Background Investigations Overview and 

Considerations for Law Enforcement 

Personnel in Alaska Native Villages
Introduction to Webinar

• During this presentation you will learn:

– The importance of conducting background investigations for law 

enforcement personnel

– How background investigations can inform hiring decisions

– Resources for conducting background investigations

– Basic law enforcement academy options in Alaska

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Introduction to Webinar

• COPS Tribal Resources Grant Program and COPS Hiring Grant Program 

Requirements

– Background Investigations: Applicants must budget for, and if awarded conduct, 

background investigations for all full-time career law enforcement officers funded by 

the grant

– Basic Law Enforcement Training: Applicants must budget for, and if awarded complete, 

basic law enforcement training for all full-time career law enforcement officers funded 

by the grant

• FAQs

– https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/FY20Background_Investigation_and_Basi

c_TrainingFAQs.pdf

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Introduction to Webinar

• Presenters:

Fannie Black

Director of Programs

Yuut Elitnaurviat-People's Learning Center, Inc.

R.E. “Bob” Griffiths

Executive Director

Alaska Police Standards Council

David A. Willson

Sergeant

Alaska Department of Public Safety Recruitment Unit

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Why we do checks

• Protection of our community

• Respect of community members

• Respect by other public safety agencies and courts

• Reducing potential individual and agency liability

• Upholding the integrity of the law enforcement profession

• Grant requirements

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What Criteria to Use?

Before you begin hiring or screening you must determine the 

minimum qualifications for the position and what past conduct 

will eliminate an applicant.

If you don’t have written standards, they can be, hard to enforce, 

subjective, and open the agency to claims of bias and favoritism. 

Agree on your criteria then, adopt, document & share them. 

Alaska has adopted minimum state standards, but they do not 

apply to tribal organizations or officers unless the agency 

chooses to use them.

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First Steps

• Set your criteria

• Obtain a written application and signed Waivers and Release of Information (ROI) forms 

(required). Your application process should include personal history questions that address:

– Personal references;

– Residence and employment history, and;

– Criminal history questions.

• APSC has a suitable form that can be used or modified, if you wish:

F-3 for Village Police Officer Applicants ONLY

• If applicant meets minimum qualifications and is not eliminated by information on their 

application begin conducting your background investigation

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Background Resources (FREE)

• Alaska Police Standards Council: 

https://dps.alaska.gov/APSC/Home

• Alaska CourtView Records System: 

https://records.courts.alaska.gov/eaccess/home.page.3

• Alaska Municipal League: https://www.akml.org/

• AML Joint Insurance Agency: http://www.amljia.org/

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What to Look For

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Past behavior predicts future behavior, particularly 

in similar environments or circumstances. This is 

the central theme that will run through all of your 

investigation efforts. 

The investigator’s job is to find relevant 

circumstances and measure how applicant behaved

in those situations. 

Find evidence that shows this applicant can meet 

the job expectations, or that they are unqualified.
Steps to Consider

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• Application (APSC F-3)

• Physical Fitness Test

• Oral Board Interview

• Psychological and/or Polygraph Screening

• Final Hire Approval from Decision-Maker
Require an Application

Measures Attention to Detail

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A job application allows the employer to see how 

well the applicant can collect information and 

present it in a readable format, which is an 

essential job skill for law enforcement work. It also 

measures how well the applicant can read, follow 

directions, and meet a submission deadline.

Law enforcement agencies in Alaska use the F-3 

form from the Alaska Police Standards Council, 

which can be found on their website: 

https://dps.alaska.gov/APSC/Agency-Forms

Provides Starting Place for Investigation

The information that is typically collected on a lawenforcement application includes prior 

employment, previous supervisors and co-workers, 

residence history, education history, criminal history 

and other relevant facts that you can use to begin 

your investigation.

It should also include email/telephone information 

for each individual that you can use to reach out 

and assess the applicant’s suitability.
Physical Fitness Test

An Essential Requirement of the Job

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Physical fitness is a bona fide occupational 

qualification for law enforcement officers. 

Job analyses on law enforcement officers have 

repeatedly demonstrated it to be an 

underlying factor in determining physiological 

readiness to perform a variety of critical 

physical tasks necessary in law enforcement 

work. 

Maintains Officer Wellness

Good physical conditioning has been shown to:

• Reduce the incidence of injury and heart attack 

• Enhance recovery from injury

• Improve ability to maintain good judgment and 

make correct decisions

• Provide options other than the use of deadly 

force.

• Provide an outlet for relief from stress.
Oral Board Interview

Measures Communication Skills

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Most of what a law enforcement officer does 

is talk to people, then write it down in a police 

report.

Good verbal communication skills are the first 

part of this skill set, and are essential in an 

officer’s ability to articulate their authority, 

elicit information from suspects, victims and 

witnesses, and de-escalate a conflict. 

Measures Ability to Perform Under Stress

An oral board interview can be a stressful test, 

requiring an applicant to give answers to questions 

they don’t know in advance while presenting in 

front of several board members.

This is a very similar environment to what officers 

face every day when they respond to a call for 

service, don’t yet know what the problem is, but will 

quickly be required to find a solution.
Psychological/Polygraph Screening

Verify the Information on the Application

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A polygraph screening allows the employer to 

verify the information given by the applicant. 

Knowing in advance that a polygraph will be 

conducted also encourages the applicant to be 

truthful on the application in the first place.

Determine Suitability

In ways that no other careers can, law enforcement 

work brings vicarious trauma, tests emotional 

intelligence, and requires excellent self-control.

A screening by a qualified psychologist ensures that 

the applicant doesn’t have psychological issues that 

would prevent them from handling the mental 

aspects of the essential job duties.
Trends

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Remember, past behavior predicts future behavior...

LE officers hold a position of power

How has applicant handled positions of power?

Domestic violence? Leadership roles in community?

Supervisory roles in prior jobs?

Involves emotional situations

How has applicant handled emotional situations?

First responder experience? Demonstrates self-control?

Crisis management experience?

Requires self discipline and planning

What has applicant shown in these areas?

Personal finances? Physical fitness?

Prior job performance?
Final Hiring Decision

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Ultimately, the results of the background 

investigation will be given to a final authority for 

consideration. Because of the highly subjective 

nature of these decisions, it his recommended that 

multiple parties be included in the decision.
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Promoting high-wage jobs for local 

workers through vocational training 

and educational opportunities
Yuut Campus

All Public Safety 

students live, eat, 

and train on 

campus, including 

local residents.

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Yuut Programs

• Adult Education

– College Readiness

• Aviation Maintenance

• Construction Trades

• Driver Education

• Healthcare

• Public Safety

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Yuut Public Safety Trainings

• VPO/TPO Academies

– 15 days

– $4,500 tuition, $2,100 R/B

• VPO/TPO Advanced 

Academies

– 10 days

– $3,050 tuition, $1,400 R/B

• Partner with Association of 

Village Council Presidents

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What We Provide

• Training on 20 Topics

• Uniforms

• Boots

• Tactical Belt

• OCS and Carrier

• Baton & Holster

• Handcuffs & Case

• Flashlight & Holder

• Digital Camera & Recorder

• Notebook for Reports

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Training Topics

• Fire Training

• Medic 1st Aid CPR/AED

• Miranda

• Arrest: When & Where

• Report Writing

• Patrol Procedures

• Rural DUI Procedures

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Training Topics, continued

• Evidence Procedures

• Search & Rescue

• Criminal Codes

• Criminal Complaints

• Search & Seizure

• Interview Techniques

• Crime Scene Investigation

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Training Topics, continued

• Use of Force

• Defensive Tactics

• Expandable Baton

• Juvenile Procedures

• Mental Subjects Title 47 

Protective Custody

• Domestic Violence

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Question and Answer Section

• The questions in the webinar video are from 

the live presentation on March 12, 2020.

• If you have any questions, please contact the 

COPS Office or the presenters directly. Contact 

information is on the final slide.

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Question 1

The question is in general related to the 

psychological screening aspect—its criteria, and 

its importance.

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Question 2

As a follow-up, is there a fee to the web-based 

psychological screening discussed?

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Question 3

Under the COPS grant, will the training provided 

by the Yuut Center be acceptable as the required 

training for a public safety officer?

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Question 4

Is this webinar on background investigations 

being recorded, and will the recording or DVD be 

available?

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Question 5

What steps would you recommend for tribes 

looking to start tribal police forces? Some villages 

have no local law enforcement at all and need 

feet on the ground to respond. What funding, 

training, or other considerations should tribes 

keep in mind for TPOs? 

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Question 6

A follow-up to that last question is about 

opportunities to cross-deputize TPOs with VPOs 

or city law enforcement. Would that be 

advisable? 

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Question 7

Did you mention what personnel action reporting 

is required by APSC? 

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Question 8

The next question is, do the individuals have to 

have a high school diploma to get hired as a 

VPO?

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Question 9

Since one of the presenters mentioned that we 

can hire an applicant even if they had a criminal 

history with changes for becoming a better 

person. My understanding was that we cannot 

hire anyone who has had a criminal history. Is 

there a form that we use to hire an individual 

who has had criminal history? 

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Question 10

The next question has come in and it's around 

the hiring process, and it says, can you clarify that 

a TPO who is currently working under the tribe 

cannot be hired under the COPS grant. 

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Question 11

We had one final question come in around 

understanding the need to do background 

investigations for hiring public servants, and 

asking if there was anything that the state could 

do to help with this issue in a FTEP type of 

training. 

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Closing

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• Bob Griffiths – Alaska Police Standards

907-465-5523 and bob.griffiths@alaska.gov

• Dave Willson – Alaska Dept. of Public Safety

907-269-5976 and david.willson@alaska.gov

• Fannie Black, Director of Programs

907-543-0996 and fblack@yuut.org

Website: www.yuut.org/public-safety

• Matt Lysakowski, Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs

202-514-6392 and matthew.lysakowski@usdoj.gov

For more information about the COPS Office and its resources, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.