State sides with chief on detectives issue

The Baton Rouge Civil Service Board of Examiners has at this point sided with Eunice Police Chief Ronald Dies in the matter of job descriptions for detectives within the Eunice Police Department.
According to Dies, the use of patrolmen assigned as detectives on the police force was well within the civil service standards. However, the Board of Examiners has some stipulations and qualifications on the issue.
The question before the Eunice Fire and Police Civil Service Board was whether patrolmen working as detectives were doing so outside of their job classification, a complaint voiced by some within the department.
According to a letter written in response to Dies’ inquiry, the state board suggested “conducting a proper job analysis on the position.” The letter indicated that Dies’ plans include that each class of police employee “performs any related duties as assigned.”
The board indicated the noted difference between incidental duties and primary duties of a police position. The state panel defined related duties as incidental duties, according to the letter, and suggested that even police sergeants may incur some incidental duties of that class that are not part of the scope of the sergeant classification.
The letter stated that a police sergeant may compile reports in an effort to assist in a departmental budgetary matter and thus not affect the sergeant’s primary function. However, if a sergeant takes on the duties and responsibilities of another classification – which could be a police communications officer, for example – then it may appear that the sergeant is working out of his job classification.
The board’s letter also indicated that the “appointing authority”– which is assumed to be the police chief in these matters– may assign detective duties to each rank within the department.
The board that advised “job analyses” could be conducted to determine the proper classification of the positions, if requested.
The city civil service unit is scheduled to meet Wednesday, with one item on its agenda being to revisit the detective question.