SFPD outlines new continuous testing plan and steps to diversify recruit classes

The San Francisco Police Department told the Police Commission on Sept. 25 that it plans to shift to continuous, scenario‑based testing for police applicants to expand and diversify its hiring pool and to reduce long delays between application and appointment.

Chief Gregory Peasey and background‑investigations staff described the full hiring pipeline: application to the Department of Human Resources, a written exam and scenario‑based testing, physical agility and an oral interview, submission of a personal history questionnaire, triage (including hair sampling and live‑scan fingerprinting) and assignment of a background investigator. Successful candidates receive conditional offers followed by polygraph, medical and psychological examinations before appointment. The department said its process complies with POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) requirements.

Staff said the city hopes to have an online testing option ready by November. The online test is vendor‑run and will be administered at dedicated testing centers, not from candidates’ homes; department staff said the vendor offers security features to reduce impersonation and that results would update applicant ranking lists continuously.

Commissioners asked for more data. Commissioner Loftus and others asked the department to provide longitudinal breakdowns — who applies, who is accepted and who graduates — by ethnic group so the commission can monitor whether the new testing regime improves diversity or unintentionally excludes candidates. Staff said they had updated demographic slides for recent classes and noted improvements in female and some minority applicant numbers, but they did not present a full longitudinal dataset at the meeting.

The department also addressed how background concerns are handled. Staff said 'time and distance' and objective POST standards are used when past incidents (for example, alcohol or drug use) appear in a candidate’s history; the triage process and psychological screening are used to evaluate rehabilitation or patterns of behavior. The department stated that a single past incident is not necessarily disqualifying and that standards are audited annually by POST.

Language capability was discussed: the department said language ability on hiring slides is self‑reported and that formal testing is available after appointment for Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. Commissioners also asked about outreach and whether the commission could help promote recruitment; staff said recruiting efforts focus on San Francisco schools and that the department is exploring paid cadet programs and private fundraising to expand outreach.

The commission did not take formal action on hiring at the meeting; commissioners requested additional data and follow‑up reporting.