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By Kevin Masterman, Toronto Police Service

Digging deep for Toronto’s finest  Background officers investigate potential officers

D/Const Tonyo Vella stops a woman walking her dog along a quiet North York street as she slows to acknowledge him.

The officer is searching for information about the man living in the brick house a few doors away. The middle-aged woman doesn’t know of the man but points the officer towards a long-time resident who lives across the street as someone who may.

“People who are curious and want to know why a police officer is on their street are sometimes great sources of information,” Vella said.

Vella works in the Backgrounds Investigation section of the Employment Unit, along with 28 other officers. They conduct background checks on all Service hires, from parking enforcement officers and civilians to frontline officers and interview potential recruits.

S/Sgt Derek Swan said the background officers are motivated to pick the best candidates for the job.

“They’re highly-skilled investigators who come from the field,” said Swan, who heads the section.

“We all work hard at picking the best people for the job,” said Vella, a former 53 Division officer. “It’s important to go the extra mile, talk to more people, investigate all leads.”

Vella has already spoken to the man in his home, met his parents and had a mug of tea with him.

“We want the opportunity to assess his suitability,” he said, of the home visit, part of the process to becoming an officer. He has done his research into the man beforehand, checking employment records, doing background checks and talking to references. Vella is looking for inconsistencies in the application such as something that has been left out because it looks bad. “Integrity is a major issue to us.”

He questions the man about his application, past jobs and acquaintances, searching for any job terminations or links to criminal activity.

After leaving, Vella combs the neighbourhood in search of anyone who’s had contact with the applicant or can tell him how he drives or even shed light on character issues.

“This is the place where a career starts. We can’t afford to drop the ball here,” he said.

At a past visit, the superintendent of the building told Vella the applicant had a job that he never listed on his application. It turns out he had been fired.

Const. Alan Gray said a series of checks is done on candidates through different conduits such as other police services and schools they’ve attended to corroborate the information they’ve given. Sometimes it involves an overseas investigation because the candidate is a new Canadian adding an extra layer to the process.

“We’re getting a glimpse of the person in various areas,” said Gray. “What are they like as an employee, a neighbour, a friend?”

Vella said that officers in the Employment Unit, who are accredited as crime investigators and have worked in Major Crime Units or specialized investigative units, approach a background investigation with the same principles as investigating a crime. But instead of looking into one offence, they are looking for a general consistency and integrity of the information.

“Investigations into backgrounds are very detailed – the small details will show you a lot about people,” Vella said.

Background investigators visit the home of every candidate and visit neighbours.

All the information they gather is confidential and will never be revealed to the candidate. If an officer refers a candidate to the employment unit, they can’t know the reasons why the candidate does not make it through the process because of confidentiality.

“You’re delving into people’s lives,” said Vella. “You have to be very sensitive and discreet in your investigation.”

Background investigators then have to create a final report for sergeants and senior brass to evaluate candidates, either making a recommendation that they be hired or not. The unit commander makes the final decision.

If a candidate is recommended but not hired for the upcoming graduation class, they can be deferred to the next class.

“The new influx of people are very well qualified,” Vella said.

Candidates must first qualify to apply by passing Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police written and physical testing. The recruiting section holds mentoring sessions on both the written and physical tests – the only Service to do so.

“We prepare them for interviews and guide them through the process,” said recruiter Suzanne Wilson, of making sure candidates are aware of the hiring process that can take from four months to a year.

Job referral forms – Form 829 – should be filled out by TPS members wanting to recommend someone.

“Everyone should be an active recruiter,” Wilson said. “But they should know the candidate very well before referring them.”

A new team of officers handles all interviews, combining the local focus interview that examines areas such as employment, education and driving history, and the essential competencies interview that assesses character attributes such as self-confidence and relationship-building. Candidates are expected to relate experiences they’ve had with questions examining how they would conduct themselves in confrontations both on and off the job.

“We ask them why they want to be officers and the responsibilities they would have on the job,” said Gray, of understanding a candidate’s motivation and their perception of the job.

Detailed answers are sought during an interview that relates to a candidate’s real-life experiences.

A psychological test and interview is also mandated in the employment process, measuring such traits as honesty and reliability.

Wilson said the process of grooming of officers is never-ending.

“Officers can’t forget where they came from – they need to keep training officers once they are out on the road.”

HIRING PROCESS:

Meet minimum standards

- 18 to 65 years old

- Grade 12 diploma

- No criminal convictions without pardon

- Minimum 20/40 vision (uncorrected) with normal        colour acuity

- meet OACP hearing standards

- Ontario class ‘G’ driver’s licence

- First Aid level ‘C’

- Citizenship, permanent resident status

OACP certificate

        - Police Analytical Thinking Inventory (PATI) test   

- Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (PREP) test

- Written Communication Test (WCT)

- Behavioural Personnel Assessment Device (BPAD)

Vision/Hearing Test

Blended interview

-         Articulate their life experiences, skills and abilities. 

-         Assess the applicant's Pre-background Questionnaire and Driving Questionnaire

-         Demonstration of policing competencies: self-confidence, communication, flexibility, valuing diversity, self control and relationship building.

Background Check

Psychological assessment

        - written test

        - interview

Final Review by Employment staff

Medical Evaluation

Probationary appointment