Civil Service Process in Iowa

Civil Service Process in Iowa

Police Agencies in Iowa

Civil service processes in relation to police agencies

Police Agencies in Iowa

Different authors define a civil service system differently, but the general definition is that; it is an institution, which mediates the mobilization of human resource in relation to service delivery on matters concerning the state's affairs in any given country. The system is governed by the legal implications of a state, and the social rules of the state (Kotchegura, 2008).

Police agencies are governmental bodies, which control and regulate the police forces. The police have an obligation to maintain law and order. The agencies, therefore, ensure the police are on duty, and help in regulating the departments in terms of hiring under employment terms, the promoting of the police officers and even termination of the employment contracts.

The civil service processes in Iowa

The civil service in Iowa significantly affects the processes of the subordinate departments under it. The civil service is mandated to decide the routine procedures of a department, and ensure full support by providing facilitation. According to this context, the department in question is the police department, which is one of the biggest departments that have many obligations towards public safety. The police in Iowa is privileged to have the best control panels that safeguard them. For instance, according to the General Assembly Senate, the general assembly of the state of Iowa provides that police should have specially designed radio facilities for tracking purposes, there has to be computerized systems for identification of the officers, the investigative procedures are to be upgrade to give easier time to the officers. The officers should also ensure criminal justice processes are faster to avoid congestion in detention facilities. There is a need for better coordination between the different departments under the police force, such as the patrol police, the local police and officers in charge of county levels. It is, therefore, evident that the civil service has the police department's interests at heart.

The civil service process is usually long and complicated when it comes to job descriptions especially the law enforcement agencies, including the police. There are practices aimed at hiring qualified individuals. Directions are given by the hiring agency, such as the police force, on the criteria followed for qualifications. In case the civil service approach or system is adopted, there has to be an examination given to candidates to determine their qualifications. The examination has over the years tested the mathematical abilities of the candidates and their ability to read and comprehend information. The candidates must meet a certain set of quality, including job experience. When the police hire their employees, they ensure the candidates possess the relevant abilities mentioned. Those that seek for employment in the civil service should have the ability to work in any public office, as the examination tests done lead to common qualifications in any job specification of public offices. Any department adopting the civil service procedure to hire is expected to use a hiring ratio, which in most cases is based on criteria that are non-objective. In conjunction with the civil service process, a federal process known as the affirmative action is used, and its main aim is to ensure there are no gender discriminations or biases in relation of ethnic background. it, therefore, helps in transparency during the selection of law enforcement officers. The police agencies should be ready to abide to these criteria for them to acquire the best workforce (Bagley, 2007).

The issues of promotions in the police workforce are also determined by the civil service agency, and the police departments hardly have any mandate to promote their employees. After a certain study, there was a revelation that over 80% of the police bodies and departments in most of the cities, including Iowa, were under the scrutiny of the regulations provided in the civil service Act. This was a clear indication that the process of promotion of workers under the law enforcement bodies was typically the affair of civil service agencies. The police department, therefore, does not enjoy any privileges to promote hired personnel to higher ranks and positions (Cordner & Scarborough, 2010).