the midst of an expansion of the Police Department, as it states in the 2021 Bellevue Annual Report:

“In late 2020, a needs assessment was completed by the Command Staff of the BPD, and it was determined that there was a need to expand the department by 11% – growing from 100 sworn to 111 sworn positions. Working with Mayor Hike, City Administrator Ristow, as well as the City Council, they endorsed this plan for growth, which will be completed over two years – with completion by the end of 2022.”

With this in mind, we have been moving full speed ahead over the last two years in order to hire and train over thirty officers – to go from 82 sworn officers on staff in late 2020 to 111 officers later this year (including backfilling additional positions which have become vacant due to normal attrition during that time). 

The effort to hire an officer is likely more difficult than many people may understand – taking up to 16 months from initial testing until that officer completes training and is working on their own. The entire hiring process is under the purview of the Office of Professional Standards.

The process all begins with physical testing, referred to as ‘Cooper Standards’ testing. This physical assessment is mandated by the State of Nebraska and the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center. The tests include a 1.5-mile run, 300-meter run, one-minute sit-up, one-minute push-up, and vertical jump. Each test is age and gender-based.

Those who pass the physical assessment will move on to written testing that includes the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE Test) and the Police Officer Selection Test (POST Test), both of which are basic knowledge tests. 

Those who pass the first two testing rounds move on to an oral interview with a panel made up of Bellevue Police Officers and Sergeants. These interviews are scored according to a strict grading criterion for each question. 

Once the panel interviews are completed, a list is created where the applicants are placed in order according to their overall score by combining the individual scores from the written and interview testing. The physical testing is recorded as a pass or fail and is not included in the overall score. That list is then certified at an open meeting held by the Bellevue Civil Service Commission. The Bellevue Human Resources Department (HRD) then holds the certified list. A request is then made by the Police Department to the Human Resources Department for names, depending on how many positions are being hired. Strict rules are followed for those applicants that can be eligible for hire according to their testing scores.

Once the names are received from the HRD, a comprehensive background investigation is completed by a certified police officer. That background includes matching up information from a lengthy ‘personal history statement’ that is filled out by the applicant prior to testing to ensure there are no discrepancies. The background also looks into everything from an applicant’s criminal and driving history to their credit history. Numerous interviews with the applicant, their references, former employers, and even neighbors and former neighbors are completed.

Once the background investigation has been completed, the report is reviewed by a hiring committee, which includes the Lead Background Investigator, the Sergeant, and the Captain of the Office of Professional Standards. The Lead Background Investigator then meets with the applicant to review any additional questions or discrepancies noted by the committee.  

The applicant will then ride along with a Field Training Officer. This objective of the ride-along is two-fold; the applicant receives an opportunity to gain knowledge of the job functions as a police officer while they are also observed and evaluated by the Field Training Officer.

The Sergeant and/or Captain then conduct an in-home interview with the applicant at their residence. This is an opportunity to meet with the applicant and his/her family. This gives us a chance to meet with the applicant under informal circumstances and also allows us to educate the family and answer any questions.    

A conditional offer of employment is only extended to the finest applicants who meet BPD standards after a review of their background investigation. Those applicants are then scheduled to complete a medical examination, a polygraph test, and a psychological examination. If all three of those tests are passed, then the applicant will participate in the Chief’s Interview. A final offer of employment is typically extended to the applicant during this interview. 

The hiring process is extensive and comprehensive, yet it is only the first of three phases in becoming a Bellevue Police Officer. In my next article, I will discuss the next two phases – which include the completion of the Sarpy Douglas Law Enforcement Academy, and the BPD Field Training Program.