The Common Council's Health and Public Safety Committee on Thursday unanimously approved the city partnering with Guardian Alliance Technology to upgrade the police department's social media and background checks for potential new hires.
Guardian Alliance uses cloud-based software to allow real-time updates to the folders for each background check, Norwalk Police Deputy Chief James Walsh said at the meeting.
"It also provides for social media search engines to provide all their social media content and allows the whole background application to be put in a cloud base, so we can send it out to the police commission and they can view the process as we go along," Walsh said.
The intention in hiring the company is to increase transparency and develop a more thorough and streamlined background check process, as opposed to the current, non-electronic process, Walsh said.
"From what we are using now, with binders and paper, we are stepping up to technology in our background investigations," Walsh said. "If the police commission and mayor want to see something, we can send it electronically. It doesn't need to be in paper form."
While the city has not previously worked with Guardian Alliance Technology, the company specializes in background checks for public safety personnel and was founded by a former California police officer, according to the company's website. The company also uses artificial intelligence for social media screening.
"Right now we have a paper method, and the whole background application process will be available in the cloud-based software for viewing and transparency," Walsh said.
Prices for these services are not listed on the company's website. Triage screenings are free for all agencies, and departments pay for investigations on an as-needed basis rather than an annual fee, according to the website.
Neither police spokesperson Lt. Joseph Dinho nor Sgt. Sofia Gulino responded to a request for comment Monday regarding how much the department will pay the company or when it plans to begin using its services.
The department discovered Guardian Alliance Technology about two weeks ago, Walsh said, after Mayor Harry Rilling's call for changes to the hiring and vetting process.
The changes are aimed at preventing future hiring mishaps that led to the resignations of Mario Pecirep and Chealsey Ortiz in early June. The quick departure of the two officers came after community activists raised concerns about their tenure at the Bridgeport Police Department.
Pecirep was partnered with James Boulay on May 9, 2017, when Boulay fatally shot 15-year-old Jayson Negron after a brief vehicle pursuit. Pecirep, who was driving the police cruiser during the incident, did not fire his weapon, according to an investigative report.
Meanwhile, Ortiz — under the name Chealsey Lancia — was among four Bridgeport officers who were sued by Lisa Moragne, a former board member of Bridgeport's Success Village co-op, who claimed the officers used excessive force and falsely arrested her during a board meeting nearly three years ago. Chealsey Lancia and Chealsey Ortiz are the same individual, city spokesperson Josh Morgan has said.
Chief Thomas Kulhawik has claimed the department was not aware of the lawsuit against Ortiz, which was recently filed in federal district court.
Rilling, a member of the city's Police Commission, said in early June that the allegations were not shared with department officials or the commission by Bridgeport police. Rilling, who voted to approve the officer's hiring at a May 17 commission meeting, recommended that the chief rescind their offers of employment a day after they were sworn in.
In an effort to attract a larger pool of applicants, Kulhawik previously said the department will rely on a written test offered regularly by Connecticut Police Chiefs Association to screen applicants. The department currently offers its own test just once every two years, which has posed some recruitment challenges.
"We have lost a few local candidates that went to other departments because we weren't testing at the time," Kulhawik "This will allow anyone interested in our agency to take the test in a month or so."
The new background check and interview processes will also establish maiden or alternate names to prevent a similar situation with the Lancia and Ortiz surnames from occurring again, Walsh said.
Going forward, each potential new hire will have a separate interview with the mayor and police commission, where they will be asked questions by those parties, he added.
"We are revamping whole application and background check and we did have a meeting with the chief and all the parties involved and came up with a whole list of bullet points of added questions," Walsh said. "A chief's level interview, including maiden name, some points brought about current legal lawsuits, civil suits, anything that would bring a disparaging reputation. ... We are adding a whole other step in the process before we offer anybody a position."
Health and Public Safety Committee member George Tsiranidis approved the move to a digital format and hiring of the Guardian Alliance group, adding, "Welcome to 2021."
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