Title
Human Resources Department and Public Defender’s Office recommending the Board:
Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 020-2026 to:
1) Approve, due to an upward reclassification, the deletion of 1.0 FTE Investigative Assistant I/II allocation and the addition of 1.0 FTE Investigator (Public Defender) (JCN 5613) allocation in the Public Defender’s office;
2) Waive the competitive examination and appointment requirements and directly appoint the incumbent (position 4714) to Investigator (Public Defender) in accordance with Personnel Rule 507.1.2 (Upward Reclassification); and
3) Add 0.1 FTE Sr. Office Assistant allocation in the Public Defender’s office to allow a vacant 0.9 FTE to be recruited and appointed at the 1.0 FTE level.
FUNDING: General Fund.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
At the request of the Public Defender’s Office, Human Resources completed a classification study of a position currently allocated as Investigative Assistant II. The study reviewed the Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ), supervisory/management input, and applicable class specifications. HR’s analysis found the preponderance of ongoing duties align with full-scope investigative work at the journey level, including planning and conducting criminal and civil investigations, analyzing discovery and evidentiary records, preparing and serving subpoenas, producing written investigative reports, and testifying in court, which are duties consistent with Investigator (Public Defender) rather than the technical support scope of the Investigative Assistant series.
Applying Personnel Rule 506.2, HR determined that the position’s significant and permanent changes in responsibility, complexity (e.g., digital/body-worn camera evidence, specialized hearings), organizational impact/consequence of error, independence of judgment, required knowledge/abilities, and the percentage of workload devoted to full-scope investigations collectively warrant upward reclassification to Investi...
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