LIMA — Becoming an officer with the Lima Police Department is a lot harder task than most people may assume.
There are numerous tests, including physical fitness, criminal background checks, interviews and a psychological examination to pass.
A problem along the way could prevent an applicant from joining the department.
But even with all the testing that sometimes takes up to five months, Police Chief Kevin Martin said it’s not foolproof.
“Unfortunately there is no perfect or foolproof system. Sometimes someone slips through the cracks but we do the absolute best we know how to select the best-qualified candidates possible,” Martin said.
The chief’s comments come one week after he had to fire a rookie officer in his department who was charged with raping a 16-year-old girl. Justin Bentz, 27, was in his first year and had passed every test it took to hire him.
Testing begins with the Civil Service Board in Lima and a written test for people between the ages of 21 and 35. That is followed by an interview with the board. Both are combined into a score and a ranked list is given to the Lima Police Department to begin the lengthy process.
“When we receive the list the first thing we do is schedule a time for their physical assessment,” Martin said.
The physical fitness test includes a 1.5 mile run, pushups and situps. There are requirements to meet based on age and sex, Martin said.
Applicants fit enough move onto the next stage, which is a background check performed by department detectives.
“They dig very deep into a person’s background including calling references. They will go do neighborhood canvasses and talk to neighbors to see if a person caused any problems,” Martin said.
A criminal background check using the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the FBI follows. If someone was in the military a detective talks to the applicant’s commanding officer and others who worked directly with the applicant, Martin said.
The detective then interviews the applicant and verifies all information provided in the background check. Applicants are asked whether they committed any crime, even if they were never charged. Several years ago, an applicant admitted to breaking into homes and never getting caught, which Lima Police Department officials turned over to the Allen County Sheriff’s Office for investigation, Martin said.
Every once in a while a background check turns up a felony on an applicant’s record, which automatically disqualifies that person, Martin said.
Detectives also take a look at the applicant’s use of social media, such as Facebook, to see if there are any issues there, Martin said.
If the applicant passes the criminal background checks and interviews, there is another interview with Martin, the three majors and the director of human resources. It’s a behavioral-based interview that looks at a person’s past to see if it supports what the applicant is saying, Martin said.
“It’s not just I want to be a police officer to help people. What have you done prior to this to help people?” Martin said.
Those who pass then are given a conditional offer for employment, Martin said. Those conditions include passing a lie-detector test and a psychological evaluation. If they pass both, the applicant receives a medical exam including a drug screen, Martin said.
If the applicant passes the medical exam, he or she is given an appointment date, the chief said.
Applicants are not required to have their peace officer training certificate, Martin said.
“We actually found in that regard is most people who have their [certificate] already, tend not to be minorities so in order to promote minority hiring we don’t have that as a requirement,” Martin said.
The Lima Police Department currently has nine people going through the application process. The department, which can have 86 officers, is down 10 officers with Bentz’s termination, Martin said.
