In order to be eligible for participation in any examination for any position with the Patterson Township Police Department, every applicant must submit a completed application form to the Commission before the deadline stated for that specific examination. The applicant must make an oath or affirmation that the application has been completed truthfully, and that the applicant is subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 54-904 relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.
The Township of Patterson is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Township of Patterson's and the Commission's policy to grant equal employment opportunities to qualified persons without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, veteran's status, martial status, or non-job-related physical or mental handicap or disability. The Township of Patterson and the Commission will provide equal opportunities in employment and promotion.
[Amended 10-14-2021 by Ord. No. 475]
Application forms shall be available to all interested persons in the office of the Township Secretary and from such other offices and officers that the Commission may choose to designate. Applications may be requested and sent by email, fax, or any other electronic format available and in use by the Township Secretary. The Commission assumes no responsibility for missing filing deadline dates due to a delay in the mail, electronic communications, or for any other reason.
[Amended 7-10-2014 by Ord. No. 442; 10-14-2021 by Ord. No. 475]
All applicants must have reached their 21st birthday before the deadline for submitting a completed application. Each applicant shall present satisfactory evidence of date of birth. Applicants must reside either within the Township of Patterson or within a thirty-mile radius of the main police station within six months following the completion of their probationary period.
Every applicant for any position in the Police Department shall possess a diploma from an accredited high school or a graduate equivalency diploma (GED). Every applicant must have successfully completed Pennsylvania Act 120[1] certification prior to being appointed to a police officer position for the Township of Patterson. In addition, every applicant must be a United States citizen, be physically and mentally fit to perform the full duties of a police officer in Patterson Township and must possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 740 et seq.
In addition to meeting the qualifications fixed for each applicant for a position in the Police Department, all applicants for the position of Assistant Chief and Chief of Police shall:
A. 
Have been continuously employed in police service for at least two years prior to the date of application in the case of Assistant Chief and at least five years for Chief of Police;
B. 
Have satisfactorily completed their in-service training program for police officers or have graduated from a recognized police school;
C. 
Have demonstrated an ability to carry out orders from superiors;
D. 
Demonstrate a working knowledge of police science and administration;
E. 
Demonstrate an ability to deliver and supervise the work of subordinates; and
F. 
Have received at least a grade of satisfactory on the latest service rating, provided that an evaluation of the experience, training, general background and such other records of performance of the applicant, at the discretion of the Commission, may be substituted for the service rating.
[Added 11-12-1998 by Ord. No. 363]
When a vacancy occurs in the position of Assistant Chief, the initial list of eligible applicants shall be limited to any currently employed Patterson Township police officer, part-time or full-time, who has actively been on duty and has been employed with the Patterson Township police for a minimum of two years immediately proceeding the date of application for the position of Assistant Chief.
A. 
An initial list of eligible applicants will be provided to the Civil Service Commission. The applicants will be required to take the competitive exam and meet all other criteria set forth in the chapter to be eligible for the position of Assistant Chief.
B. 
If any eligible applicant successfully completes the exam and meets the necessary criteria, the Civil Service Commission shall certify the appropriate name(s) to the Board of Commissioners, which shall then make its selection from the list of name(s) provided.
C. 
If there are no successful eligible applicants from the initial list, then notice of application for the position of Assistant Chief will be published and made known to the general public, after which applications will be accepted from any individual who qualifies under § 38-27.
D. 
The period for accepting applications from currently employed Patterson Township police officers will be 15 days from the date notice is first posted in an open and obvious place within the Police Department. If no applications are received after 15 days, then notice of the application for the position of Assistant Chief will be published and made known to the general public, after which applications will be accepted from any individual who qualifies under § 38-27.
[Amended 10-14-2021 by Ord. No. 475]
The Commission may refuse to examine or, if examined, may refuse to certify as eligible after examination any applicant who is found to lack any of the minimum qualifications for examination prescribed in these rules and regulations for the particular position for which the applicant has applied. In addition, the Commission may refuse to examine or, if examined, may refuse to certify any applicant for the following reasons:
A. 
One who is found to have furnished inaccurate, misleading, or false information on the official application or in response to any portion of the hiring process;
B. 
One who is found to lack any of the minimum qualifications for examination prescribed in the rules and regulations adopted for the position of employment for which the applicant has applied;
C. 
One who is illegally using a controlled substances as defined in the Controlled Substance Act (21 U.S.C. § 802) or is otherwise addicted to the use of intoxicating liquor or drugs;
D. 
One who is physically or mentally unfit to perform the full duties of the position applied for;
E. 
If the candidate 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
F. 
A candidate who is affiliated with any group whose policies or activities are subversive to the forms of government set forth in the Constitution and laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[Amended 10-14-2021 by Ord. No. 475]
Applications for positions in the Patterson Township Police Department shall be received at the Township Secretary's office only after an examination has been advertised and before the deadline set forth in the public advertisement. Applications will be received by the Civil Service Commission designee identified in the public advertisement or that officer's designee. That person shall record the receipt of all applications indicating both the time and date received. The applicant in turn will be provided with a notice of the time and place for the written examination. Any application containing material errors or omission may, at the discretion of the Commission, be returned to the applicant for correction and then must be returned to the Commission prior to the deadline for filing. No new applications or amended applications or supporting documents will be accepted after the advertised closing time and date.
[Amended 10-14-2021 by Ord. No. 475]
Any applicants or other persons who believe that they are aggrieved by the actions of the Commission, in refusing to examine or to certify them as eligible after examination, may request a hearing before the Commission. Within 10 days after such request, the Commission shall designate a time and place for the public hearing which shall be conducted pursuant to procedure set forth in the Local Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq. The applicant or aggrieved party must make his/her request for a hearing in writing within 10 calendar days of the date when the party knew or should have known of the commissions action which is being challenged. The aggrieved may appear with or without counsel. The Commission's decision on the matter shall be final.
[Amended 10-14-2021 by Ord. No. 475]
The Commission shall conspicuously post in the Patterson Township Municipal Building the information as to the type of position to be filled, the requirements for that position, where applications may be obtained for the examination, and the deadline for filing those applications. At least two weeks' prior to each examination, publication of the notice shall be placed in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the Township of Patterson and at least one online job posting service. Positions to be filled by promotions from within the Department are exempt from this notice.
A. 
The statements made by the applicant in the official application shall contain no falsification, omission or concealment of material fact. Should investigation disclose any willful misstatement, falsification or concealment with respect to an application:
(1) 
The application shall be invalid and the applicant shall be disqualified from examination;
(2) 
If the applicant shall have been examined, the name of such applicant shall be removed from the eligible list; or
(3) 
If the applicant shall have been appointed, such willful misstatement, falsification or concealment shall constitute grounds for dismissal from the Police Department.
B. 
No person who shall make any willfully false application shall be permitted to make future application for any position in the Patterson Township Police Department.