Franklin officials hope changes to its police policies attract better candidates and weed out bad officers more quickly.
Franklin’s merit system had been in place for about 30 years with just one amendment, which was last changed following an officer disciplinary issue, said William Barrett, attorney for the Franklin Police Merit Board.
The Franklin City Council last week approved policy updates that were proposed in response to hiring challenges and in light of police disciplinary issues reported last year across the country. The changes put the commission more in line with other area agencies, Barrett said.
Under the old merit board rules, an officer charged with a crime could be paid until the ruling on a criminal charge, no matter how long it takes. Officers in the past have been on paid leave for a year while awaiting a ruling on a case, said Kirby Cochran, police chief.
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Under the new policy, the merit commission could put an officer on unpaid administrative leave until a case is decided. The commission could also still choose to pay an officer.
An internal policy change would also give the police chief the authority to fire an officer before a criminal case is resolved, which could come into play if an officer displayed a major lapse in professional conduct that is subject to termination regardless of what the legal system decides, Cochran said.
Two other policy changes impact hiring and, specifically, hiring more qualified candidates, he said.
The change adds a physical agility test, which would be administered on the same day as the written knowledge test. It would be in addition to another state-required physical agility test that is conducted in later stages of the hiring process, Cochran said.
The first test is being added because multiple candidates over the years have been taken off the two-year hiring list because they could not pass the state’s physical test, though they were a top candidate based on the knowledge test, he said.
Other area agencies have encountered the same issues and have already added a second test, Cochran said.
“Just because we have always done it this way doesn’t mean we always have to do it this way,” he said.
Having viable candidates on the hiring list is especially important because public safety jobs in the Indianapolis-area are competitive and top candidates are typically on multiple hiring lists, Barrett said. One recent two-year hiring list lasted just three months due to physical fitness gaps and top candidates accepting jobs elsewhere, he said.
The police merit commission also plans to propose a lateral hiring process later this year, Barrett said. The system, as envisioned by the commission, would maintain the impartiality of the citizen-led merit system but also seek to attract candidates with experience who want a more senior position, he said.
Lateral hiring is in place at many agencies across Central Indiana, including some in Johnson County. For example, Bargersville and Greenwood police both have processes in place, and Greenwood’s was just ratified in February.
Franklin police officers are frequently poached by other departments’ lateral hiring policies, Cochran said. Right now, the department is at-risk of losing an officer with three years experience to another area department outside the county, he said.
If approved, lateral hiring would yield higher quality and more diverse officers, and require less taxpayer-funded training, Cochran said.
