May 1, 2004

Each discipline case appealed to the Civil Service Commission is first heard by one of four hearing officers, picked at random.

Hearing officers are required to have a license to practice law and have experience as an arbitrator in personnel cases.

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Hearing officers hired this year will serve through the end of 2006.

Hearing officers are paid $42.53 an hour and do not receive benefits. The officers typically hear two to four cases a year, averaging between 30 to 40 hours a case.

The process for selecting hearing officers is rather complex.

The commission compiles a list of at least seven qualified applicants. The list is given to the manager of safety and the designated representatives of the firefighters and police.

The manager strikes no more than one-third of the names from the list and the police and fire strike a third. Both sides then record the remaining names on their list in order of preference. The lists are then returned to the commission, which selects those who survived both cuts in order of preference.

Brian D. Crecente

Copyright 2004, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.