BI Expense

[equinox137]

On average, how much does a BI really cost? I understand that it takes time due to going over records, but where does the monetary cost come in?

Thanks

[grumpyirishman]

Background Investigation Costs....

where does the monetary cost come in?

DUH????? Investigator's salary plus benefits, paper, envelopes, stamps, fuel, wear & tear on vehicle, etc....
I can tell that your are not ready at this point in your life for any agency to incur the expense!

[equinox137]

DUH????? Investigator's salary plus benefits, paper, envelopes, stamps, fuel, wear & tear on vehicle, etc....

Sure....the investigator gets paid and gets those benefits anyway and paper, envelopes, stamps, fuel, wear & tear on vehicle, doesn't amount to 5 figures as many people say a BI costs....

I can tell that your are not ready at this point in your life for any agency to incur the expense!

You came up with that all by yourself from an internet post? What investigative skills you have...I wanna be just like you

[aaa79]

From people with experience with such things (guys involved in fed LEO hiring) it runs between 20-30k for the background work up. I've read that the entire hiring process is six figures, including your salary during the academy/FLETC. I believe the first money spent outside of the agency is usually on the medical and psych, unless you're agency doesn't have their own poly examiner.

Maybe Ken/LAPD Backgrounds can shed some more light.

[equinox137]

From people with experience with such things (guys involved in fed LEO hiring) it runs between 20-30k for the background work up. I've read that the entire hiring process is six figures, including your salary during the academy/FLETC. I believe the first money spent outside of the agency is usually on the medical and psych, unless you're agency doesn't have their own poly examiner.

Maybe Ken/LAPD Backgrounds can shed some more light.

That's what I'm getting at. My FBI background for a TS/SCI clearance back in 1993 supposedly cost $60,000. It's a little dishonest if the investigator's salary (and benefits) and my salary/benefits (I was military at the time) are included in that figure because we'd get that paid anyway. If it's in reference to the med and psych, then that makes sense...

[LA_Backgrounds]

Maybe Ken/LAPD Backgrounds can shed some more light.

Oooooooo..this is a tough question to answer. Each investigation would come in at a different amount. I can tell you the people involved in the process.

For any LA City background each candidate has to come to backgrounds to meet with an Interview Specialist ($$) to go over the PHF & PIQ. Clerical needs to schedule all of the candidates and prep the paperwork involved ($$). After the Interview Specialist is done, clerical then preps the packages for the investigators. This includes mailing out reference letters, requests to other departments, and putting the packages together for the investigators ($$). The case is then assigned to an investigator who conducts the BG. The BI then conducts the package review, meet & greet with the candidate, making calls to prep for field work, the actual field work and interviews, more telephone calls, writing the reports related to the field work...and everything else involved for each case.

Of course, there's alot more to it. If you include everything that's related to the background alone, it would run into several thousands. I think you'd need to track several cases over a few months and figure out the time spent on each one to come out with an average cost. The bottom line? It costs a lot 'o dough to complete a thorough BI.

[aaa79]

That's what I'm getting at. My FBI background for a TS/SCI clearance back in 1993 supposedly cost $60,000. It's a little dishonest if the investigator's salary (and benefits) and my salary/benefits (I was military at the time) are included in that figure because we'd get that paid anyway. If it's in reference to the med and psych, then that makes sense...

I think I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. Paying people to work means that every moment of their day costs the department money. Let's assume Detective Joe Background makes $200.00 for 8 hours of work. If he spends 60 hours doing your background, that's $4,800. Before Det. Background started working on your packet, you had to take a written test, a physical test, sit in front of an oral board, and you were probably printed.

In my processing, the department payed a couple of dedicated BGI's to talk to us before we took our written, and we were able to address our concerns about our past to them. That was 2 hours. The test itself was administered by approximately 8 officers, and I believe half were Sgt's. I am sure that all of them had been with the department long enough to max out the base pay, and considering that the test was administered on a weekend, that indicates that they were being payed overtime. It was 6 hours total if I am mistaken. Again let's lowball the figure and assume that all 8 made 200 for 8 hours of work, and assume that their only approved overtime for the pay period were the 6 hours they spent administering the test. That is 1800 alone. Divide this over the number of applicants that passed the written: 20. Per applicant that is 90 dollars. Add $11.25 per applicant if the BGI's are payed the same rate and spent 2 hours with us. So far $101.25 of department dollars have been spent on me to pass the test.

Next we had approximately 12 officers administer the physical ability test. This was a 7 hour ordeal, again on a weekend. We had 10 pass the physical. that's an additional $315 per candidate. $426.15. Next up, 2 BGI's spent 2 hours with us talking about issues, identifying documents to get copies of, and giving us some basic instruction in filling out our PHS. That's an additional 15 per candidate so $431.15 applicant.

Oral board. First a BI spends an hour looking over your PHS looking for immediate disqualifications. These are non overtime hours. That's 25 dollars per candidate. $456.15. Three officers have to spend an hour on your oral board. that's 75 per candidate. $531.15.

Prints - 30 minutes to actually get printed (3 cards) plus time spent mailing out the material. Rounding up to an hour. 566.15. 60 hours spent on the BGI - 5356.15. Polygraph or CVSA. This took 4 hours in my situation. 5456.15. Add roughly 5,000 for the medical and psych. $10,456.15.

Assuming I get my offer this week, and start the week after (recruits go into administrative until the academy) it will be 1 year before I am out of FTO and on solo patrol. $47,000 for my salary. $57,456.15. But we forgot the costs of the academy. 1024 hours of training. Let's low ball it again and assume that 5 officers are assigned to the academy for the full 1024 hours and they work no overtime, divided over a class of 15. Add $8533.00.

That's basically $66,000 in taxpayer dollars and I am only about 50% sure that my estimations are even in the right ballpark.

[LA_Backgrounds]

Do you all count the entire process (Written, oral, PAT, pre-background and BI, med, psych) as backgrounds? When I hear "background" I think of the actual BI itself and all tests together as the entire "Hiring Process".

[aaa79]

My BGI told me that the background started the day I applied, so in a sense I consider the screening process everything until the formal offer is signed. I would use the term recruiting cost to cover everything through the end of FTO. I am not sure that the demarcation point is that clear, though. What if a week from graduation, you received a phone call about an applicant that shed negative light on their pre-employment behavior? The background is technically complete, but now you have to remove them from your recruiting and training program (or at the very least investigate the claims to see if they can substantiated).

[Tim Dees]

Some agencies send their own investigators to the applicant's home town (or other places where he/she lived) to interview acquaintances, and anytime you get into travel costs, you can easily go into four figures.