REPORT RAPPORT

DATE:		24 March 2014
TO/DEST:		Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM/EXP:		Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service
	SUBJECT/OBJET:		SWORN PROMOTION PROCESS – 2013 ANNUAL REPORT

RECOMMENDATION

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receives this report for information.

BACKGROUND

The Ottawa Police Services Board (the Board) Policy Manual includes a policy on Workforce Management, CR-7, which provides direction with regard to managing the workforce within the Ottawa Police Service (OPS).  CR-7 requires the Chief to put in place sworn promotion processes and report annually as to how the Board’s policy objectives have been met.  The primary focus of this report is the Inspector and Staff Sergeant promotion processes that were conducted in 2013.

DISCUSSION

Design of the Sworn Promotion Process

The current sworn promotion process was designed and implemented in 2009, based on feedback from both members and the executive.  The goal was to create a process that was streamlined and efficient, while producing successful candidates ready to take on the challenges of the next rank.  The promotion process was also designed to encourage interested OPS members to participate in a fair, open, and non-discriminatory process.  

After each promotion process is completed, opportunities for improvement are identified based on feedback from participants and the promotion panel members.  Capitalizing on these opportunities for improvement leads to improved tools and process, ensuring promotions at all ranks remain fair, open, and non-discriminatory, and consistently deliver high calibre candidates ready to fill roles at the next rank.

Governance

The promotion process at the OPS is overseen by a Promotion Steering Committee, chaired by the Superintendent of Resourcing and Development.  The membership of the Steering Committee includes the Director General Corporate Services, the two Deputy Chiefs, the Inspector of Outreach and Development, the new Manager of Talent Development and Performance Management, and the Staff Sergeant of Career Development.  The Steering Committee reviews process and policy changes and provides direct guidance and input into the many practical aspects of each process.  All aggregate and individual candidate promotion results are approved by the Steering Committee prior to the Chief’s final approval.

Sworn Promotion Process Overview

The sworn promotion process has a standardized framework which is applied to the ranks of Superintendent, Inspector, Staff Sergeant, and Sergeant.  The broad framework is tailored to reflect the relevant competencies and job requirements at each rank.  The standardized framework is comprised of the five steps outlined in the diagram below:

Each promotion process is overseen by the Manager, Talent Development and Performance Management and is supported by panel members responsible for reviewing a candidate’s application package, assessing their scenario or in-basket (where relevant) and conducting their interview.  The panel for the Superintendent promotion process is made up of the Director General Corporate Services and the two Deputy Chiefs.  The number of panels for the Sergeant to Inspector ranks depends on the number of candidates in the process.  Each panel for the Inspector promotion process is comprised of an Inspector and a Superintendent, and the Sergeant and Staff Sergeant promotion processes have panels comprised of a Staff Sergeant and an Inspector.  Candidates, panel members and steering committee members must all sign an ethics statement acknowledging the confidentiality of the process.

At the end of each promotional process there is a debrief step where the candidates in the process are provided with an opportunity to receive feedback from their respective panel members on their results.  The process is then concluded with a reassessment stage, which gives candidates an opportunity to request that their results be reviewed to ensure there were no errors in the scoring.

Staff Sergeant Process (Q1-Q2)

As a result of a review of the Staff Sergeant promotion process, staff introduced a requirement that a prospective Staff Sergeant candidate must receive 50% or higher on a review of their resume to continue on to the scenario and interview stage.  Additionally, minor improvements were made to the tools used to support the process for 2013.

2013 Inspector Promotion Process (Q3-Q4)

A review of the Inspector promotion process was conducted prior to the 2013 process.  Changes for 2013 included additional screening at the prerequisite and application stages, as well as minor improvements made to the tools used to support the process. 

At the prerequisite stage, the OPS implemented a “readiness” discussion, which was modeled after the 2012 Superintendent promotion process.  The purpose of this discussion is to enable incumbent Inspectors to assess the readiness of each prospective candidate for the Inspector rank based on a set of defined criteria.  All decisions required consensus among the group of incumbent Inspectors, and were based on a summary of each candidate’s career history, time in each rank and achievements.

At the application stage, staff introduced a requirement that a prospective Inspector candidate must receive 50% or higher on a review of their resume to continue on to the scenario and interview stage.  

Promotion Cycle

	2013	2014	2015	2016
Q1-Q2	Staff Sergeant	Superintendent	Staff Sergeant	Superintendent
Q3-Q4	Inspector	Sergeant	Inspector	Sergeant

A two-year cycle, which outlines the timelines for each promotion process, has been developed and approved by Executive Command and communicated to members (see Table 1).  The plan indicates that there will be two promotion processes per year.  In the calendar years ending in an even number, promotion processes for the Sergeant and Superintendent will be held. During odd years, promotion processes will be held for Inspectors and Staff Sergeants.  Communicating this cycle enables members to better plan their careers and prepare for promotion processes by gaining the necessary experience and skills.

Table 1: Promotion Cycle

Promotion Process Results

Table 2 outlines the results of the 2013 Staff Sergeant and Inspector promotion processes.  

	Staff Sergeant	Inspector
Promotion Candidates	41	15
Successful Candidates	32	8
Candidates Standing on Mark*	3	4
TOTAL Candidates Eligible for Promotion	35	12

Table 2: 2013 Promotion Process Results as at Dec 31, 2013

*For the NCO ranks, candidates can retain their mark from the previous promotion process for one additional promotion cycle

2013 Promotions

Table 3 summarizes the 2013 promotions by rank, aggregating the data provided in the Quarterly Workforce Management Board report. 

	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant	Inspector	Superintendent	TOTAL
Promotions	16	6	1	2	25

Table 3: 2013 Promotions

CONSULTATION

Not applicable.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Not applicable.

CONCLUSION

The OPS recognizes the importance of maintaining a fair and open promotion process to guide the promotion of successful candidates to the next rank.  Under the guidance of a strong governance team, the sworn promotion process assists in identifying high calibre officers ready to take on more advanced leadership roles at all ranks.

(Original signed by)

Charles Bordeleau

Chief of Police

Attach (1)

Responsible for report:  Director General Debra Frazer