POST investigator: officer hired while under suspension; commission refers case for further review
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Summary
POST investigator reported that an officer under an agreed suspension — identified in commission records in May — was hired and worked as a police officer at a community college; commissioners voted to return the matter to the informal subcommittee for further fact‑finding and potential decertification action.
Kevin Crane, a POST investigator, told the commission the body opened a legal‑initiated investigation after learning that an officer under an agreed suspension had been employed as a police officer at Southwest Community College.
Crane said the officer had signed an agreed suspension in May but was hired by the college on April 16 and continued to work. The college’s pre‑employment background appeared to have been conducted by a private vendor; Crane said Southwest later submitted pre‑employment paperwork in September and that audit logs show the college account accessed the POST NDI in June and again on Sept. 11. Crane said that sequence creates two concerns: the officer misled the hiring agency by not disclosing the suspension, and the hiring agency did not timely check the NDI/NDIA flag that would have identified the suspension.
Commissioners discussed whether the officer should be returned to a formal hearing, whether the board could revoke certification without a full hearing, and whether further informal review was appropriate. Several commissioners urged additional fact‑finding into both the officer’s conduct and the hiring agency’s background procedures. The commission voted to refer the matter back to the informal subcommittee for further investigation and potential decertification action.
Crane recommended the commission consider both the officer’s conduct and the hiring agency’s process failures; commissioners asked staff to coordinate with legal counsel to determine next steps and any necessary notices to affected agencies.