Pre-Employment Requirements

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for conducting pre-employment background investigations and medical examinations as conditions of employment for University Police Officer candidates.

Policy: Pre-Employment Requirements

Author: Chief Joseph M. Hallman

WILEAG Standard: 2.4.5

Issue Date: June 1, 2021

Reviewed Date: April 14, 2026

Revised Date: April 14, 2026

 

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for conducting pre-employment background investigations and medical examinations as conditions of employment for University Police Officer candidates.

Policy:

It is the policy of the UW-Platteville Police Department to hire qualified personnel. In order to accomplish this goal, the department will conduct thorough background investigations on employment candidates and assess the overall health of the candidate by a medical and drug screen evaluations.

Definitions:

N/A

Procedures:

1. Confidentiality
   1. The UW-Platteville Police Department considers personal, medical, and financial information of current and prospective employees as strictly confidential. This information shall be discussed exclusively within the background investigator’s chain of command for the purpose of hiring and official business.
2. Background Investigation Guidelines Police Officer Candidates
   1. The Chief and/or designee will conduct a background investigation on a police officer candidate, who has been selected to move onto the background investigation process.
      1. Character Background: The character background is authorized by the Chief of Police and consists of a thorough background check.  During the character background investigation, investigators shall not ask the candidate or their references questions about the candidate’s medical history.
      2. Authorization for Release of Information: The candidate will complete the “UW-Platteville PD Information Release” form which allows the UW-Platteville Police Department to access information from the following sources:
         1. Military Record Centers
         2. Any place of business
         3. Any Court, Police Agency or other location where criminal and misdemeanor records are kept
         4. Former Employer(s)
         5. Present Employer(s)
         6. Any School, College, University or other educational institution including peace officer records
         7. Credit Bureau(s)
         8. Any Banking Institution
         9. Any Local, State, or Federal Governmental Agency
         10. Any private citizen who has knowledge of individual
         11. Social Security Administration
      3. If the applicant had previously worked as a law enforcement officer in any capacity, an additional release form “Waiver Authorizing Disclosure of Information and Releasing Liability” will be completed and signed by the applicant.
   2. Fingerprints: Employment candidates shall be fingerprinted as a “WI Miscellaneous Applicant.” “Law Enforcement Applicant” will then be selected under the “Wisconsin Fingerprint Reason Code.” The fingerprint record shall be submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Justice- Training and Standards Bureau.
   3. Documentation: Upon completion of the character background, the investigator will document his/her findings in a report. The report will be routed to the Chief.
   4. A National Decertification Index (NDI) Search will be completed using the NDI website.
3. University Resource Officer (URO) Student Candidates:  The URO coordinator will conduct background investigations on UW-Platteville Police Department student URO candidates. The URO coordinator conducting the character background shall follow the same instructions as detailed under Section B, under Background Investigation Guidelines, for police department candidates.
4. Police Department Support Personnel: A background investigation will be conducted on all UW-Platteville Police Department support personnel.  The Chief and/or designee will conduct the background following the same instructions detailed in Section B, under Background Investigation Guidelines, for police department candidates.
5. Medical & Drug Testing: Once the Chief of Police offers the candidate a “conditional offer of employment”, the police officer candidate will undergo a medical examination by a licensed physician of the department’s choice. The purpose of this exam will be to determine the candidate’s fitness for duty. The candidate will also be required to complete a drug screen.  The department will pay the cost of these examinations and tests. (2.4.5)