Employment Changes

Brandy Pitt
brandy.pitt@dpsst.oregon.gov
503-991-0916

Marie Gueths
marie.gueths@dpsst.oregon.gov
503-378-2318

Agencies are required to report changes in their employment to DPSST via the F4 Personnel Action or F4s Personnel Action Separation form. DPSST only tracks officers who are employed in a certified role. Agencies are required to report promotions, demotions and separations in a certified role.

If an individual cannot or is not expected to perform the duties of their certified discipline, a personnel action indicating they are on leave must be reported to DPSST within 10 days.

When a public safety officer goes on leave of absence different rules apply based on the length of leave and the officer's certification status.

The definition of Leave of Absence for DPSST purposes means any period of time when a public safety officer is temporarily removed from a certified role.

Agencies must submit an F4 personnel action within 10 days of going out on or returning from any kind of leave of absence.
DPSST will calculate the length of leave upon the officers return to work. If the leave is 90 days or more the following apply:

Periods of leave cannot count towards creditable service time when applying for upper levels of certification. (Except for military leave)
If the officer is not yet certified, they will still need to become certified within 18 months (12 months for corrections) of hire. Agencies can request a 1-year extension.
DPSST will automatically extend maintenance requirements if the leave is over 6 months.
Certified Law Enforcement officers must complete 8 hours of firearms or use of force training within 30 days of return from leave.
Certified Law Enforcement officers must have current First Aid and Adult/Child CPR within 30 days of return from leave.

The Recognition of Service Award recognizes Oregon's Police, Corrections, Parole and Probation, Regulatory Specialist, Telecommunications and Emergency Medical Dispatch professionals for their years of service to the state of Oregon.

To maintain the integrity of the award the following criteria must be met:

Must be requested by employing agency at the time of separation.
Must be separated in good standing.
Only one award will be issued regardless of re-employment.
Must have 20 years of certified service with the State of Oregon.

Periods of leave of absence will not count towards the 20 years.

If the separation is due to a permanent disability, must have 5 years of full-time certified service with the State of Oregon.

Periods of leave of absence will not count towards the 5 years.

Recognition awards will not be reproduced.
Current recognition awards contain a Recognition Certificate for the officer and a Certificate of Appreciation to a person of the officer's choosing.

An officer can maintain certifications in multiple disciplines only if it is a need of the agency. The agency must identify the primary discipline the officer is going to perform and the officer can only requests upper level certifications in that discipline. If an individuals has certifications in telecommunications or emergency medical dispatch AND law enforcement, the individual must complete both the Telecommunication and Law Enforcement maintenance requirements. (Note: Telecommunicators who are also Emergency Medical Dispatchers are automatically multidiscipline).

The following is required to establish an officer as multi-discipline certified:

Submit an F4 Personnel Action form completing the Multi-Discipline section on the form.
Complete a Medical Examination. In the forms section below DPSST has provided the following:

Required Forms

F2a Law Enforcement Medical Final Report
Color vision field text (if applicable)

References/Resources

Critical and Essential Tasks for each discipline (required during medical exam).
Medical Exam Personal History

Please do not submit specific medical information. DPSST will send back.

Schedule to attend basic training. See our Basic Training Page for schedules.

Police and Corrections must attend within 90 days of hire.
Parole and Probation must complete training and field training before the 18-month certify by date.

Complete the appropriate Field Training Manual (listed in the forms section below).
Obtain First Aid and Adult/Child CPR Certification.
Sign an F11 Law Enforcement Code of Ethics (usually occurs during basic training).
Apply for Basic certification. See our Basic Certification Page for more information.

Corrections officers must be certified within 12 months of hire.
Police, Parole & Probation, and Regulatory Specialists must be certified within 18 months of hire.

Agencies are required to submit an F4 personnel action form within 10 days of a certified officer, dispatcher or specialist receiving a promotion or demotion.

When promoting into a leadership role, officers, dispatchers, and specialists are required to attend Supervisory or Management training based on the agency rank structure reported to DPSST. Public safety professionals promoting to a leadership roll must:

Attend DPSST Supervision and/or Management training within 1 year of assignment. See our Academy Training Page for class Schedules
Complete the appropriate leadership equivalency form (F21-Supervisory or F22-Management).
Attending the DPSST Supervisory or Management training within the last 5 years will satisfy this requirement.

Note: Only the training is required. Certification in Leadership roles is optional.

The only exception is the Chief of Police, who must obtain management certification within 2 years of their appointment.

Agencies are required to submit an F4s Personnel Action Separation Form within 10 days of separating from an agency or discipline within an agency. The reason for separation must be detailed on the F4s and is required to allow DPSST to properly determine the type of separation.

DPSST has developed an Agency Background and Psychological Screening Reference Guide to assist agencies in determining background and psychological requirements based on various employment scenarios.

Employment Changes