Recruitment & Promotion

Goal

To review police recruitment processes to identify potential issues in new officers, and increase diversity.

Working Group Materials

Current Status

The Recruitment, Promotion, and Discipline Working Group had their last meeting on March 29, 2021, and made a total of 30 recommendations. Memos of those recommendations and responses from the Commission are below as well as infographics of some of the Recruitment, Promotion, and Discipline Committee's recommendations.

# Memo to Commission Response from Commission
1 Memo Response
2 Memo Response
3 Memo Response
4 Memo Response
5 Memo Response
6 Memo Response
7 Memo Response

Click each image below to view the full version.

Police Reform Recruitment and Promotion Working Group Diversifying City of Dayton Police Inforgraphi

Meeting Materials

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes Additional Resources
February 23, 2021 - Minutes -
February 2, 2021 - Minutes Meeting Presentation
Meeting Presentation 2
January 26, 2021 - Minutes Meeting Presentation
January 5, 2021 - Minutes -
December 1, 2020 - Minutes -
November 5, 2020 - Minutes June 19, 2020 Use of Choke holds, Duty to Intervene
Rules of Conduct
Training Bulletin
October 27, 2020 Agenda Minutes Police Reform Promotions
October 6, 2020 - Minutes Recruitment Recommendations
September 22, 2020 - Minutes -
September 1, 2020 - Minutes -
August 24, 2020 - Minutes Recruitment Exam Announcement
Homegrown Heroes Presentation
Police Recruit Applicant Stats
August 4, 2020 - Minutes [Video] Civil Service - Recruitment
Civil Service Police Reform Presentation
July 14, 2020 - Minutes -

Other Materials

Previous Process

The City of Dayton relies on its Civil Service Department to hire and staff all classified positions within the City. The Dayton Police Department has been an active partner in supporting this effort, as it pertains to the department. Despite all intentions to attract and hire minority officers, the Dayton Police Department has experienced what appears to be a nationwide trend of being unsuccessful at expanding its ranks with minority officers. As the Dayton Police Department has reduced in size from a high of over 500 officers in 2000 to its current 370, the percentage of minority officers has dropped to around 9% of the force. Civil Service uses a written validated assessment which is provided by Siena Consulting. This assessment measures a candidate’s preferences, experiences, and tendencies as well as personality characteristics needed to perform on the job as an officer.

The Department has established a full-time recruiter position. The recruiters is active on social media, and attends numerous community events, with a special focus on minority hiring efforts. Specific challenges to the hiring process are:

  • The length of time for the hiring process
  • The psychological testing
  • The physical fitness testing
  • The highly competitive nature of the need for minority officers throughout the country
  • Low number of annual hires

Hiring Initiatives

  • Home Grown Heroes – Program to encourage current city employees to test for a position with police
  • Collaboration with Dayton Public Schools—the plan is underway to have a DPD Officer teach Criminal Justice classes in a Dayton Public High School.
  • Seeking opportunities for employment of youth to cover the gap between high school graduation and turning age 21 (eligibility for OPOTA certification)