Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council. Submitted by: David W. Hodgkins, Director of Human Resources

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1 Office of the City Manager INFORMATION CALENDAR December 7, 2010 To: From: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council Phil Kamlarz, City Manager Submitted by: David W. Hodgkins, Director of Human Resources Subject: Fire and Police Departments Diversity Recruitment Plans INTRODUCTION In response to City Council direction on April 20, 2010, the Berkeley Fire and Police Departments wrote Diversity Recruitment Plans, to increase the diversity of the workforce in those departments. These Plans were discussed extensively at Personnel Board meetings on May 3, July 12, September 7 and on October 4. CURRENT SITUATION AND ITS EFFECTS Since the inception of the paramedic program in the Berkeley Fire Department, recruitment efforts have been hampered by the paramedic certification requirement. One minority group in particular that has been impacted is African Americans, whose representation has declined from 17% in 2000 to 9% today. Coupled with expected future retirements, there is reasonable concern that African Americans diminishing representation will continue. Another obstacle that impedes recruitment is the physical agility requirement, which continues to present roadblocks for female candidates. As an effective recruitment strategy, practice sessions and coaching has been provided to candidates to assist them in passing the agility test. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Berkeley Fire Department faces some formidable challenges to recruiting and retaining a diverse work force. As recently as April 2010, Berkeley Fire Department held an examination for Paramedic Fire Fighter and received 1026 applications. The applicant pool was inclusive of all minority groups and females lending to the probability of diverse selections. Historically, the Berkeley Police Department has experienced a diverse work force primarily as a consequence of the City s reputation as an employer with integrity. However, the Berkeley Police Department is reporting a 4% decline of minority officers in the past ten years, primarily as a result of retirements. In recent years, increased competition from other cities and shrinking candidate pools has challenged the department s recruitment efforts Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA Tel: (510) TDD: (510) Fax: (510) manager@cityofberkeley.info Website:

2 Fire and Police Departments Diversity Recruitment Plans INFORMATION CALENDAR December 7, 2010 In almost a replica effort of Berkeley Fire, Berkeley Police held a recruitment examination in May 2010 and received 1065 candidates. The applicant pool contained significant representation of minority groups and females. There is a great deal of optimism that the exam will render diverse selections. BACKGROUND Since the Berkeley Fire Department paramedic program began in 1987, diverse recruitment efforts have been difficult. The paramedic certification requirement has fostered a barrier to minority candidates generally, but more specifically, to African Americans because they are not prominently found in the paramedic field. The current Berkeley Fire Department work force of 125 sworn officers contains ten (10) African American males and only one (1) African American female, who happens to be the Fire Chief. The Chief has been diligently working to address diversity issues/figures within the department since her appointment in As a result of her efforts, Asian and Hispanic female representation figures in the Berkeley Fire Department exceed parity with the relevant civilian labor market. The department s preparation of a diversity recruitment plan of action further epitomizes the Chief s commitment to diversity in her department. The Berkeley Fire Department diversity recruitment plan focuses on expanding its recruitment base and advertising area. Incorporating and exploring new strategies such as online advertising, establishing a recruitment committee comprised of Berkeley Fire department employees, Human Resources staff and the City s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) & Diversity Officer utilizing a team approach; having Open House meetings at the station house allowing interested citizens/applicants to explore the fire house and visit with department personnel in hopes of generating interests in the fire service. The operative message is to increase awareness of the Fire Service as a viable career choice for all groups of persons; and that the Berkeley Fire Department is an equal opportunity employer and a great place to work. The objective is to attract a qualified and interested applicant pool and improve the department s diversity. The Berkeley Police Department has not faced the same challenges as the Fire Department. Even though the department requires 60 hours of college credits as a minimum qualification, the department has experienced diverse applicant pools in the past, which have resulted in noteworthy hires such as Asian female patrol officers. However, increased competition from other cities for qualified officers and recent retirements of minority officers, some of which occupied high ranking positions, have resulted in diminishing parity percentages. The Police department has formulated a diversity recruitment plan in an earnest effort to maintain a diverse work force reflective of the City s population. It plans to increase its outreach efforts to incorporate student associations, law enforcement, business and professional associations, community colleges with criminal justice programs, and service organizations, such the Masons or the One-Hundred Black Men. In collaboration with the Fire Department, they are planning to establish a recruitment web Page 2

3 Fire and Police Departments Diversity Recruitment Plans INFORMATION CALENDAR December 7, 2010 page, hoping to take full advantage of the internet community. A diverse Police department is essential to providing effective community policing. POSSIBLE FUTURE ACTION The Fire and Police departments diversity recruitment plans incorporate similar strategies. Both plans include expanding their outreach efforts to include internet based advertising, actively participating in career and job fairs (e.g., Black Expo), accepting lateral transfers as a source of diversity and experience, and including service organizations in outreach. Fire is seeking to visit/recruit directly from paramedic schools for certified paramedics; form and nurture partnerships with community colleges to establish Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Programs and Paramedic Programs; and seek assistance from external Fire organizations such as Fire Fighters Diversity Council, CA Fire Fighters Joint Apprenticeship Committee, SF Paramedic Association, CA Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Black Fire Fighters, etc. Police is looking to contact/reach out to local community colleges such as Berkeley City College, Napa College, Las Positas College, and Evergreen Valley Community College as a major resource because of their requirement for 60 hours of college credits as a minimum qualification. Additionally, BPD intends to seek out professional enforcement associations, such as the Black, Asian and Women s Peace Officers Associations. Finally, the departments have engaged in a collaborate effort to establish a safety web page as an advertising tool. Both plans have been reviewed by the City Attorney s Office, the Human Resources Department, the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Diversity Officer and extensively by the Personnel Board at their May, July, September and October monthly meetings. The plans are ready for implementation in FY 2011 and considered viable strategies that are expected to foster positive results. The Personnel Board has a very active interest in this subject matter and has discussed recruitment efforts, particularly in the Fire Department, for over 20 years. The Personnel Board has requested regular updates on recruitment and hiring in the Fire and Police Departments and staff has promised to report back at least quarterly on recruitment and selection efforts. FISCAL IMPACTS OF POSSIBLE FUTURE ACTION Funding for the various outreach efforts will be absorbed under General Funds within the respective departments. One of the proposals is to develop a Fire and Police Department web page on the City s website at an estimated cost of approximately $1,000. It is anticipated that funding will be shared by the two departments. CONTACT PERSON David W. Hodgkins, Director of Human Resources, Lieutenant Matt Morizono, Police Department, Page 3

4 Fire and Police Departments Diversity Recruitment Plans INFORMATION CALENDAR December 7, 2010 Gil Dong, Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Department, Dennis T. Feggans, Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity Officer, Attachments: 1: Berkeley Fire Department Diversity Plan 2: Strategic Plan for Improving the Diversity of the Berkeley Police Department Page 4

5 Attachment 1 Department of Fire and Emergency Services Office of the Fire Chief Debra R. Pryor, Fire Chief September 1, 2010 To: From: Subject: Personnel Board Chief Pryor, Fire Department Berkeley Fire Department Diversity Plan Background The Berkeley Fire Department ( BFD ) has provided ambulance transport since the middle 1970 s. The BFD Paramedic Program began in Since that time, recruitment efforts have been difficult due to the countywide ballot measure that requires paramedics on all 911 transport ambulances, resulting in the 1987 change that all new hires for firefighter must be certified paramedics. Meeting the demand for certified paramedics, as a minimum qualification, has fostered a barrier in the BFD s recruitment effort, especially with regard to hiring African Americans because traditionally this group has been under-represented in the paramedic field. Combined with the recent retirement of a disproportionate amount of African American Fire Fighters within BFD, their diversity figures compared to the local population have declined from 100% parity to 75% parity (assuming the 2010 census statistics are similar to previous years). Obviously, the goal is to turn the tide regarding their decline, while increasing and maintaining a diverse work force representative of the City s population. Analysis An assessment of the Berkeley s Fire Department workforce statistics from 2000 to 2010, revealed the following findings: The percentage of White fire fighters has increased from 60% to 67%. The percentage of African American fire fighters has decreased from 17% to 9%. The percentage of Hispanic fire fighters has increased from 12% to 14%. The percentage of Asian fire fighters has decreased from 10% to 8% Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Second Floor, Berkeley, CA Tel: TDD: Fax: fire@ci.berkeley.ca.us

6 The percentage of female fire fighters has increased from 8% to 12%. The combined percentage of minority fire fighters decreased from 40% to 32%. Comparing the percentage of BFD minority fire fighters with the city s estimated percentage of minority residents for the years of 2000 and 2008, the findings are: Year % of minority % minority residents firefighters Unavailable Diversity Efforts Historically, BFD has been involved/engaged in diversity efforts as early as 1984, when BFD was the first fire department to join the California Fire Fighters Joint Apprenticeship Committee. This partnership between the State Fire Marshal and the CA Professional Fire Fighters Organization focused on increasing diversity in fire departments throughout the state. As noted above, since the implementation of the Paramedic Program, the paramedic certificate requirement has been a recruitment impediment for minorities, particularly African Americans. Coupled with increased competition from other employers seeking diverse candidates with paramedic qualifications, the availability of viable candidates has greatly diminished. In an effort to address the department s diversity needs, the following recruitment strategies have been implemented since 2004: 1. In the early 2000 s, BFD established and administered several Youth Fire Academies which were quite successful. More recently, Berkeley Fire Fighters (voluntarily) taught classroom Fire Science for three (3) years from 2006 to 2009 at Berkeley High School in an effort to increase awareness and generate interest in the Fire Service as a career. One student from the Fire Science Program applied for employment in the 2010 recruitment examination. 2. In 2009, BFD was successful in establishing a partnership with the Berkeley Unified School District and the San Francisco Paramedic Association to start an Emergency Medical Technician Program. The program is in its fourth delivery and has graduated 62 students. 3. In the absence of dedicated personnel or resources to manage ongoing recruitment efforts within the department, the BFD has established recruitment committees. The committees consist of BFD employees, Human Resources 6

7 (HR) staff and the City s Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity (EEO) Officer. The committee approach has been used since 2003 and has been an effective recruitment tool. 4. During the recruitment process, advertising strategies include making and displaying banners on fire stations along main thoroughfares to notify the public of open recruitments; holding open houses at the fire stations with designated staff to greet/meet visitors/applicants to provide as much information as possible about Berkeley Fire. Full size flyers and postcards containing information about BFD are prepared/distributed by the Fire Fighters throughout the neighborhoods and at various public functions (i.e. sporting events). The vacancy announcements have been revamped to incorporate pictures of the diverse personnel within the department, the department s firefighting equipment, and strategically selected pictures designed to generate interest in working for Berkeley Fire. 5. BFD has employed internet advertising over relevant websites such as Firehouse.com, FireCareers.com, CA Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Women in the Fire & Emergency Services, Latinos for Hire, Women for Hire and AfricanAmericanJobsite.com. etc. Coupled with the City s newly implemented on-line application system, online recruitment has proven to be an invaluable vehicle towards expanding outreach efforts on a large scale. This is evidenced by the Fire Department s recent 2010 examination, which received 1026 applicants. 6. Berkeley Fire Fighters conduct onsite visits to the Paramedic Schools in the immediate Bay area to encourage/draw diverse candidates; and provide online information to all Paramedic schools throughout the nation. Employment applications are accepted from students enrolled in a credentialed Paramedic School. This recruitment strategy has enhanced the diversity of the applicant pool and the ability to reach applicants when they receive their paramedic certification upon graduation. 7. Another source of viable candidates is lateral transfers from other fire departments. This strategy has the potential to enhance diversity and work experience auspiciously. 8. Staff from BFD attend/participate in career fairs suited to meet BFD s targeted audience; and along with HR staff, attend conferences that target/focus on diversity issues and challenges in the Fire Service. The above mentioned strategies have proven to be viable during recruitment efforts. In addition to continuing the above strategies, the following actions will be implemented towards improving and retaining diversity in the BFD: 7

8 1. It is essential that BFD continue to formulate and nurture partnerships with external Fire-oriented organizations such as the San Francisco Paramedic Association, the CA Fire Fighters Joint Apprenticeship Committee, the CA Professional Fire Fighters Organization, the International Association of Black Fire Fighters, etc. towards addressing diversity challenges and goals. 2. BFD has enrolled and will continue to participate as a member of the Fire Fighters Diversity Council. This is a nationwide networking council with the goal of collaborating with Fire Departments across the country who are experiencing recruitment challenges around diversity. The council s annual conference serves as an opportunity to network with other fire departments, while obtaining information about recruitment strategies that have been implemented and proven effective. The council also maintains a national recruitment data base, which is available to its membership. 3. In addition to internet advertising described above, BFD seeks to establish a recruiting web page in collaboration with the Berkeley Police Department on the City s website. A safety web page that will reflect the two departments favorably to the public designed to draw viable and diverse candidates is being contemplated with Berkeley Police, Human Resources, and Information Technology departments. 4. The BFD will continue to seek/engage in dialogue with the service organizations and community colleges in an effort to find a home for and partner to establish Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Programs and Paramedic Programs. Ideal local colleges would include Chabot College (Hayward), City College of San Francisco, Los Mendanos College (Pittsburg), and Los Positas College (Livermore). Results and Implementation In March 2010, the BFD completed a recruitment that yielded 1026 applicants. More importantly, the eligibility list of 439 candidates contained 133 minorities or 30%. African Americans totaled 20 or 5% of the eligible candidates. This list contained the highest representation of minorities since the implementation of the paramedic requirement. It is anticipated that there will be diverse selections from this list. The BFD feels that their recruitment efforts are finally beginning to pay dividends, and certainly plan to continue to employ their recruitment plan as delineated above. The current successes are milestones, not the finish line. It is anticipated that there will be annual recruitment examinations for BFD personnel due to ongoing retirements. As noted, BFD began implementation of its recruitment strategies as early as Some are ongoing functions while others are implemented at the beginning of or during the examination process. With the exception of the safety web page, the BFD s diversity plan is in place and operational. The primary administrator is the Deputy Fire Chief in BFD; the HR contact is the EEO Officer. 8

9 Attachment 2 Police Department May 7, 2010 To: From: Subject: Michael K. Meehan, Chief of Police Lieutenant Morizono, Administrative Bureau Strategic Plan for Improving the Diversity of the Berkeley Police Department Summary Findings: Over a ten-year period, the Berkeley Police Department experienced an overall 4% decline in the percentage of minority officers. This decrease was due to the retirement of several minority officers. The Berkeley Police Department s goal is to have a diverse work force that reflects the diversity of our citizenry. Analysis: Analyzing City of Berkeley (COB) workforce statistics provided by the COB Human Resources Department, from 2000 to 2010, the findings are: The percentage of White officers has increased from 54% to 58% The percentage of Black officers has decreased from 22% to 15% The percentage of Hispanic officers has increased from 8% to 9% The percentage of Asian officers has increased from 14% to 16% The percentage of female officers has increased from 16% to 22% The combined percentage of minority officers has decreased from 45% to 41% Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA Tel: TDD: Fax: police@ci.berkeley.ca.us

10 Comparing the percentage of BPD minority officers with the city s estimated percentage of minority residents for the years of 2000 and 2008, the findings are: Year % of minority officers % minority residents Unavailable Comparison With Other Agencies: 2000 United States Bureau of Justice Law Enforcement Management & Administration Survey* Department White % Black % Hispanic % Asian % Indian % Oakland* Richmond* San Francisco* Berkeley Objective of Plan: The objective of the plan is to achieve a more diverse work force by June of This timeframe would allow four testing cycles in which to increase the diversity of the qualified applicant pool from which to make selections. Past Recruitment: Historically, recruitment at BPD has relied on the reputation of the department, the quality of the city, and competitive salary and benefits to attract a diverse applicant pool. Electronic advertising, community outreach, and a comprehensive hiring strategy were unnecessary to adequately resupply the sworn ranks. However over the years, increased competition from other departments seeking diverse candidates, a shrinking candidate pool, and insufficient budgetary resources all have made attracting and hiring diverse, top level candidates a challenging task. To meet the department s objective, I propose the following: Strategy: 1. Following the suggestion by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), BPD should embrace a broader perspective of diversity. Traditional law enforcement diversity efforts have focused on race, ethnicity, and gender. Contemporary diversity includes variations in age, language skills, culture, religion or belief system, and sexual orientation. 2. Create an organizational commitment to diversity that is part of a departmental core value. Consider including BPD s commitment to diversity in any redrafting Page 10

11 of a mission statement. Also, consider the creation of a departmental diversity officer (ideally at a command rank) who has a collateral assignment to monitor, track, and collaborate with the COB diversity officer in the advancement of the hiring and retention of a diverse work force. 3. Engage a broad membership of BPD and solicit their feedback and assistance on increasing the diversity at BPD. Meet and discuss solutions with both minority and non-minority officers and with organized groups such as the Black Peace Officers Association, the Asian Peace Officers Association and the Women s Peace Officers Association. 4. Develop an advertising plan and an internet presence. Ideas include updating brochures, creating a recruiting web page on the department s website, and advertising on the internet and in select publications. Both the Oakland and San Jose Police Department provide excellent examples of recruitment web pages. A preliminary cost estimate for developing a recruitment webpage would be approximately $1,000 if including a video presentation. The assistance of the City s Human Resources and Information Technology departments would be essential to keeping the cost to a minimum. Internet advertising such as a Craigslist advertisement is approximately $150 for a five-week period. Other internet based advertising could include and 5. Identify and select diverse recruiting officers. Consideration should include matching specific qualities (such as race and ethnicity) to recruitment targets, willingness to engage with people, salesmanship, and a desire to recruit for BPD. 6. Increase BPD s participation in regional career and job fairs, especially those at UC Berkeley, California State East Bay, Sacramento State and San Jose State University. Reach out to local community colleges such as Berkeley City College and community colleges with criminal justice programs for example, Napa College, Las Positas College, and Evergreen Valley Community College. Participate in local fairs such as the Bay Area Black Expo. 7. Direct outreach to student associations, law enforcement, business and professional groups, churches, and service organizations. Two service organizations suggested by the Berkeley Black Police Officers Association are the Masons and One-Hundred Black men. Another service organization locally is the Berkeley Breakfast Club. 8. Identify influential members of the community that can serve as BPD s recruitment advocates. Potential members could be business owners, clergy, council members, human resources managers, neighborhood watch block captains, counselors, and athletic coaches. Page 11

12 Timeframe for Implementation Given the present staffing of the Administrative Bureau (one lieutenant, one sergeant, and one assistant management analyst) a critical component to the timely implementation of the plan would rely on the hiring of a human resources analyst who could oversee many of the aspects of the plan. In light of the city s current workforce reduction efforts and associated transfer of staff, I would estimate that the earliest BPD could begin implementing the plan would be at the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1, Page 12