229 – Seniority, Bids, and Transfers
I. Purpose
This policy defines the requirements for conducting transfers of employees of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
II. Definitions
Bid Process – Administrative mechanism by which employees systematically choose shifts, days off, assignments, holidays, or a combination thereof in order of a predetermined priority.
Classification – The title of an individual position in the classified service and also the process by which the proper title and pay level for each position are determined. [Civil Service Regulation 2.03]
Entry-Level Position – (1) For certified employees: the rank of Deputy, Detention Officer, and Telecommunicator. (2) For Professional Staff Members: those levels with the base pay grade within specific position titles listed by the Human Resources Division (H.R.).
Probationary Period – Length of time during which employees are on trial (working test period) and are expected to prove their complete fitness for their position; employees may be in a probationary period after their original appointment, after transfer, after promotion, or for disciplinary reasons. [Civil Service Regulation 2.25]
Seniority – Refers to years, months, and days gained by an employee through length of service within a given classification, organizational unit, or total service with HCSO. [Civil Service Regulation 2.32]
III. Policy
Seniority, shift bids, and transfers will be established and conducted in an unbiased manner consistent with the Harris County Sheriff’s Civil Service Commission and the best interests of HCSO. The Sheriff reserves the right to transfer any employee on a case-by-case basis for the betterment of the department.
IV. Seniority
A. Seniority will be defined by the Civil Service Commission Regulations; whenever seniority is used as a factor, one of the following must be used:
1. Length of service within a given classification,
2. Length of service within an organizational unit, or
3. Length of service since initial date of hire with HCSO.
B. Length of service since initial date of hire must be continuous. An employee’s most recent date of hire will be used for seniority purposes.
NOTE: Service with outside agencies, including other Harris County agencies, does not count towards seniority.
V. Bid Process
A. General Rules
1. Each bureau may conduct a bid at the direction of the Sheriff or designee, or the bureau commander.
2. An employee may not be exempt from the bid except at the discretion of the Sheriff, or designee, or the bureau commander, and only if it is in the best interest of HCSO.
3. Date of hire serves as the primary criteria for seniority during the bid process for non-supervisory personnel. Supervisors will have their seniority determined by the date of achieving their current rank.
B. Bid Procedures
If a bureau decides to hold a bid, the following requirements must be followed:
1. At least 30 days prior to the start of the bid process, an announcement must be made in writing and distributed to affected employees.
2. The bureau must compile a list of affected employees in order of date of hire.
3. Each affected employee must be given a scheduled date and time, prioritized by the earliest date of hire, to request their preferred schedule.
4. An alternative means to participate must be provided for any employees unable to physically attend. The employee’s immediate supervisor will contact the employee and receive their bid preferences by conversation or correspondence. The supervisor will then “bid for” the employee.
5. Bids will be collected and compared. An employee’s bid will be fulfilled if it matches a vacancy in the bureau’s schedule and there is no competition. If there are multiple bids for the same vacancy:
a. Selection for each vacancy will be determined by seniority, an employee with the earliest date of hire will be given preference.
b. If multiple employees have the same date of hire, the date of their assignment to the bureau will take precedence.
c. If multiple employees have the same date of hire, and date of assignment, then their classification date will be considered.
d. If multiple employees are still equal on all points, the employee with the lower identification number (EIN) will take precedence.
VI. Transfers
A. Types of Transfers
There are two different categories of transfers:
1. Involuntary Transfers
Involuntary transfers are conducted at the discretion of the Sheriff or designee, or the Bureau Commander, and must be in the best interests of HCSO.
2. Voluntary Transfers
Voluntary transfers are requested at the employee’s own discretion.
B. Voluntary Transfer Process
1. Voluntary transfers conducted within the same bureau are done at the discretion of the bureau commander and must be in accordance with that bureau’s standard operating procedures.
2. Voluntary transfers for open positions posted by HR should meet the requirements outlined in the posting for that position. HR will review applicants’ qualifications to determine if the minimum requirements listed for the position are met by the employee’s application.
3. Upon confirming eligibility, HR will refer applications to the hiring bureau, division, section or unit. The bureau commander, or designee, will interview candidates and make a selection at their discretion of the best candidate for a particular position.
4. To be eligible for transfer, employees must:
a. Be in active status,
b. Not have any outstanding obligations in their current position,
c. Have served at least six months of continuous duty following their original date of hire or one year for deputies, laterals, commissioned, reserves, or BPOC graduates prior to September 1, 2021 in their current assignment before becoming eligible for transfer.
d. Employees starting their career as a deputy after September 1, 2021, whether through our BPOC, the patrol gateway, lateral employment, Reserves, or any other means, must successfully complete the Field Training Program and have two years continuous service with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in a patrol capacity before being eligible for transfer to another bureau.
5. Employees, absent a waiver, will not be eligible for transfer, or to make application for transfer, during any period they are:
a. On probation (including new hire, promotional, or disciplinary) or
b. Currently in an assignment in which a condition of the assignment was serving a specified tenure.
c. If an employee is currently under investigation.
C. Probationary Periods Following Transfer
1. All transfers (including involuntary, voluntary, or promotions) have a 180-day probationary period to determine the employee’s suitability for the assignment.
2. Should the employee fail to complete their transfer probation period successfully, the employee may be reassigned to any open assignment or position based on the needs of HCSO, which may include a lesser paying position. The supervisor must provide documentation to justify the employee’s separation from that position.
D. Transfer of Supervisors
The staffing needs of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office take priority in the assignment of supervisory personnel. Assignments of supervisory positions are determined on the experience and specialized skills of the individual. Upon promotion, supervisors are required to serve in their initial assignment for one year before eligible to transfer to another bureau.
For sworn sergeants and lieutenants who have been assigned to Detention Command, transfer lists for the Patrol Bureaus will automatically be created and published. A voluntary transfer to the Patrol Bureaus includes a one year commitment before the transferee is eligible to apply for a position outside of the Patrol Bureaus.
1. Sergeants meeting the minimum requirements will automatically be placed on an eligibility list for transfer to the Patrol Bureaus, in descending order by the date of promotion.
a. To be eligible for transfer, candidates must have successfully completed the HCSO FTO Patrol Program.
b. When positions become available in the Patrol Bureaus, the candidates will be chosen in order of seniority based on date of rank. A tie breaker will be based on promotional list rank.
c. Candidates will be contacted and advised once a position is available.
i. If the sergeant declines the transfer the sergeant will be placed at the bottom of the list.
ii. The sergeant may elect to be removed from the Patrol Eligibility List.
iii. If a sergeant wants to be added to the list he or she may submit a transfer request and will be placed at the bottom of the list.
2. Lieutenants meeting the minimum requirements will automatically be placed on an eligibility list for transfer to the Patrol Bureaus, in descending order by the date of promotion.
a. When positions become available in the Patrol Bureaus, the candidates will be chosen in order of seniority based on date of rank. A tie breaker will be based on promotional list rank.
b. Candidates will be contacted and advised a position is available.
i. If the lieutenant declines the transfer the lieutenant will be placed at the bottom of the list.
ii. The lieutenant may elect to be removed from the Patrol Eligibility List.
iii. If the lieutenant wants to be added to the list, he or she may submit a transfer request and will be placed at the bottom of the list.
3. The lists will not expire and will be placed on the HCSO Intranet. After all transfers have been identified and filled, the remaining vacancies will be filled at the discretion of the Sheriff or their designee.
E. Transfers to Specialized Units
Specialized Units are those units requiring a specific set of skills and training and candidates must go through an interview process prior to being eligible. Examples of specialized units are: Vehicle Crimes Division, SWAT, Crime Scene Unit, and High-Tech Crime Unit.
1. Service Commitment Required
Any supervisor must have served continuously for one year in their current position before they may submit a transfer request. A deputy newly assigned to the Patrol Bureaus must serve continuously in the Patrol Bureaus for 18 months before they may submit a transfer request. These requirements will not be waived.
2. Selection Process
a. After the closing date of the job posting, the Bureau Commander will select an interview panel of at least three employees; two panel members must be classified as supervisors.
b. The interview panel will consider the criteria specified in the job posting announcing the vacant position and interview all applicants recommended by HR.
i. Review applicants personnel file.
ii. An eligibility list of best-fit candidates will be created and published for future selection. When positions are approved to fill, the bureau command will select a candidate from the list for transfer. Candidates still under commitment will not be selected until their commitments have been fulfilled.
F. Intra-Bureau Transfers
Intra-Bureau transfers will be based on demonstrable needs of the bureau. The Bureau Commander has the final authority on all transfers within their command. [Civil Service Rule 17 – Intrabureau Transfers]
The staffing needs of the bureau will determine transfers and assignments of all personnel.
1. Types of Intra-Bureau Transfers
a. Request for new days off
b. Request a new shift
c. Request a Division/Unit change
2. Open positions, days off and shifts, will be posted notifying the employees of the positions available. The employees will submit a request for transfer to the Division Commander.
G. Notification of Transfer and Exceptions
The employee being transferred, regardless if it is voluntary or involuntary, should be notified by the losing bureau no less than two weeks before the transfer occurs. However, due to exigent circumstances and/or for the betterment of the department, the Sheriff or their designee may allow a shorter notice.
VII. Open Position Postings
1. H.R. may announce open positions on the HCSO Intranet.
2. The open position posting will include:
a. A job summary and purpose of a specific assignment,
b. The minimum qualifications required, and any preferred qualifications,
c. Documents requested from applicants, and
d. The deadline for submission of the requested documents.
3. Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications will not be pushed forward by HR for interviews for the position.
4. Applicants responding to an open position posting must submit an online application within the specified time frame. Late, inaccurate, or incomplete applications will not be considered.
5. HR will continuously review all applicants and identify candidates either as “qualified” or “not qualified” based upon the posting. Once the applicants have been identified as qualified, the applications are then forwarded to the Unit/Division/Bureau requesting to fill the position.
6. Qualified candidates will be referred to the Bureau Commander or hiring manager for interviews.
Revision
This policy has been revised on the below listed dates:
August 14, 2009 November 20, 2015 November 12, 2018
August 3, 2010 April 20, 2016 February 15, 2019
January 5, 2011 July 29, 2016 July 19, 2019
July 24, 2013 December 14, 2016 January 29, 2021
August 27, 2015 August 25, 2017 December 27, 2021
July 10, 2023 March 1, 2025
March 6, 2025 (Technical Changes)