019-1998 LTC
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
http:\\ci.miami-beach.fl.us
LETTER TO COMMISSION NO. 19-1998
TO:
Mayor Neisen Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
DATE: February 02, 1998
SUBJECT:
PUBLIC SAF
FROM:
Sergio Rodriguez
City Manager
This memo will provide an update of recent accomplishments and an outline of plans for the future.
I. INTERIM HIRING - The City hired and retained 22 Police Officers in 1997, 20 of whom have graduated
from the Academy. As the last update noted, a 5th Interim Hiring Eligible list was recently created. One
candidate has been hired from this list. The Police Department is continuing background investigations of the
55 candidates on this list, and others can be hired as soon as the investigations are complete.
II. PERMANENT HIRING: The goal of this process is to develop job-related, validated, legally defensible
selection procedures that will identify highly qualified applicants.
A. PILOT TESTS: In order to validate the tests, the City must conduct pilot (trial) tests of sample groups
before administering the tests to job applicants.
1. PHYSICAL ABILITY TESTS (PATs):
The FIRE PILOT PAT was administered on January 16,1998, to 16 City Firefighters at Broward Fire
Academy. The Fire Department and the Broward Fire Academy are soliciting 15 diverse female
Firefighters to volunteer to take the test from other agencies so as to ensure that the sample has
appropriate gender balance.
The POLICE PILOT PAT was administered December 17, and 30,1997, and January 13,1998, to 33
Miami Beach Police Officers and 2 Miami-Dade County Officers. Four (4) additional officers from other
agencies were tested January 21, 1998.
2. MUL TIMODAL SCREENING TESTS (MSTs):
FIRE and POLICE PILOT MSTs were administered to 32 outside volunteers on November 20 and 22,
1997; to 34 City employees on December 18, 1997; and to 46 Miami Beach High School seniors on
January 15, 1998, and to 53 seniors on January 22, 1998.
3. BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT PHASE (BAP) PILOT for POLICE was completed in December 1997.
4. ORAL TEST PILOTS for FIRE administrations were conducted with City of Miami Beach employees on
January 28, 1998.
6 SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT (SME) MEETINGS: City SMEs performed a final review and analysis of
the MSTs.
FIRE: The final meeting was held January 15,1998.
POLICE: The final meeting was completed January 8,1998.
C. CONSULTANT ANALYSIS AND REVISION: Upon completion of the pilot tests, the City scored the tests
and prepared a variety of statistical analyses. The results are being reviewed and analyzed by the
consultant, who will propose any indicated revisions by February 9, 1998.
III. EXPIRATION/EXTENSION OF THE CONSENT DECREE - The City asserts that the Consent Decree
expired July 29,1997. To recap the events: On July 15, 1997, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Motion
to Extend the Consent Decree through May 5,1998, based on their contention that it is necessary for them to
evaluate the results of the pilot testing and to evaluate the results of an actual test administration before they
can certify that the City has met all terms of the Consent Decree. On August 1, 1997, the City filed its
Response Opposing DOJ's Motion to Extend and filed a Motion to Request a Hearing. On August 12,1997,
DOJ filed its Reply to City's Response and filed a Response Opposing City's Motion to Request a Hearing.
On August 13, 1997, the IAFF/FOP (who are joined in the Consent Decree) filed a Request to be permitted
to file a Response to DOJ's Motion to Extend.
Pursuant to the Local General Rules for the Southern District of Florida, if the Court has not set a hearing or
has not ruled on the Motions within 90 days, the City may file a "Notification of 90 days Expiring and Ripeness
for Hearing" requesting that the Court deal with the matter within 10 days. The City filed the request on
November 12,1997. The Clerk of the Court sent the "Notification of Ripeness" to the Court on December 12,
1997. To date, the City has not received notice that the Court has ruled on the matter nor received notice that
a hearing has been scheduled.
The matter is pending the Court's ruling as to whether or not it will grant: 1) The City's Motion to Request a
Hearing regarding the expiration of the Consent Decree and 2) DOJ's Motion to Extend the Consent Decree.
IV. PLANS FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE - I concur with the previous Administration's decision to notify
DOJ and the Court of our intent to begin recruitment absent judicial prohibition. We anticipate the completion
of our consultants' test analysis and revisions to occur on or about the second week of February. Upon receipt
of that advisory, we will notify DOJ and the Court that we intend to begin our recruitment before the end of
February.
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c: Mayra Diaz-Buttacavoli, Assistant City Manager
Harry Mavrogenes, Assistant City Manager
Janet Gavarrete, Assistant City Manager
Richard Bender, Executive Assistant to the City Manager
Richard Barreto, Police Chief
Luis Garcia, Fire Chief