REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 12, 2023
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Employment Contract for Background Investigator Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Employment Contract with Charles Wilkins to provide services as a Background Investigator, for an estimated annual cost of $122,539 (Salary - $75,629; Benefits - $46,910), effective September 23, 2023 through September 22, 2026.
2. Authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, or Assistant Sheriff to execute amendments to the employment contract referenced in Recommendation No. 1 to extend the term for an additional three one-year periods on behalf of the County, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, or Assistant Sheriff to transmit all amendments to the employment contract referenced in Recommendation No. 1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Ernie Perez, Deputy Chief, 387-3760)
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COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The estimated annual cost for the proposed employment contract is $122,539 (Salary - $75,629; Benefits - $46,910). The position will be assigned to the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s (Department) Employee Resources Division (ERD). Sufficient appropriation is included in the Department’s 2023-24 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department’s ERD is responsible for recruiting employment candidates and conducting the background investigations required to obtain information on potential employees in order to determine their suitability for sworn and professional positions in a law enforcement environment. Additionally, ERD conducts investigations for Carry a Concealed Weapon (CCW) permit applicants. Currently, ERD has 500 potential new hires and over 10,000 CCW applicants waiting to start the background investigation process.
Sworn personnel are typically assigned to conduct background investigations, but are often reassigned or promoted into new positions, creating a need for consistency and continuity of operations that can be provided by non-sworn personnel.
Given the increased ERD workload, and to reduce processing time of pre-employment and CCW applicant background investigations, the Department recommends approval of an employment contract with Charles Wilkins for the provision of Background Investigator services. Approval of this item will supplement current sworn positions and provide consistency and continuity of operations.
Approval of Recommendation No. 2 will allow the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, or Assistant Sheriff to execute amendments to the Background Investigator services employment contract to extend the term for three consecutive one-year periods on behalf of the County, subject to County Counsel’s review. The employment contract may be terminated at any time without cause with 14-days’ advance written notice to the other party. The contract may be terminated for just cause immediately by the County.
PROCUREMENT
Recruitment for this position is mainly done through staff recommendations of individuals with prior law enforcement or military experience, with final hiring decisions made based on qualifications, trainability, and ability to interact with other personnel and agencies. Mr. Wilkins was strongly recommended by Sheriff’s staff members based on his prior law enforcement and/or military experience. Wilkins was interviewed by ERD staff and offered the position of Sheriff’s Background Investigator based on his excellent qualifications and experience.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 24, 2023; Human Resources (Sandra Wakcher, Interim Deputy Director, 387-9676) on August 21, 2023; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on August 25, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on August 25, 2023.