(a)
Posting.
Whenever an examination is to be given for an entrance position in
the classified service, the Director of Human Resources shall cause
notice of such examination to be published and posted in accordance
with rule II, section 5 of these rules.
(b)
Content.
Announcements shall specify the title and probable rates of pay of
the rank, the nature of the work to be performed, the minimum qualifications
required for admission to the examination, the methods of making application,
and final dates on which applications will be accepted, and other
pertinent information consistent with the provisions of these rules.
(c)
Qualifications.
In addition to the requirements specified in these rules, the applicant
at the time must possess the qualifications required by the Charter
of the City of Stockton and the employment announcement.
(CS07-079, 06/07/07; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Form. No
application form shall contain questions or inquiries that in any
fashion can operate to discriminate against any individual by reason
of color, race, sex, religion or national origin. All questions or
inquiries must relate to qualifications necessary to perform duties
of the position.
(b)
Filing of
Applications. No person shall be admitted to an examination for employment
unless such person shall have prepared and filed an application for
said examination upon a form as deemed necessary by the Commission,
which application shall not have been rejected by the Commission or
Director for cause in accordance with the provisions of these rules.
Applicants must file applications in the Human Resources Department
no later than the final filing date prescribed in the examination
announcement. The applicant shall certify as to the correctness of
all statements made in the application by signature.
(5362, 3/1/79; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Age. Applicants
for police officer positions must have attained age 20 by application
final filing date and age 21 by date of appointment. Applicants for
firefighter positions must have attained age 18 by application final
filing date.
(b)
Education.
Applicants for entry police officer and/or firefighter positions must
have attained skills, knowledge, and abilities of a level no less
than that equivalent to a twelfth grade education, unless otherwise
require by law.
(c)
Health and
Physical Fitness. The Commission shall adopt such medical and physical
standards for fire and police classes as to ensure the candidate's
abilities to effectively perform the duties of the position. Such
medical and physical standards, when adopted, shall be made part of
these rules by reference hereto.
(d)
Behavioral
Fitness. Applicants must have demonstrated appropriate moral and social
conduct in previous personal and work activities as such fitness may
relate to the fulfillment of duties of the position, as determined
by the Commission.
(e)
Police Officer—Lateral
Entry. To be eligible as a lateral entry Police Officer an applicant
must possess a certificate attesting to successful completion of a
California P.O.S.T. approved basic academy, one year of experience
as a law enforcement officer, must have satisfactorily completed a
probationary period for a peace officer classification performing
the full range of duties, including patrol, with a California governmental
law enforcement agency, and pass an unassembled examination. A lateral
entry appointment may be made at a salary step above the first step
as determined by the Chief of Police and approved by the Human Resources
Director and City Manager.
(f)
Fire Fighter—Lateral
Entry. To be eligible as a lateral entry Fire Fighter, an applicant
must possess a California Class B Restricted driver's license, a current
and valid Emergency Medical Technician I Certification, a California
State Fire Marshal Fire Fighter I Certification, and 24 months of
full-time employment within the last 36 months as a sworn uniformed
Fire Fighter classification in any City, county, state, or federal
agency comparable to the City of Stockton classification, and pass
an unassembled examination. A lateral entry appointment may be made
at a salary step above the first step as determined by the Fire Chief
and approved by the Human Resources Director and City Manager.
(g)
Fire Fighter/Paramedic—Lateral
Entry. To be eligible as a lateral entry Fire Fighter/Paramedic, an
applicant must possess a California Class B Restricted driver's license;
a California State Fire Marshal Fire Fighter I Certification; a current
and valid California Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic (EMT-P)
License; must obtain accreditation by the San Joaquin County Emergency
Medical Services Agency to operate as a Fire Fighter/Paramedic for
the City of Stockton within 90 days from date of hire; 24 months of
full-time employment within the last 36 months as a sworn uniformed
Fire Fighter classification in any city, county, state, or federal
agency comparable to the City of Stockton classification; and must
pass a Paramedic written and practical examination administered by
the Stockton Fire Department. A lateral entry appointment may be made
at a salary step above the first step as determined by the Fire Chief
and approved by the Human Resources Director and City Manager.
(CS01-077, 7/19/01; CS04-049, 05/06/04; CS06-020, 01/19/06; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
The Director
of Human Resources may refuse to give an examination to an applicant
or the Commission may refuse to certify for appointment and remove
a name from the eligible list or reemployment list anyone whose name
is on the list for substantive reasons including, but not limited
to, the following:
(1)
Dismissal
from employment for delinquency or misconduct.
(2)
Mental
or physical incompetence for the position for which application is
made.
(3)
Dishonest,
criminal, immoral or willfully improper conduct.
(4)
Intentional
false statement, deception or fraud in securing the examination, certification
or appointment.
(5)
Habitual
use of intoxicating liquors or use of narcotics.
(6)
Failure
to pass and/or successfully complete a background investigation, which
shall include a polygraph and/or voice stress analysis and psychological
examination.
(b)
Appealability.
The removal of a name from an eligible list or reemployment list due
to failure to complete and/or successfully pass a background investigation
is not appealable to the Commission.
(c)
Disqualification of Previously Discharged Employee. No person discharged from the service of the City for cause pursuant to Section 2522 of Article XXV shall be entitled to again take the examination for any rank from the department from which the individual was discharged without the approval of the appointing authority and the consent of the Commission.
(CS03-064, 09/18/03; CS03-075, 10/16/03; CS05-093, 07/21/05; CS10-021, 08/19/10; CS2013-03-21-701; CS2014-06-19-1102; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
When the Civil Service Commission of the City of Stockton believes
for any reason that an applicant for a position in the Police and/or
Fire Departments does not intend to take the position when offered,
it may move to call the applicant before the Commission at its next
regular or special meeting. Notice shall be given to the applicant.
At the next regular or special meeting, the Commission may ask
the applicant if the applicant intends to take the position if it
is offered. If the applicant fails to reply in the affirmative, the
Commission may, in its discretion:
(a)
If the examination
has not yet been taken for the position, reject said applicant to
take such examination; or
(b)
If the examination
has been taken but it has not yet been corrected, order the Director
of Human Resources not to correct the said examination paper; or
(c)
If the applicant
has been placed on the eligibility list for the position, order the
applicant's name to be stricken from said eligibility list.
(5362, 3/1/79; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Content
of Examination. To the extent authorized by the Commission, the chief
examiner or his or her authorized representatives, may use a combination
of valid testing instruments, which may include, but not be limited
to, written tests, which shall count 50% of the total passing score,
oral examinations, performance examination and agility tests designed
to measure individual characteristics necessary to perform the specific
duties of the job, for the purpose of obtaining the most qualified
employees for the City of Stockton Fire and Police Departments. Methods
of ranking and weighing of scores shall be determined by the Commission
and will be stated on the examination announcement.
(b)
The date
fixed for an examination may be stipulated in the job announcement,
or candidates shall be given notice at least five working days prior
to the date fixed for the examination.
(c)
Qualifying
Grades in Entrance Examinations. An entrance applicant shall be required
to attain a score of not less than 70% in the aggregate or as provided
in the employment announcement in order to qualify in an entrance
examination. In written tests the percentage used to represent the
minimum score need not be the arithmetic percentage of the total possible
score, but may be an adjusted score based on a consideration of the
difficulty of the test; provided that such adjusted score shall be
established by the Director of Human Resources before the identification
of applicant's test papers.
(5362, 3/1/79; CS01-089, 8/16/01; CS02-028, 03/07/02; CS06-027, deleting (d), 02/02/06; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
The Commission shall provide for the award of five points in
favor of all applicants for appointment or employment under Civil
Service, who have served on active duty in any branch of the United
States Armed Forces, including the National Guard and the United States
Coast Guard, for at least 181 consecutive days and have been honorably
discharged. These credits shall apply to entrance examinations only.
(5711, 9/18/80; CS04-056, 05/20/04; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Rights of
Inspection. With the approval of the Civil Service Commission, and
during the inspection period, participants on a written examination
may inspect a copy of the examination in the presence of a designated
representative of the Director of Human Resources. This privilege
does not extend to examinations used on a continuous testing basis,
standardized examinations, copyrighted examinations, to those examinations
obtained through a testing agency where contractual provisions prohibit
the exposure of content or when in the judgment of the Commission,
this exposure would damage the examination's reliability or validity.
(b)
Inspection
Period. The inspection period is that period beginning the first work
day immediately following the administration of the written examination
and ending five work days later. The duration of any examination inspection
shall not exceed one hour. Only one inspection shall be allowed. This
period may be extended if, in the judgment of the Director of Human
Resources, the number of requests of participants for inspection exceeds
the work time available for such inspection.
(c)
Protest
Period. The protest period is that period beginning the first work
day immediately following the administration of the written examination
and ending 10 working days later. During this period any participant
may file with the Director a written protest, on the form prescribed,
setting forth the question number and reason and/or authority in support
of the protest. Such protests shall be deemed the only proper and
legal reference to specific test items and their general content,
and as such, shall not be a violation of Section 10(b).
(d)
Submission
of Protests. The Director of Human Resources shall submit such protests
to the agency that developed the examination for prompt evaluation
and recommendation. The results shall be submitted to the Commission
at its regular meeting following their receipt.
(e)
Public Hearing.
The Commission shall schedule a public hearing to vote upon the protests.
The examination will then be scored under a method determined by the
Commission.
(CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Each candidate
shall be given notice of relative standing on the eligible list by
mail or by posting in accordance with Rule II, Section 5 of these
rules. Each candidate who fails to obtain a place on the eligibility
list shall be given notice in accordance with Rule II, Section 5 of
these rules.
(b)
During the
five working days immediately following the date of notice or posting
of relative standing, any participant shall be entitled to inspect
his or her written test papers in the Human Resources Department during
regular office hours and in the presence of the Director's designee.
(c)
Upon the
request of a candidate, the candidate shall be granted a consultation
with the Director and/or designee to discuss the correction of any
item or errors in the computation of the candidate's total score,
and to review the reasons for the score. The consultation may include
discussion of the written, performance, oral or other rating devices.
(d)
The inspection
of a test paper shall include only the candidate's own answer sheet
and scoring answer sheet. The duration of this inspection shall not
exceed 15 minutes per candidate.
(e)
If an error
in the marking or grading of an examination is raised by the candidate,
the Civil Service Commission shall be informed at the next regular
meeting. The Commission shall consider the request from the candidate
and the report from the Director concerning such alleged error(s).
The Commission shall determine the need for correction and, if necessary,
shall instruct the Director to republish the eligible list as corrected
by the Commission. Such correction(s) shall not invalidate any certification
or employment previously made.
(5362, 3/1/79; CS07-079, 06/07/07; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Every participant's
markings, and answer sheets and scores, shall be subject to inspection
by the Chief of the Police Department or Chief of the Fire Department
and the appointive officer of the City and shall also be open to public
inspection at the discretion of the Civil Service Commission.
(b)
Examination
booklets and other documents and their contents are the confidential
property of the examining contract agency and/or commission. Any effort
by any person to duplicate, reconstruct, take notes of, or in other
ways reproduce the content or structure of said examination(s), except
as expressly provided for in Section 8(c), shall be cause for civil
action on the part of the City and/or disciplinary action, including
dismissal as defined in these Civil Service Rules and Regulations.
(CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
Establishment. From the return and report of the Chief Examiner or examiners based on tests and other factors to be considered as provided in Section 2507(b) of Article XXV of the City Charter, the Civil Service Commission shall establish a list of eligibles for each grade of the persons who shall attain such minimum score or scores as may be fixed by the rules of the Commission and who may be lawfully appointed. Such persons shall take rank upon the list in the order of their relative performance as determined by the tests and other factors, without reference to priority of time of tests.
(1)
Lateral
Entry—Candidates who have passed an unassembled examination
as set forth in these rules shall be placed on the lateral entry list
after completion of all tests and shall be certified in addition to
the list of eligibles who successfully passed all assembled examinations.
(2)
Academy
Graduates—After completion of all tests, candidates shall be
placed on a separate eligible list and shall be certified in addition
to the list of other eligibles. Candidates shall be ranked based on
the standard P.O.S.T. final examination score, which is administered
at the Police Academy.
(b)
Tied Score.
In the event of identical ratings, ties shall be broken first by removing
Veterans' Preference, second, if Veterans' Preference does not apply,
written test score, and third, by lot.
(c)
Duration
of Lists. The period of eligibility for appointment shall be at the
discretion of the Commission, but will in no case exceed three years
from the date of entering the names on the eligible list, providing
such applicant's name is not removed for reasons contained elsewhere
in these rules. Upon the recommendation of the appointing authority
and with the approval of the Commission, an eligible list may be abolished
prior to the expiration of three years for reasons of inadequacy or
other reasons consistent with the principles of merit and good personnel
administration.
(d)
Removal
of Names. Names of eligibles for original appointment may be removed
by the Director of Human Resources from the list and notice given
to the Commission when the records of the director show:
(1)
That
the eligible has not passed a satisfactory physical or medical examination
as shown by the report of the examining physician;
(2)
That
the eligible has refused or neglected to accept appointment when the
same has been tendered to him or her;
(3)
In the
case of promotional eligibility lists, that the eligible has been
demoted, discharged, retired or has resigned or died;
(4)
That
the eligible has requested in writing that his or her name be removed;
(5)
That
the eligible has refused or neglected to respond to first class correspondence
within a reasonable length of time;
(6)
That
the eligible has been appointed to the position for which the list
was established;
(7)
That
the eligible has passed the maximum age provided for appointment to
the position for which the eligible qualified.
|
Names of eligibles for original appointment may also be removed
with the approval of the Commission for reasons contained in Section
4 of Rule V of the Rules and Regulations.
|
(e)
Eligible
List; Integration of Eligible List. Existing eligible lists shall
be integrated with the eligible list established as a result of subsequent
examinations given for the same position. Candidates appearing on
an existing eligible list established by the continuous examination
process shall be notified of a subsequent examination for the same
position, shall be permitted to compete in said examination, and shall
be integrated in the new list of eligibles at their highest rating.
Candidates appearing on an eligible list established through
a continuous examination process shall be permitted to compete not
more than three times in any one year from the date of their first
examination for the same position and shall be integrated in the eligible
list at their highest score.
(f)
Selective
Certification Firefighter/Paramedic. If the Fire Chief determines
that a paramedic license or emergency medical technician certification,
and specific experience is needed for a vacant firefighter position,
the Fire Chief may request that the Civil Service Commission certify
a list of firefighter eligibles who possess such licenses and certificates
and specific experience, who are available for appointment, and whose
scores, at the time of certification, represent the three highest
scores on the firefighter eligible list.
(g)
Reinstatement
of an Expired Eligible List. Within 90 days of the expiration of an
eligible list, such list may be reinstated for good cause, at the
discretion of the Civil Service Commission, if the list is less than
three years old.
Good cause for reinstatement may include, but is not limited
to, any or all of the following reasons:
(1)
Eligibles
have been certified, but there remains an insufficient number of candidates
to fill the existing vacancies;
(2)
The
reinstatement of the eligible list would assist the City in meeting
its Affirmative Action goals for the class;
(3)
Unforeseen
circumstances arise whereby the immediate needs of the City require
taking such action.
(CS87-27, 3/19/87; paragraph (e) added by Resolution CS89-86, 10/5/89; paragraph (f) added
by Resolution CS91-066, 5/16/91; paragraph (g) added by Resolution CS94-112, 12/15/94; CS97-057, 5/17/97; CS98-074, 10/1/98; CS04-079, 07/15/04; CS05-056, 04/21/05; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
(a)
An eligible
who successfully completes the written, oral examination process,
and any required physical agility testing, whose name appears on the
entry-level, academy graduate, or lateral-entry eligible list established
by the Commission, may be granted a temporary waiver of the pre-employment
background process upon giving written reasons satisfactory to the
Commission. Such a waiver shall be for a period specified in the written
request and not to exceed the life of the eligible list.
(b)
In the
event the eligible list is exhausted prior to its expiration, upon
approval of the Commission, an eligible with a temporary waiver may
be given the opportunity to complete the background process.
(c)
A second
waiver shall not be granted.
(Original rule repealed by Resolution CS01-077, 7/19/01; added by Resolution
CS 04-071, 07/01/04; CS2013-03-21-701; amended by Resolutions CS2016-06-16-1201)
