KUTZTOWN BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF APPLICATION AND HIRING PROCESS FOR PATROL OFFICER

Transcription

1 In order to be eligible for participation in any Examination for any position with the Police Department, every Applicant must submit a completed application form to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission before the deadline stated by the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission for that specific Examination. The Applicant must make an oath or affirmation that the application is completed truthfully, and the Applicant is subject to the penalties of 18 Pa. Cons. Stat relating to unsworn falsification to authorities. The Borough of Kutztown is an equal opportunity employer. Subject to applicable law, it is the policy of the Borough of Kutztown and the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission to grant equal employment opportunities to qualified persons without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, veteran s status, marital status or non-job-related physical or mental handicap or disability. The Borough of Kutztown and the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission will provide equal opportunities in employment and promotion. Application forms shall be available to all interested persons in the office of the Borough Manager of the Borough of Kutztown, and from such other offices and Officers that the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission, from time to time, may choose to designate. Application forms may be mailed upon written or telephone request. However, the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission assumes no responsibility for missed filing deadlines due to a delay in the mail. Age and Residency Requirements. All Applicants must have reached their twenty-first (21 st ) birthday before the deadline for submitting completed applications. All Police Officers, as a condition of their full-time employment, may not reside more than 30 road miles from the Borough of Kutztown, within one year of employment. General Qualifications Every Applicant for any position in the Police Department shall possess a diploma from an accredited high school or a graduate equivalency diploma. In addition, every Applicant must be a United States citizen, be physically and mentally fit to perform the essential duties of a Police Officer, with or without reasonable accommodation, and, prior to appointment, possess a valid motor vehicle operator s license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Every Applicant must be qualified to perform the duties required of the position in question, as set forth in the Position Description for such position. Applicants shall be required to have the training necessary to be certified under Title 37 (formerly known as Act 120) prior to the deadline for submitting completed applications and that, if appointed, be able to be certified under Title 37 (formerly known as Act 120) within sixty (60) days of appointment. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission may refuse to examine and disqualify, or, if examined, may refuse to certify as an Eligible after Examination any Applicant for a Patrol Officer position with the Police Department if any one (1) of the following matters are revealed on the application or in the background investigation required the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Rules and Regulations: (1) A Conviction of more than five (5) traffic violations within five (5) years prior to the deadline for submitting applications; (2) A Conviction of any section of Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter B (Serious Traffic Offenses) or similar laws of other states, regardless of grading, any Conviction of operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked operating privilege, or any Conviction for any charge related to leaving the scene of an accident; (3) A Conviction for any misdemeanor or felony, regardless of grading, and/or any other offense, which upon Conviction, could result in a term of imprisonment of no less than one (1) year; Page 1 of 7

2 (4) A Conviction of any summary or any other offense, of which the conditions of the offense and/or the actions of the Applicant would indicate that the Applicant s actions were dangerous, reckless, or would compromise the Applicant s character or his ability to perform his duties as Patrol Officer, if appointed; (5) Conviction for any crime under spousal assault or protection from abuse statutes. (6) Any conviction for a violation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act or similar statute in any other state or jurisdiction. (7) Unlawful use, possession, or distribution of any controlled or illegal substance (see Drug Matrix Addendum). (8) Any adjudication for any felony committed at fourteen (14) years of age or older. (9) Any Suspension or Suspensions of the Applicant s drivers license or operating privileges which, when totaled, would exceed sixty (60) days or more, within the five (5) years prior to the deadline for submitting applications; (10) Two (2) or more reportable traffic accidents have occurred where the Applicant was cited and convicted, for a violation(s) stemming from the traffic accident, within five (5) years prior to the deadline for submitting applications; (11) Any deceptive, false or misleading information or statement written or made by the Applicant on the application; (12) Any omission by the Applicant of required information, which if considered, may have resulted in the disqualification of the Applicant; (13) Failure by the Applicant to comply with any Examination requirements and/or any further subsequent requests for appearance or information, i.e. fingerprinting and photographing during the background investigation, completion and submission of additional forms as specified or appearance for interviews; (14) Discharge from military service of other than Honorable or Medical; (15) Termination or forced resignation from prior employment for cause; or (16) Termination (but not furlough or retirement) from any prior police employment. (17) Failure to notify the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission of any additions, changes or corrections to the information in the Applicant s application following the Applicant s submission of the application to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission. (18) Termination, but not furlough, by the employer from three (3) or more prior positions of employment for any reason; (19) Any disciplinary action having been taken against the Applicant by a prior employer, including military or police service, for any violation or infraction committed by the Applicant; or (20) Two (2) or more negative personal references describing conduct that would indicate that the Applicant is undesirable for employment with the Police Department. (21) Failure to meet the qualification criteria in Sections 3.4 and 3.5 of the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Rules and Regulations. Page 2 of 7

3 The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission is not limited solely to the elimination criteria specified herein. A candidate may be eliminated when a candidate exhibits a number of characteristics which demonstrates a pattern of behavior which is determined by the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission to be inappropriate for law enforcement employment. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission may remove and refuse to certify, or if certified, withdraw that certification and disqualify, any Applicant whose actions, if considered, would have been grounds for disqualification under the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Rules and Regulations, and where those actions occurred after the date that the Eligible List was created and before the date that an Applicant was appointed. Rejection of Any Applicant. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission may refuse to examine and disqualify, or, if examined, may refuse to certify as an Eligible after Examination, any Applicant who is found to lack any of the minimum qualifications for Examination prescribed in the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Rules and Regulations for the particular position for which the Applicant has applied. In addition, the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission may refuse to examine and disqualify, or if examined, may refuse to certify as an Eligible, any Applicant for the reasons set forth in Section 1183 of the Borough Code, including, without limitation, any Applicant who is physically or mentally unfit to perform the full duties of the position applied for, or who is a habitual substance abuser, who is guilty of any crime involving moral turpitude, or of infamous or notoriously disgraceful conduct, or who has been dismissed from public service for delinquency or misconduct in office, or who is affiliated with any group whose policies or activities are subversive to the forms of government set forth in the constitutions and laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. An applicant having been permanently rejected has no re-application right. General Examination Requirements for the Position of Patrol Officer. The Examination for Patrol Officer will consist of a written and an oral Examination which will be graded on a one hundred (100) point scale with the written Examination representing fifty percent (50%) of the final score and the oral Examination representing fifty percent (50%) of the final score. In addition, those applicants successfully passing the written and oral examinations will undergo a physical agility test and a background investigation. These tests and investigation will be graded on a pass/fail basis for every Applicant. After an Applicant has been extended a conditional offer of employment, final appointment shall be contingent upon the Applicant passing a medical examination, a polygraph examination or voice stress analysis test, and a psychological Examination. Written Examinations. The written Examination shall be graded on a 100 point scale, and an Applicant must score seventy percent (70%) or higher in order to continue in the application process. Applicants scoring less than seventy (70) percent shall be rejected. Within thirty (30) days after the administration of the written Examination, all Applicants shall be given written notice of their test results and passing Applicants shall be scheduled for an oral Examination appointment. Oral Examination. Every Applicant who scored seventy percent (70%) or higher in the written Examination shall be given an oral Examination which will be graded on a 100 point scale with a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher necessary for passing. The oral Examination shall involve questioning Applicants on how they would handle situations relevant to police work. Within thirty (30) days after the Applicants oral Examination, they each shall be given written notice of the score in their oral Examination and total overall score. Page 3 of 7

4 Veterans Preference Points. If then required by applicable laws and judicial decisions, any Applicant for the position of Patrol Officer who qualifies as a soldier under the Veterans Preference Act shall receive an additional ten (10) points on top of their total score if that Applicant successfully passes all testing. Physical Agility Testing. An Applicant who has successfully passed the written and oral examination for the position of Patrol Officer must successfully pass a physical agility test. The Kutztown Borough Police Department utilizes a physical agility test that was designed using the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine and the Cooper Institute For Aerobics Research. Background Investigation and Confidentiality of Reports. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission shall request the Chief of Police, or the designee of the Chief of Police to conduct a background investigation on each Applicant. The background investigation shall include interviews with the Applicant s family, acquaintances, current and former employers, current and former neighbors, references and current and former teachers and school officials. In addition, the Applicant s credit history and record of criminal Convictions shall be investigated. The Applicant may be interviewed directly when the information collected during the background investigation requires clarification or explanation. After the background investigation is completed, the Chief of Police, or the designee of the Chief of Police, shall make a written recommendation to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission on whether the Applicant is appropriate for consideration for appointment. Appropriateness of the Applicant shall be based on the criteria set forth in the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Rules and Regulations. This recommendation shall be in writing and if the recommendation is to disqualify, then a detailed written explanation of the reasons for disqualification must be included. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission shall make the final determination on whether the information collected during the background investigation warrants rejection of the candidate. Within thirty (30) days after the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission considers the recommendation of the Chief of Police, or the designee of the Chief of Police, each Applicant will be given written notice as to whether they have passed the background investigation. The written report of the background investigation and the applicant s initial application that is submitted to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission includes information regarding the character and reputation of the applicant and shall be kept in confidence and shall not be opened for public inspection nor disseminated outside of the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission. A Candidate shall have no right to access or view the written report of his or her background investigation. Creation of Eligible List. At the completion of the Examination requirements set forth in the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Rules and Regulations, written Examination, oral Examination, background investigation, and physical agility test the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission shall rank all passing Applicants on a list with the Applicant receiving the highest score at the top of the list and the Applicant receiving the lowest passing score at the bottom of the list. Applicants who qualify for veterans preference points shall have those points added to their passing score prior to being ranked on the Eligible List, if granting of a veterans preference is then required by applicable laws and judicial decisions. In the case of tied scores, the tie will be broken by giving preference to the Applicant who submitted a final completed application first. If Page 4 of 7

5 both tied Applicants submitted their complete applications on the same day, then the Applicants shall be ranked in alphabetical order by surname. The Eligible List shall be valid for two (2) years from the date the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission ranks all passing Applicants, assigns veteran s preference points and formally adopts the Eligible List. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission may, at its sole discretion, by a vote of the majority of the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission at a duly authorized Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission meeting extend the validity of the Eligible List for an additional year. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission may, in the exercise of its sole discretion by a vote of the majority of the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission at a duly authorized Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission meeting, void an Eligible List at any time for any reason. Polygraph Examination and Voice Stress Analysis A qualified applicant, following the interview process, shall undergo either a polygraph examination or a voice stress analysis examination. A conditional offer of employment shall be extended to the applicant prior to the polygraph examination or voice stress analysis examination and additional background information shall also be completed with the drug matrix and medical information. If the applicant does not meet the drug matrix and/or medical requirements then they may be rejected or given a chance to withdraw from the hiring process and shall not proceed to the polygraph examination or voice stress analysis examination. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission shall furnish each polygraph or voice stress analysis examiner with forms upon which the examiner shall state whether any of the applicant s responses to questions from the applicant s personal data questionnaire are deceptive. The results of each examination shall be submitted to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission within five (5) days after the date of the examination. The examiner shall ask questions based on the information contained in the personal data questionnaire. Before administering the test, the examiner shall ask each applicant whether there is any more information related to the personal data questionnaire which the applicant would like to provide. There shall also be a post-test review, during which the examiner shall again ask the participant, if deception is indicated, whether there is any information which the applicant is withholding. If the examiner shall deem any of the applicant s responses to be deceptive, the examiner must tell the applicant immediately and give the applicant an opportunity to explain, deny, or admit the deception. If the applicant denies being deceptive, or if the explanation is found unsatisfactory by the examiner, the applicant will be given the opportunity to retake the test with a second examiner. Notice of the opportunity to retest shall be given in writing to the applicant. The second examiner will not have access to the results of the first test prior to re-administering the polygraph or voice stress analysis examination. If the second examiner finds no deception, the applicant will be considered as having passed the polygraph or voice stress analysis examination. If the second examiner also finds the applicant deceptive, the applicant will be considered as having failed the examination. An applicant who has failed both tests may appeal to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission for a third examination, and the decision to give the applicant an opportunity to take a third test, at the applicant s expense, resides solely within the discretion of the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission. If the applicant is awarded an opportunity to take a third test and passes, then the applicant will be considered as having passed the polygraph or voice stress analysis examination. If the applicant is found deceptive on a third test, the applicant will be rejected. Page 5 of 7

6 Medical and Psychological Examinations After the Borough Council selects a candidate from the Certification list of Eligibles for appointment to the vacant Police Officer position, that candidate shall submit to a medical Examination and a psychological Examination by the appropriate medical and psychological examiners. The results of the psychological and medical examinations shall be retained by the Office of the Director of Human Resources. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission shall only be provided with a "pass" or "fail" statement with regard to the results of the psychological and medical examinations. If the candidate successfully passes the medical and psychological Examinations, then that candidate shall be appointed to the vacant position in the Police Department for which the application was submitted. The appointment of a candidate initially selected from the Certification list by the Borough Council shall be contingent upon successfully passing both the medical and psychological Examinations. Failure to pass any required Examination shall result in the candidate being rejected from consideration. The rejected candidate may appeal this decision pursuant to the Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission Rules and Regulations. The Kutztown Borough Civil Service Commission shall then certify another name to be included with the names previously set forth on the Certification list of Eligibles, for consideration by the Borough Council. Probationary Period. Every successful Applicant to the position of Patrol Officer shall serve a twelve- (12) month probationary period. DRUG USAGE MATRIX Violation of Guidelines Concerning the Use of Controlled Dangerous Substances (1) Present use or addiction to any illicit drug. (2) Participation as a manufacturer or distributor of any controlled/dangerous substance. (3) Unlawful experimentation/use in excess of established tolerance levels as enumerated below: (a) Opiates (1) Heroin or opium - zero lifetime ingestions permitted. (2) Morphine, codeine, other opiates - one lifetime ingestion permitted with two year abstinence prior to application (b) Depressants (Barbiturates, benzodiazepines methaqualone, etc.) (1) Two ingestions (lifetime, none of which may be intravenous applications) permitted (c) Stimulants (amphetamines, methamphetamines, etc.) (1) Two ingestions (lifetime, none of which may be intravenous applications) permitted (d) Cocaine (1) One ingestion (lifetime, none of which may be intravenous applications) permitted (3) No ingestions of crack cocaine are permitted (e) Hallucinogenic (LSD, PCP, Mescaline) (1) Zero ingestions permitted Page 6 of 7

7 (f) Inhalants (solvents, glue, paint, aerosols, amyl nitrates) (1) Two ingestions lifetime permitted. (g) Cannabis (marijuana, hashish, THC) (1) Ten ingestions lifetime permitted (h) Anabolic steroids (1) No non-prescription use for two years prior to application (4) Evidence demonstrating repeated use of any drug or chemical substance with such frequency that it appears individual has or had accepted the use and/or reliance upon the substance as part of a pattern of behavior. An ingestion is a single application, e.g., one marijuana cigarette, one dose of pills, liquid, etc. Indications of cross-experimentation, while meeting individual drug exemption criteria, will require, in all cases, participation in psychiatric/psychological evaluation. All periods of abstinence must be positively verified by polygraph examination. Results of psychiatric/psychological evaluation must support a negative propensity toward drug abuse and a lack of residual side effects associated with drug use. Cross experimentation indicating experimentation with more than two controlled dangerous substances will result in permanent rejection. An applicant having been permanently rejected has no re-application right. An application will not be accepted from any individual who has been previously rejected on two occasions for substance abuse. Re-application will be accepted if: (a) (b) if an individual has abstained from usage for the period specified, and the indicated frequency requirements are met. The above information is provided as a basic guide. To attempt to list all the circumstances and a provision for each would be impossible. Page 7 of 7