(a) A person hired by the municipality as a patrol officer shall be considered a probationary patrol officer for not less than 180 days nor more than one year from the date upon which his or her active service commenced with the Police Department.
(b) A probationary patrol officer shall be promoted to patrol officer grade three as defined in division (c) hereof, subject to division (a) hereof, only upon the condition that he or she is recommended for the same by the Chief of Police and that such recommendation is accepted and approved by the Manager within the probationary period.
(c) The rank of patrol officer shall be graded as follows in terms of length of time in service beyond such probationary period:
(1) The patrol officer grade three status requires the successful completion of the probationary period status, as set forth in divisions (a) and (b) hereof.
(2) The patrol officer grade two status requires not less than 18 months of service at the patrol officer grade three level.
(3) The patrol officer grade one status requires not less than 36 months of service at the patrol officer grade two level.
(d) (1) Each patrol officer shall be eligible for promotion through the three grades in accordance with the time in service requirements, conditioned upon his or her achievement of a satisfactory performance level and his or her maintenance of the same for not less than one year prior to the date of his or her eligibility for a grade promotion. No patrol officer shall be promoted beyond the grade immediately beyond his or her current grade.
(2) Each patrol officer who completes his or her first full year as a patrol officer grade one shall, on January 1 of the following year and on January 1 of each succeeding year thereafter, receive an annual salary increase of 1%, conditioned upon such patrol officer’s continuous maintenance of a satisfactory performance level within grade one. In addition, each such patrol officer shall receive such 1% salary increase on a retroactive basis for that period of time between the date of completion of such patrol officer’s first full year as a patrol officer grade one and January 1 of the following year.
(3) If any such patrol officer fails to continuously maintain a satisfactory performance level during any calendar year, such patrol officer shall not be eligible for the 1% salary increase which would otherwise commence as of January 1 of the following year. However, if such patrol officer’s performance level is thereafter improved so as to meet the satisfactory performance level requirements, then such patrol officer shall thereafter be eligible for the annual salary increase of 1% as of January 1 of the year following such patrol officer’s continuous maintenance of a satisfactory performance level during the previous year, but in no event shall such patrol officer be entitled to the retroactive application of such annual salary increase of 1%.
(e) The satisfactory performance level of each patrol officer shall be determined by means of a personal evaluation procedure which shall be administered by the Chief of Police and the Manager and completed with regard to each patrol officer, excluding probationary patrol officers, upon the completion of each six months of service. “Satisfactory performance level,” as used in this section, means not less than 80% of the maximum performance expectation established by means of the personnel evaluation procedure.
(f) The personnel evaluation procedure employed for such purpose shall be established by the Chief of Police and the Manager and approved by Council, and may be changed or modified from time to time by the Chief and the Manager upon the condition that such changes or modifications are approved by Council.
(g) For the purpose of implementing the grade promotion system as the same applies to the current staff of municipal patrol officer, excluding current probationary patrol officers, an exception shall be made upon the passage of this section (Ordinance 76-O-245, passed June 1, 1976) to division (c) hereof so as to provide for the administration of the personnel evaluation procedure, with regard to each of such persons, immediately upon the date that this section becomes effective (Ordinance 76-O-245, passed June 1, 1976). Each patrol officer who achieves a satisfactory performance level shall be placed forthwith in the grade and at the exact point of time within such grade to which his or her current time in service entitles him or her and such achievement shall represent the equivalent of six months of satisfactory performance in such grade. If, however, any such person fails to achieve a satisfactory performance level on such occasion, then such person shall be placed forthwith in the grade to which his or her current time in service entitles him or her, but he or she shall not receive credit for such equivalent of six months of satisfactory performance.
(h) The rank of sergeant shall be held by an individual whose qualifications for such rank shall be established by the Chief of Police and the Manager. The appointment of an individual to the rank of sergeant shall be subject to the approval of the Manager and Council, but it is not mandatory that an individual so appointed shall be subject to, or affected by, this section.
(Ord. 76-O-245, passed 6-1-1976; Ord. 85-O-820, passed 3-19-1985)