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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
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Employee and Public Services
Sheriff’s Office
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DATE:
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March 20, 2006
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BOARD MEETING DATE:
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April 4, 2006
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SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:
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None
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VOTE REQUIRED:
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Majority
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TO:
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Honorable Board of Supervisors
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FROM:
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Mary Welch, Employee and Public Services Director
Sheriff Donald Horsley
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SUBJECT:
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Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Law Enforcement Unit (LEU) – Supervising Criminalist, Supervising Criminalist-Y, Supervising Forensic Specialist, Criminalist, Forensic Specialist Certification Differential
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board to execute an amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Law Enforcement Non-Sworn Unit (LEU).
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VISION ALIGNMENT:
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Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government.
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Goal(s): Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.
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BACKGROUND:
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In 2003, you authorized an MOU with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA) representing the non-sworn LEU unit. Section 14 of the MOU contains a paragraph that states the following:
“In the event that additional licenses or certification become available through a nationally recognized entity for Crime Lab employees, and it is determined that suchadditional licenses/certifications will provide added value to the County, the County agrees to meet with the DSA to discuss possible compensation changes for Criminalists and Forensic Specialists.”
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DISCUSSION:
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The DSA contacted the Sheriff’s Office and Employee & Public Services requesting to meet and discuss this provision of the LEU contract. Department representatives subsequently met with the DSA to discuss whether there would be added value to the County for employees in the above classifications to possess certain nationally recognized certifications in their field of expertise.
Through our discussions, it was determined that possession of a certification from the American Board of Criminalists (ABC), a Latent Print certification from the International Association for Identification (IAI), and/or a Crime Scene certification from the IAI would benefit the County by increasing the credibility of certified employees when they testify at criminal trials. Providing a financial incentive for engaging in the rigorous training and testing process and maintaining one’s certification is expected to result in more certified employees in these classifications. Moreover, as a recruitment tool, it is expected that experienced individuals in these professions will view the certification differential as an added reason to apply for current and future vacancies.
We have therefore reached agreement with the DSA on the following:
o A five percent (5%) differential will be paid to employees in selected classifications who obtain and maintain a certification from the American Board of Criminalists, or a Latent Print certification from the International Association for Identification;
o A two and a half percent (2.5%) differential will be paid to employees in selected classifications who obtain and maintain a Crime Scene certification from the International Association for Identification;
o No individual will receive more than a differential of seven and a half percent (7.5%).
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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Currently, there are four employees in the above classifications who are eligible for a 5% differential, and one employee who is eligible for a 7.5% differential. The total cost for the remainder of fiscal year 2005-2006 will be $6,054.00.
If all incumbents in these classifications were to become eligible for the maximum 7.5% differential, the cost would be $159,000 annually.
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