Sworn Police Officers and Civilian Employees of this department are discernible representatives of Marietta, accountable to the citizens they serve. They are responsible for protecting and serving the public and are trusted with substantial authority to carry out these responsibilities. The public has the right to expect that such authority and trust be placed in only those individuals of the highest caliber who have demonstrated by their conduct that they can uphold and enforce the law fairly and impartially within the scope of their authority.
In an effort to maintain an equitable standard for hiring applicants for the position of Police Officer and Civilian Employees, the following minimum guidelines have been established. These guidelines are not all-inclusive but are among the principal factors to be considered by the hiring authority of the Marietta Police Department in evaluating an applicant's candidacy. Candidates may be considered for disqualification for conduct which is not specifically outlined in these guidelines. Circumstances surrounding certain events within an applicant's background which may be considered disputable will be subject to examination by the hiring authority.
Tattoos are acceptable provided they do not appear on the face, neck, or hands. Tattoos of any kind, on any part of the body, containing racist symbols or messages are not allowed. Tattoos on the arms may be visible or covered at the direction of the Chief of Police.
FELONY CONVICTIONS. All applicants for the position of Police Officer shall be subject to a check of their criminal history as recorded by Federal, State, County, City, Foreign or other government body. No applicant for the position of Police Officer shall have been convicted for a criminal offense classified as a felony within his / her lifetime. Pleas of Nolo Contendere are considered a conviction.
MISDEMEANOR CONVICTIONS. Applicants for the position of Police Officer who have been convicted for more than two misdemeanor offenses within their lifetime, shall be deemed unacceptable. The nature of the offense(s) committed must have not been associated with crimes denoting moral turpitude or disrespect for law enforcement authorities or crimes of an aggravated nature, including but not limited to crimes against public order and safety, public morals and standards, sexual offenses, domestic violence, crimes against children, etc. For the purpose of this section, violations of traffic laws are not included. Pleas of Nolo Contendere are considered a conviction.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Applicants for the position of Police Officer who have been convicted for a crime of domestic violence of the degree of felony or misdemeanor shall be unacceptable. Pleas of Nolo Contendere or First Offender Status shall be considered convictions.
TERMINATIONS. Applicants for the position of Police Officer may not have been terminated for cause from a place of employment more than one time within the five-year period preceding the date of the applicant's hiring process. Applicants who have been terminated for cause by a federal, state, county, or municipal Civil Service or Merit system are unacceptable. Applicants whose Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (or similar state agency) records reflect adverse findings, are not acceptable.
STABLE EMPLOYMENT. Applicants for the position of Police Officers should have a stable employment history. The quantity and type of employment history required is at the discretion of the hiring authority.
CURRENT STATUS. Applicants for the position of Police Officer must be in good credit standing having no debts currently assigned to collections with a history that reflects no pattern of credit instability. The applicant must not have a pending garnishment or judgment which may cause undue hardship while employed with this agency. The hiring authority shall determine the status of applicant's credit history on a case by case basis.
BANKRUPTCIES. Applicants for the position of Police Officer must not have filed bankruptcy more than one time within the ten-year period prior to the initiation of the individual hiring process. Applicants may not have a bankruptcy in progress. Applicants currently under a granted bankruptcy which is part of a repayment plan are not affected by this section.
LAWSUITS. Applicants who are the plaintiff or defendant in any pending lawsuit involving liability or damages will have their situation evaluated independently by the hiring authority. Divorces are not included in this section.
FELONY THEFTS. No applicant for the position of Police Officer shall have ever been involved in a theft of a felony nature. The standard for determining the class of the theft shall be the Georgia Annotated Code which was in effect at the time of the theft. This applies to both detected and undetected thefts.
MISDEMEANOR THEFTS. No applicant for the position of Police Officer shall have been involved in more that two thefts of a misdemeanor nature within his / her lifetime. No applicant can have committed a theft of any type within the twelve (12) month period preceding the initiation of the applicants hiring process. The applicable Annotated Code of Georgia in effect at the time of the commission of the theft will be the determining factor of whether or not the theft was a felony or a misdemeanor. The hiring authority will examine the applicant's involvement on a case by case basis.
CHARACTER OF DISCHARGE. Applicants for the position of Police Officer who have served in the armed forces of the United States or of foreign governments will not be considered with a discharge less than Honorable. Discharges upgraded to Honorable from another status are acceptable.
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS WHILE IN THE MILITARY. The military records of applicants for the position of Police Officer must not show a pattern of violations under the Uniform Code of Military Justice including punitive judgments or punishments, i e. Article 15, Captain's Mast, etc. Applicants must have never been convicted by a General or Special court martial.
COMMERCIAL GAMBLING. Applicants for the position of Police Officer must not have a history of involvement in commercial gambling, bookmaking, loan sharking, or related activities
GAMBLING DEBTS. Applicants must not have current debts owed to any agency, firm, organization, or person for gambling debts.
CONVICTIONS FOR DRUG RELATED VIOLATIONS. No applicant for the position of Police Officer may have in his / her lifetime, any convictions for any type drug use, possession, sale, or, involvement. Nolo Contendere and First Offender treatments are considered convictions.
ILLEGAL DRUG ACTIVITY. No applicant for the position of Police Officer may have ever been involved in the felony possession of a controlled substance deemed illegal at the time of possession regardless of the intent of the disposition of the substance. For the purpose of this section, felony possession will be defined by the Annotated Code of Georgia in effect at the time of the possession, regardless of where the offense was committed.
UNDETECTED CRIMES. Applicants who have by self admission, committed crimes against the state or any other government body which were never detected, shall be presumed to have committed the crime or act. The class or seriousness of the violation will be determined by the applicable Criminal Code of Georgia which was in effect at the time of the commission of the act/ crime regardless of where the act was physically committed.
USE OF MARIJUANA. No applicant for the position of Police Officer shall have used Marijuana within the three (3) years immediately prior to the date of application. In addition, the applicant's history of use of Marijuana shall not display a pattern of abuse as determined by the hiring authority. For the purpose of this section, the date of application shall mean the actual date the applicant originally applied for the position of Police Officer with the City of Marietta Personnel Office.
OTHER DRUG USE. Applicants for the position of Police Officer may not have a history of use (defined as induction by any means into the body) of any substance defined as illegal by the Annotated Code of Georgia at the time of use. This is regardless whether the user (applicant) induced the drug for the purpose of experimentation, "getting high", relieving pain, easing anxiety, or depression, including sleep, increasing body mass, or strength, or for any other reason unless the drug was prescribed by a physician and intended for medicinal purposes. The applicant's use of any drug will be examined on case by case basis.
ILLEGAL DRUG SALE AND DISTRIBUTION. Applicants for the position of Police Officer who have a history of involvement in the selling, trading, distributing, growing, transporting, storing, manufacturing, preparing, or possession of any substance or drug considered as controlled or illegal in accordance with the Annotated Code of Georgia (which was in effect at the time of the act) are unacceptable.
DRIVER'S LICENSE. Applicant for the position of Police Officer shall have a valid driver's license issued by an acceptable governing authority. The license shall have never been suspended or revoked for reasons other than cancellations for non-payment of insurance premiums within the past seven (7) years.
DRIVER'S LICENSE RESTRICTIONS. Applicants driver's license shall not contain restrictions which would hinder or restrict their ability to operate emergency vehicles in accordance with the policies of this department and the laws of this state.
ASSESSED POINTS. The driver's license of applicants for the position of Police Officer shall not have been assessed more than five (5) Points at the time of the initiation of their individual hiring process. In addition, the license shall not have been assessed more than five (5) Points within twenty-four (24) months preceding the date of the initiation of the individual hiring process. For the purpose of this section, the points shall be computed by standards set forth by the Georgia Code.
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE. No applicant for the position of Police Officer can have been convicted for the offense of Driving Under the Influence more than one time within his/her driving history. That conviction cannot have occurred within the five year period prior to the initiation of the hiring process. For the purpose of this section, a plea of Nolo Contendere is considered a conviction.
PROHIBITED TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS. Applicants for the position of Police Officer who have had within their driving history, convictions or pleas of Nolo Contendere for the offenses of Hit and Run (or similar statute), Homicide by Vehicle, Attempting to Elude, or Habitual Violator, shall not be acceptable. In addition, police officer applicants must not have had a conviction of Reckless Driving or Racing within the five year period preceding the date of the initiation of the applicant's hiring process. No applicant may have a driving history which reflects a recurring pattern of traffic violations which may represent a perpetual disrespect for traffic laws.
ENTRANCE EXAM / PASSING SCORE. All applicants for the position of Police Officer must take and pass the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council Entrance Examination prior to consideration of employment by this agency.
The guidelines set forth as Hiring Standards by this agency are not to be considered conclusive. Each applicant's history / circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.