SUBJECT
Title
Contracting Background Investigation for Department of Public Safety Recruitment and Hiring (Information Only)
Report
BACKGROUND
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the largest fully integrated public safety department in the country. The department's fully integrated service delivery model of police, fire, and emergency medical services provide safety and services to our community all within one department. DPS provides quality service to the community by recruiting, hiring, and training highly qualified sworn officers, professional staff, volunteers and part-time staff.
To ensure that all employees are qualified, all members working at DPS must undergo a background investigation. A background investigation ensures that members meet the standards established by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). A background investigation also meets legislative requirements that have been established for people who work within the public safety profession and may have access to firearms, confidential records, personnel files, criminal justice databases and police reports.
The scope of a background investigation varies depending upon the job classification a person pursues within DPS. For example, a sworn officer will undergo the most detailed background process while a volunteer will undergo a less detailed background process. In addition to a detailed interview, the background investigation includes a review of an applicant's criminal history, arrest records, contacts with law enforcement, military history, employment history, credit history, driving records, training records and education. Background investigators interview the applicant, the applicant's family, friends, previous employers, neighbors, partners and references.
For more than 25 years, all background investigations have been conducted by DPS officers. DPS has maintained, as a collateral assignment, a list of Public Safety Officers (PS...
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