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Minutes-161121 MINUTES Call to Order Attendance/Roll Call The meeting was called to order by Chair Kumagai at 12:04 PM. Present at the meeting were Commissioners Gloria Kumagai, Ralph Schulz and Andrew Wold; Police Chief Jason Sturgis, Commander Steve Johnson and Administrative Assistant Amanda Johnson. Approval of Minutes of June 30, 2016 Commissioner Schulz moved to approve the meeting minutes from June 30, 2016; seconded by Commissioner Wold. The June 30, 2016 minutes were approved by consensus. Approval of Police Officer Eligibility Register Chief Sturgis advised 134 applications were received for the police officer position. Approximately 100 candidates were invited to participate in the written test. Approximately 60 candidates were then invited to take the PT test and 40 of those were invited to the first round of interviews. Final interviews were conducted with 17 candidates. Of those 17 candidates, 8 were selected to be placed onto the police officer eligibility register, which was presented to commissioners for approval. Chief Sturgis advised one candidate from the last eligibility register is currently in the field training program and another candidate was unable to complete the field training program, but accepted a community service officer position with the City of Golden Valley instead. There are currently two open police officer positions. Commissioner Schulz inquired whether the recent reports of police officers being killed nationwide have affected officers in regards to their decisions to retire earlier than they intended. Commander Johnson said it likely is a consideration nearing retirement, but it certainly is affecting the number of applications that are initially received. Golden Valley routinely received 300 applications for open police officer positions, and in recent processes only about 150 applications have been received. Chair Kumagai inquired about the demographic information of the candidates. Chief Sturgis advised demographic information is not requested on the application, but from participating in the hiring process phases he is aware there were many female candidates and candidates of color. The eligibility register presented to commissioners includes two females and one candidate of color. Chief Sturgis also advised several candidates on the register have law enforcement or similar experience. Commissioner Wold stated that adding minorities and women to the police force only serves to strengthen it, and inquired whether the hiring process and scoring affords opportunity for those candidates to advance. Chief Sturgis advised the interview panels are carefully constructed to ensure they include officers of differing ranks and genders, and also officers who are involved in training new officers to ensure the panel is diverse. Chief Sturgis advised the interview scoring is subjective, but panel members have usually been part of each step in the hiring process and have been able to familiarize themselves with the candidates based on their observations and informal conversations along the way. Commissioner Wold inquired how police administration strives to avoid implicit bias when selecting candidates to advance in the hiring process. Chief Sturgis advised candidates who would have not been considered five years ago (due to varying concerns over life skills, drug/alcohol use, etc) are now being considered and sent for psychological testing so a professional can weigh-in on the likelihood of success in the police officer role. Chief Sturgis advised finding diverse candidates is a priority for administration. Commissioner Wold inquired whether the register scores for the candidates are intentionally listed one point apart and Chief Sturgis advised the scores reflect the outcome after the final interview and are not an accumulation of points the candidate has earned throughout the process. Commissioner Wold moved to approve the police officer eligibility register; seconded by Commissioner Schulz. The police officer eligibility register was approved by consensus. Other Business Chief Sturgis advised the department is participating in Toys for Tots again this year. Staff will also be participating in the Shop with a Cop program, where officers and staff solicit donations from friends and family to sponsor a shopping trip for students from Noble Elementary School who may not receive presents this holiday season. Staff members pre-buy gifts for the children and then take them shopping at Target to purchase gifts for their family members. The event wraps up at the police department where the kids are treated to a pizza party and are able to help wrap the gifts to take home to their families. Closing Comments There were no closing comments. Adjournment Commissioner Schulz moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Commissioner Wold. The meeting was adjourned at 12:47 PM. Respectfully submitted, Andrew Wold, Secretary