DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Sheriff's Merit Commission met July 26.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

The Merit Commission met in the Gathertorium at the DeKalb County Administration Building in Conference Room East.

I. Call to Order

Chairman Todd Walker called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM.

II. Roll Call

Commissioners present at the meeting were: Chairman Todd Walker, Commissioner Anita Turner, and Secretary Bryan Perry. Also present was Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan.

III. Approval of Agenda

Todd Walker called for the approval of the agenda. Anita Turner moved and Bryan Perry seconded. All voted Yes. Motion passed.

IV. Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the previous meeting held 05/18/2021 were reviewed by Commissioners. Chairman Todd Walker called for approval of those minutes. Motion for approval was made by Bryan Perry and seconded by Anita Turner. All were in favor. Motion passed.

V. Public Comment

Though it was an open public meeting, no audience was present.

VI. Correspondence

Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan presented the Merit Commission with a letter extending his leave of absence from his merited position as Lieutenant per the Merit Commission rule Article II D.2. which states when an individual is tenured at a certain rank and is appointed Chief, that they shall be considered to be on extended leave of absence from his/her current named rank. Merit Commission received, acknowledged and approved Chief Sullivan’s letter.

VII. Lateral Transfer

Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan requested authorization for a later transfer to the Corrections Division pending a complete background investigation. The commission reviewed the applicant’s application. Todd Walker asked for a motion to approve the later transfer request. Anita Turner made the motion to approve the request. Bryan Perry seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.

VIII. Testing Review/Scheduling

Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan updated the commission on the open application process that was approved for the Communications Division to help speed up, streamline and improve the hiring process. The Sheriff’s Office is currently accepting applications and it is going very well. There has also been an increase in interest with applicants through our Facebook page. Chief Sullivan informed the commission there is a significant need to hire as we are currently down (3) positions in the Communications Division and (6) positions in the Corrections Division. Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan asked the commission if we could try the same open application process for the Corrections/Patrol applicants being that the current certified list has been depleted. The commission discussed what the new testing process would look like. Applicants would complete our online application. Once we receive 5-10 complete applications, we would allow those individuals to take the written test. If they pass the written test, they would be scheduled for an interview with the Merit Commission to become certified. Chief Sullivan discussed changing the order of the pre-employment exams and conducting the background investigation before sending applicants to the psychological and polygraph exams, in hopes to save money and streamline the process. In regards to the certified Merit list, applicants from the first testing cycle would be blended with those that pass the second testing cycle and so on, if they are not picked from the list in one year, their name would fall of the list, or if the Sheriff’s Office finds they are not a compatible candidate, the candidate would receive a letter saying so.

Promotional Testing was reviewed. In the event Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan is sworn in as Sheriff at the County Board Meeting in August there would potentially need to be two sets of promotional testing for Lieutenant and/or Sergeant test as there is not a current list for either. If needed, the Lieutenant testing would consist of the Assessment and Oral interview, no written test. If needed, the Sergeant test would be conducted in the same manner as past sergeant tests and would include a written test.

None of the commissioners had any questions or comments.

IX. Old Business – None

X. New Business – Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan asked about the availability of the Merit Commission should we need them for promotional testing. Chairman Walker advised Chief Sullivan to let the commission know when he needs the testing completed and the commission will work with his schedule to come up with a date that works for everyone.

XI. Adjournment

With no further business to discuss Chairman Walker called for a motion to adjourn at 5:55 PM. Anita Turner made the motion which was seconded by Bryan Perry. On a unanimous voice vote, the meeting was adjourned.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/min21-smc-jul.pdf