The Professional Standards Division functions include all pre-employment processing and the maintenance of personnel records on all Sheriff-Coroner Department employees. The Command coordinates employee records with County Personnel; ensures the department's compliance with State and Federal employment laws and statutes; receives and processes applications for and issues various county licenses. To carry out these functions, the Command is divided into various units:
Recruiting Unit
The Recruiting Unit is responsible for filling sworn and professional staff vacancies in the Sheriff's Department. The Recruiting Unit conducts public, county-wide, and agency recruitment for sworn and professional staff positions. Active efforts are undertaken to select the most qualified applicants by administering rigorous selection processes.
Position Control Unit
The Position Control Unit is responsible for the placement of newly hired and promoted employees into one of over 3,500 allotted positions and over 150 different job classifications; is responsible for tracking all Department transfers within its Divisions; and generating and disseminating monthly Department-wide vacancy reports to Sheriff's Administration, and Division Commanders/Directors.
Backgrounds Unit
The Backgrounds Unit is responsible for investigating applicants to ensure they meet the high standards of employment maintained by the Sheriff-Coroner Department. Detailed investigations are undertaken to scrutinize the history of applicants to include previous criminal behavior, prior work performance, credit, personal relationships, and driving record. In addition to conducting backgrounds for all Sheriff's Department hires (sworn and professional staff), the Backgrounds unit conducts backgrounds for Park Rangers, Reserves, Professional Service Responders, Health Care Agency applicants, Interns, Advisory Council members and the Grand Jury.
Employee Services Unit
The Employee Services Unit consists of two teams, Employee Services Support and HR Records. These teams provide ongoing career lifecycle support to employees and divisions of the Department by processing a wide range of personnel transactions in addition to maintaining all personnel and background files. Employee Services Support processes employment verification letters, retiree CCW renewals, DMV Confidentiality requests, POST applications, issues Department Identification Cards, and provides PSD Front Desk customer service. HR Records is responsible for processing department personnel transactions in the Countywide Accounting and Personnel Systems (CAPS), facilitates the on-boarding and off-boarding process, maintaining and assigning department badges, and manages non-occupational leave of absences, including the Catastrophic Leave program.
Employee Relations Unit
The Employee Relations (ER) Team is instrumental in ensuring Human Resources (HR) practices comply with Federal and State Labor Laws and the Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) of all bargaining units. The ER Team's HR Analysts provide consultative services regarding employee relations issues that include but is not limited to; performance management, classification and compensation analysis, and operational practices that involve MOU interpretation as it relates to the terms and conditions of employment. Members of the ER team monitor Extra Help workforce activities and Conflict of Interest Filers to ensure County Policy compliance.
HR Analysts are responsible for managing EEOC issues and other workforce complaints on behalf of the Department and respond to EEO and DFEH inquiries regarding Harassment/ Discrimination in the workplace. In addition, guidance on addressing non-disciplinary interventions and corrective action is provided in an advisory capacity. This may include conflict resolution as well as facilitation of training and education of Division employees, supervisors and managers. HR Analysts are responsible for working with various employee bargaining units for meet and confer issues as well as facilitation of grievance hearings. The ER Team collaborates with the SAFE Division/Return to Work Unit in the facilitation of reasonable accommodation requests and absence management along with the County's Risk Management's Integrated Disability and Absence Management (IDAM) team.
CCW/Business License Unit
This Unit oversees the application process and issuing of concealed weapons permits and various business licenses required by County and Contract City ordinance. They also manage active licenses to ensure compliance and when necessary suspend and revoke licenses.
