4.7 Employment Termination & Reappointment

Centreville Police Department Title: Employment Termination & Reappointment Directive #: 4.7 Issued: 10.1.2016 Revised: 10.1.2016 Approved by: Charles M. Rhodes, Jr.

Chief of Police A. Termination

1. Termination may be voluntary, as with retirements and resignations, or involuntary in the event of death

or discharge.

a. Voluntary resignations will be submitted directly to the Chief of Police, who will advise the Town Manager of the pending action. The Chief of Police will write an endorsement to the resignation and summarize the employee's performance, work attitude, work habits and suitability for reinstatement or rehiring. The report will then be forwarded to the Town Manager for final disposition.

b. Involuntary terminations for permanent police employees will be conducted in accordance with Department policy, the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights and the employment policies of the Town of Centreville.

c. Involuntary terminations for probationary police employees will be in accordance with Department policy and the Town of Centreville Personnel rules and regulations.

(1) Recommendations for terminating a probationary employee may be initiated at any supervisory

level. Recommendations will be made by detailed report through the chain of command to the Chief of Police. All levels of command will endorse the report.

(2) Recommendations for termination will be initiated either following the realization that an

individual is incompetent, unfit, or unable to properly perform the job, and all efforts, e.g. training, counseling, retraining, personalized instruction, etc., taken to correct the situation have proven to be ineffective.

(3) Reports will contain detailed information citing specific examples supported by documents,

witness statements, dates, times, results of any administrative/criminal investigations, test results (PBT, Breathalyzer, Chemical, etc.), photographs, etc. substantiating the recommendation for termination. In addition to citing the inadequacies, all efforts and activities taken to modify/correct these shortcomings will be thoroughly explained. Each level of command will, by endorsement, specifically identify their involvement/ participation in correcting the unacceptable

performance. It is essential that not only is a problem identified, but that appropriate corrective action was taken in an attempt to modify unacceptable behavior.

(4) All termination recommendations will be expeditiously forwarded through the chain of command

to be received and acted upon by the Chief of Police prior to the end of the concerned individual's probationary period.

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2. Upon formal notification of a voluntary termination, the Chief of Police will, as soon as possible, notify the

Town Manager in writing. Included in the report will be the proposed effective date and a brief statement indicating the reason for the termination.

3. In all cases of voluntary terminations, the Town Manager may schedule and conduct an exit interview.

The interview is intended to develop information that may be useful for developing employment practices, Town policy, training needs, employee development programs, etc. This purpose may be accomplished by identifying the specific reason(s) for the termination. This is of significant importance in the event of resignations. Personnel retiring can supply information based on their experience with the

Department.

B. Termination Because of Death and Administration of Death Benefits

1. The Chief of Police will be responsible for contacting the widow or other survivors of deceased employees

and explaining fully the benefits to which they may be entitled and the procedures for applying for these benefits.

2. The complete list of benefits due the survivors of deceased employees is available from the Town Office.

Since each situation surrounding the death of a member will be unique, the benefits which may accrue to survivors will be varied.

C. Reappointment/Rehiring - Police and Civilian Employees

1. The Code of the Town of Centreville provides that employees who resign from employment with the

Department may, under certain prescribed conditions, be reinstated or rehired. Any person previously employed by the Town of Centreville will not be considered for reinstatement or rehire for a period of one year from date of separation. This exception can be waived at the discretion of the Town Manager, or as outlined in the Town of Centreville personnel policies.

2. When an employee is reinstated to a position with the same pay range as that from which he resigned, he

shall be placed in the same pay step that he occupied at the time of resignation. If the employee is reinstated to a position in a class with a lower pay range, they shall be placed in a pay step at or below the step which most nearly approximates the step they previously occupied at time of resignation.

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3. Police employees who are considered for rehire must meet all requirements specified by the Centreville

Police Department and the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.

4. Eligibility

a. Former employees shall not be eligible for reinstatement or rehire who:

(1) Do not meet all the requirements for initial appointment.

(2) Were terminated in compliance with the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights for a violation of

the Department's rules of conduct.

(3) Were not recommended to be reinstated or rehired, unless such recommendation has been

waived by the Chief of Police.

b. All persons applying for reinstatement or rehire must:

(1) Pass the applicant physical and psychological examination.

(2) Submit to a supplementary polygraph examination, covering the period of absence from the

Department, and supplemental background investigation.

5. Training

a. The Chief of Police will designate the extent of training for rehired and reinstated police employees consistent with standards established by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.

(1) Police employees reinstated within ninety days of their separation, generally, will not require

additional training.

(2) Police employees reinstated after ninety days following their separation may be required to

complete additional training. When determining the need for and the extent of training, the Chief of Police will consider:

(a) the length of separation

(b) active police employment

(c) police certification (Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission) status

(d) related training received during the period of absence.

(3) Rehired police employees who have been certified by the Maryland Police Training and Standards

Commission as a police officer and have been separated from active police employment as a member in good standing for three years or less may not be required to complete entrance level Page 3 of 4 training. The Training Commission, based on the rehiring investigation, will mandate a level of training to the Chief of Police.

(4) If the rehired employee's certification standards have not been met for the current calendar year

in which the rehiring takes place, the employee must, within thirty days of the rehiring, complete a course of training to include at least:

(a) all mandated in-service training requirements, and

(b) mandated firearms training and qualification.

(5) Police employees who, during their separation, were not engaged in active police employment and

are not certified as a police officer, may be rehired and will complete a course of instruction determined by the Chief of Police, and as mandated by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.

(6) Permanent employment for rehired/reinstated police employees will be based on the satisfactory

completion of the required training and the applicable probationary status.

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