Publications

• ProFirst Training and Consulting, LLC Expands Litigation Support for Police Hiring and Background Investigations

Police Hiring & Background Expert

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

John Pallas is a nationally recognized expert in police hiring practices, pre-employment background investigations, and public safety selection standards. He is a former Deputy Chief and Director of Law Enforcement Training with over 27 years of law enforcement experience, including extensive responsibility for applicant screening, recruitment, and hiring decisions for positions of public trust. Mr. Pallas specializes in evaluating the adequacy, defensibility, and compliance of police background investigations in the context of litigation. He has trained over 600 background investigators nationwide and has supervised and conducted thousands of pre-employment background investigations for law enforcement agencies, including large-scale municipal departments. He has developed law enforcement background investigation training curriculum that has been certified by multiple state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commissions and is used to train background investigators nationwide. He regularly provides instruction and consulting to law enforcement agencies on background investigations, hiring practices, and selection standards, further demonstrating his role in establishing and teaching accepted professional practices. Through his company, ProFirst Training and Consulting, Mr. Pallas has provided consulting services to law enforcement agencies across the country, including the development of background investigation policies, procedures, and standard operating manuals. He has provided consulting and policy development services to the Philadelphia Police Department and supervised investigative teams conducting over 600 background investigations for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Mr. Pallas is frequently retained to review hiring practices, assess investigative deficiencies, and provide expert analysis in matters involving negligent hiring, failure to detect disqualifying information, and non-compliance with accepted professional standards. His work focuses on whether background investigations meet established law enforcement practices and whether hiring decisions were reasonable, thorough, and defensible. He is qualified to provide expert consultation and testimony in matters involving police hiring, background investigations, applicant screening, and public safety employment practices.