Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in Orlando, Florida
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
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| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
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This page provides an overview of policies related to the hiring, training, and discipline of police officers in Orlando, Fla. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
Background
Ballotpedia in 2023 examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population through the lens of a series of research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
Results
The tables below link to each question Ballotpedia used to analyze the states and cities and indicate how Orlando handles police hiring, training, and discipline. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
CBA basics
| CBA basics | Results |
|---|---|
| Is there a CBA with the police union? | YES |
| Is the current CBA publicly available online? | NO |
Discipline and accountability
| Discipline and accountability | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA forbid the transfer or reassignment of an officer as a form of discipline? | NO |
| Do officers have a right to request third-party arbitration for grievances, including over disciplinary actions? | YES |
Condition: Certain disciplinary action may be subject to the grievance/arbitration procedure; Selection: Both parties must agree to an arbitrator by alternately striking names from a list of provided names; Provider: The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; Arbitrator authority: The arbitrator's decision is final and binding | |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to discipline for misconduct? | YES |
Primary discipline authority: City of Orlando, Police Department; Types: Oral reprimand, written censure, suspension without pay, demotion, termination; Restricted aspects: N/A; Challenge/appeal process: Union grievance procedureEmployee has right to representation at any interrogation. Suspension without pay shall not exceed 240 work hours. Employee may forfeit accrued time in lieu of suspension provided the violation "does not involve indebtedness to the city." | |
| Does the CBA explicitly allow for a state ombudsman outside particular police departments to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct? | NO |
Legal limitations or provisions
| Legal limitations or provisions | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the city CBA prohibit felons from becoming law enforcement officers? | NO |
Employees arrested or charged with a felony or designated misdemeanor who aren't terminated may be reassigned. Those convicted of felonies will be terminated. | |
| Are there any statutes or regulations that prohibit collective bargaining with police unions? | NO |
===Training and counseling===
Community relations and oversight
| Community relations and oversight | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA reference citizen review boards? | YES |
Board name: Citizen Review Board City may establish board, but it cannot impose or modify disciplinary actions against employees. | |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to community policing? | YES |
Mentions Community Relations Officers | |
Investigations
| Investigations | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to misconduct investigations? | YES |
Procedure for investigation and types of discipline | |
| Does the CBA require notice to officers of investigations? | YES |
Conditions: Written notice; Timeline: N/A; Content: Must include the nature of the investigation; copy of complaint; name of all complainants; name, rank and command of investigator; and the names of interviewers. | |
| Does the CBA determine a timeline for investigations? | NO |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to compensation during misconduct investigations? | YES |
Employees may be relieved of duty or reassigned pending investigation. If an employee is found not guilty they will be awarded backpay, however, if an employee is found guilty or pleads guilty to a lesser offense will not receive backpay. | |
Evidence and records
| Evidence and records | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions related to the use of body-worn cameras or body-worn camera video evidence? | NO |
| Does the CBA regulate processes for retaining officer disciplinary records? | YES |
Record storage: N/A; Storage authority: N/A; Types of records: Oral reprimand, written censure, suspension; Timeline: "Sustained" findings are removed from the employee's personnel file after one year and placed in an Internal Affairs disciplinary file, in accordance with Florida State Statutes. Oral reprimand or written censure are removed after 3 years; suspension of less than 32 hours is removed after 5 years; and suspension of more than 32 hours is removed after 7 years; Access and use: N/A; Use in decisions: N/A | |
Qualifications and evaluation
| Qualifications and evaluation | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA require performance evaluations? | YES |
Required annually Evaluations filed in personnel history folders; evaluations used for promotions and merit pay | |
| Does the CBA restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments? | NO |
Union authority
| Union authority | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA limit union authority to pay and benefits issues? | NO |
| Does the CBA give the union the power to approve or disapprove new training programs for law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions involving the union in the process for promotions, unit assignments, and transfers? | NO |
City retains right to hire, promote, transfer | |
See also
Footnotes
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