A Legislative Information Review of the Texas Department of Public Safety Page: 11 of 73
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- Fifteen percent of staff members (9 of 59 files) tested had not received
timely evaluations within the last year. This includes two individuals
who had never received an evaluation, and another who had not been
evaluated in ten years.
- The formal evaluation procedure generally provides feedback limited
to general ratings or comments rather than detailed information. As a
result, evaluations may not identify specific, job-related skills that are
either strengths or in need of improvement. Staff members are less
likely to benefit and improve without a constructive evaluation
process.
" The Selection Process:
- Department policy allows the Director to make, at his discretion,
direct appointments to any position deemed necessary without written
justification. A policy of this nature does not assure that
qualifications are the most important criteria for appointment. We
identified four instances where executive management promotions
were made without formal evaluations to support the promotion.
- Four of the 17 files tested met the Department's definition of high-risk
positions requiring reference checks, yet two of these files did not
contain the documentation of the required reference checks. Filling
high-risk positions without reference checks increases a risk that the
most qualified applicant may not be selected in the hiring process.
The Department defines high-risk positions as positions in the
Criminal Law Enforcement Division, the Traffic Law Enforcement
Division, the Texas Rangers, and other sensitive divisions that are
filled by new-hires. The two positions without reference checks on
file were an Administrative Technician III in the Criminal Law
Enforcement Division and an Attorney V position in the Traffic Law
Enforcement Division.
" The Training Process:
- A sample of training records for 34 executive managers indicated that
almost half (16 of 34 files tested) did not receive training in
management skills during the last three years, with some individuals
going without formal management training for more than five years.
Also, training information is not centrally located and cannot be easily
accessed.
- Newly appointed managers may wait up to two years to receive the
Department's in-service training that teaches supervisory skills. A
A LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION REVIEW OF
THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AUGUST 1997PAGE 8
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Texas. Office of the State Auditor. A Legislative Information Review of the Texas Department of Public Safety, report, August 1997; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth517746/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.