THE RIGHT Candidate

WHY LEAD? – THE RIGHT CANDIDATE

(3 min read)

One of the biggest hurdles a law enforcement agency faces when selecting the ideal candidate is the background investigation process.  You invest a lot of time, money, and effort making sure the individual you hire won’t reflect poorly on your organization’s image.  You entrust this person with a great deal of responsibility, including the power to take a life.

With the immense scrutiny placed on today’s law enforcement officer, it’s understandable that the vetting process for these jobs extends far beyond the average profession.  Candidates cannot be dishonest or of questionable character.  If you can’t trust someone to be honest during the hiring process, how can you count on them to make moral decisions on the street?

The creator of LEAD™, a veteran police sergeant, has many experiences talking with officers about their agencies and the hiring process.  Oddly enough, when the polygraph topic arose, some admitted to “beating the box.”  Reading through hiring threads on police website forums, it seems to be more common than one would expect.  Why is that?

Many law enforcement agencies use polygraph or computer voice-stress analyzer (CVSA) tests as a routine step when screening candidates.  Unlike checking a criminal history or certified driver’s record, polygraph and CVSA tests aid investigators with issues not always verifiable through conventional methods of investigation.

Almost all law enforcement agencies ask their applicants, “What other law enforcement agencies have you applied to?” and, “What were the results?”  They sound like simple questions.  However, that’s where things become interesting.

Background investigators may contact agencies a candidate applied with, for a variety of legitimate reasons.  When an applicant signs a background release, they agree to supply truthful information on all hiring documents.  They know their answers are subject to scrutiny.  However, as any experienced agency administrator knows, candidates are not always candid, and when they aren’t, there’s good reason for it.  Enter the LEAD™ program.

When you take part, we connect you to every other LEAD™ agency in the United States.  Some states may share applicant information within their state, but LEAD™ agencies share it nationwide.  With roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country,¹ it’s nearly impossible to turn up each department an applicant applied to if they omit it.  It’s even more challenging dealing with out-of-state candidates.  When agencies take part in LEAD™, you will notice a reduction in this problem.  As time goes on, and with increasing participation, LEAD™ can help bridge the gap existing between conventional investigation techniques and polygraph or CVSA tests.

In the “Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21^st Century Policing,” the report recommends that the Department of Justice partner with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards (IADLEST) to expand its National Decertification Index (NDI).²  The NDI lists officers who’ve had their license or certification revoked for misconduct.

The NDI is a helpful resource for any background investigator to check, but not all states take part, nor are they compelled.³  Also, many times an officer’s employment ends for reasons that don’t revoke their license or certification.  Sometimes they resign under investigation, in lieu of termination.  Some find law enforcement employment elsewhere, especially out-of-state.

Although IADLEST’s objectives are laudable, the NDI will not likely see full participation nationwide.  Concerns with providing negative employment information in a database stop many organizations.  LEAD™ bypasses the challenges the NDI faces.

With LEAD™, applicants hired show up as “Offered Employment” in the database.  If their employment ends for negative reasons, and they apply to your organization and omit that agency, you will see it.

Our program contains no unfavorable information about applicants’ employment histories or hiring statuses with other LEAD™ agencies (e.g, disqualified during a background investigation, failed testing, terminated from employment, or other factors).  Again, most employers would not supply this information in a database.  However, an applicant’s background release should assist with receiving personnel records from former and current employers.

LEAD™ shows where an applicant applied and lists any offer of employment.  These facts do not harm them or their privacy.  Your department has a right to know this information and will inquire.

The LEAD™ program serves as a guide for your background investigator.  It can point them in the right direction, saving time hunting for answers that may have eluded them.

For smaller agencies that don’t have dedicated recruiters or background investigators, LEAD’s™ in-depth Background Investigation Resources section assists the “part-time” investigator.  It offers helpful tips, website links, and information related to typical candidate background investigations.

We understand you may not routinely hire and don’t conduct these investigations often.  We are there to make your job less complicated.  The Background Investigation Resources section summarizes, describes, and recommends steps you can take when investigating a candidate.

Our focus is to help you find the right person for the job.  LEAD™ will reduce the risk of hiring a dishonest candidate with a questionable past – one that may stonewall the finest background investigator.  Unfortunately, it happens.

With time and expanding participation, agencies should see a decline in dishonesty.  Employment omissions should become a thing of the past.  LEAD™ agencies will have distinct advantages over those who rely solely on traditional methods.

¹ _{National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data | U.S. Department of Justice}
² _{Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing | Recommendation 2.15 | Page 29}
³ _{Broken system lets problem officers jump from job to job, AP probe shows | St. Louis Post-Dispatch}