Application and Qualifications
A. 
In addition to currently holding the position of full-time police officer for Wilkinsburg Borough, all applicants for a promotional ranking position, except Chief of Police, shall have not been suspended without pay for more than five days in the three years prior to the deadline for submitting applications. Any suspension to which the applicant has timely appealed pursuant to a contractual grievance procedure or these rules and regulations shall be disregarded unless the appeal is resolved prior to the creation of the eligibility list.
B. 
All applicants for promotion, except for Chief of Police, shall have had prior service with the Wilkinsburg Borough Police Department as follows:
(1) 
Sergeant. An applicant for the position of Sergeant shall have completed three years of satisfactory service as a police officer with the Wilkinsburg Police Department.
(2) 
Lieutenant. An applicant for the position of Lieutenant shall have at least two years of continuous prior service as a "full-time" Sergeant with the Wilkinsburg Police Department.
The Borough of Wilkinsburg is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Borough Council and the Commission's policy to grant equal employment opportunities to qualified persons without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, veteran's status, marital status, or non-job-related physical or mental handicap or disability. The Borough Council and the Commission will provide equal opportunities in employment.
A. 
For promotions, at least two weeks prior to the close of the application period, publication of a notice outlining the qualifications for the position and requesting application forms to apply for the position shall be conspicuously posted in the Police Department and the Borough office.
B. 
At the discretion of the Civil Service Commission, the Commission may receive documentation from the Borough of those eligible for a promotional exam and may notify them, in writing, of the notice and the deadline for filing applications. It is important that all applicants who meet the qualifications for promotion be notified, by the Borough Manager or other individuals designated by the Commission.
C. 
The Borough Manager, or other designated person, shall give, in writing, to each applicant qualified for the next step in the examination process, a notice which shall include the date, time and place the applicant shall report for the next examination in the process.
D. 
Every such notice shall be mailed or otherwise delivered at least seven days prior to the date fixed for examination. Only applicants receiving notices to report for any examination shall be permitted to participate in such examination, and each applicant shall present his or her notice to the examiner before he or she shall be examined. Failure to report for an examination in accordance with the instructions contained in the written notice shall disqualify the applicant.
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 who is:
A. 
Found to have furnished incomplete, inaccurate, misleading or false information on the official application or in response to any portion of the promotional process.
B. 
Physically unfit for the performance of the duties of the position of which the candidate seeks employment.
C. 
Illegally using a controlled substance, as defined in Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (Public Law 91-513, 12 U.S.C. § 802).
D. 
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 of office.
E. 
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.
Any applicant 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 of receiving written notice of what is perceived as the alleged error. Within 10 days after such request, the Commission shall designate a time and place for the hearing which shall be conducted pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Local Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq., with or without counsel, at which time the Commission shall take testimony and review its refusal to provide examination or certification. The decision of the Commission shall be final.
Examination and Grading Procedure
A. 
The examination for the positions of Sergeant and Lieutenant shall include a written examination and an oral examination, which will be graded on a one-hundred-point scale, with the written examination representing 70% of the final score, the oral examination representing 30%.
B. 
Every applicant for promotion who has satisfied all of the written examination requirements, as stated above, shall be given an oral examination. An applicant must score at least 70% to qualify and continue in the application process. Any applicant who scores less than 70% will be disqualified. Within 30 days after the administration of the oral examination, the applicant for promotion shall be given written notice of his or her examination results.
The written examination shall be graded on a one-hundred-point scale. An applicant must score at least 70% to be eligible for the oral exam and continue in the promotional process. Applicants who score less than 70% shall be disqualified. Within 30 days after the administration of the written examination, all applicants shall be given written notice of their examination results.
Every applicant who has satisfied all of the written examination requirements provided in § 14-58, above, shall be given an oral examination. An applicant must score at least 70% to qualify and continue in the application process. Any applicant who scores less than 70% will be disqualified. The oral examination shall involve questioning applicants on police-oriented issues, including how they would handle situations relevant to police work. Within 30 days after the administration of the oral they shall be informed of the score in their oral examination and total overall score.
Certification of List of Eligibles and Appointment
A. 
At the completion of the examination requirements set forth in §§ 14-57, 14-58 and 14-59, the 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.
B. 
In the case of tied scores, the tie will be broken by giving preference to the applicant who received the highest score on the written test. In the event the qualifying applicant received identical scores, the order of listing shall be determined by the earliest application received.
The eligibility lists for the positions of Sergeant and Lieutenant will be valid for a period of one year from the date the Commission formally adopts the eligibility list. Prior to expiration of the one-year period, the Commission may extend the validity of the eligibility list for up to an additional 12 months by a majority vote of the Commission, at a duly authorized Commission meeting. In the absence of a lawful extension by the Commission, the list shall expire.
A. 
All ranking positions, except that of Chief of Police, shall be filled only in the following manner:
(1) 
The Borough Council shall notify the Commission of any vacancy which is to be filled and shall request the certification of three names from the eligibility list.
(2) 
If three names are not available, then the Commission shall certify the name(s) remaining on the list.
(3) 
The Borough Council shall make an appointment from one of the three names certified with sole reference to the merits and fitness of the candidates.
B. 
The Borough Council may object to one or more of the persons certified for the reasons set forth in § 14-55 of these rules and regulations. If the candidate to whom the Borough Council objects fails to timely exercise the rights of appeal under § 14-56, or if the Commission declines to uphold the appeal, the Commission shall strike the name of that candidate from the eligibility list and certify the next highest name for inclusion on the list of three candidates for each name stricken off.
A. 
Every successful applicant for the promotion to a ranking position, except that of the Chief of Police, within the Police Department, shall serve a twelve-month probationary period. The probationary period will begin on the first day of the promotion to the respective ranking position.
B. 
A full-time police officer promoted to a ranking position, during probation, may be returned to the position from which he or she was promoted, for cause for the reasons set forth in § 14-55 of these rules and regulations or because of incapacity for duty due to the use of alcohol or drugs, or if the probationary officer does not meet the requirements or expectations of the position and documentation has been accurately noted.
C. 
In addition, a probationary ranking police officer, except the Chief of Police, may be returned to his or her previous position, if the probationary ranking police officer does not meet the requirement expectations of the position and documentation is accurately noted.
D. 
The Chief of Police shall submit a final probationary report, not less than 10 days nor more than 15 calendar days before the next regular meeting of the Borough Council, immediately preceding the end of the probationary period. Each report shall be submitted in writing to Borough Council. Within five calendar days after receiving a probationary report from the Chief of Police, if the conduct of the probationer has not been satisfactory to the Borough Council, the probationer shall be notified in writing by the Borough Council that the appointment will not be permanent and the promoted probationary ranking police officer will be returned to the previous position held for the Borough.
E. 
Any probationer who is notified in writing by the Borough Council, prior to completion of the 12th month probation period, that his or her appointment will not be made permanent has no rights of appeal under these rules and regulations.
F. 
The Borough Manager shall notify the Commission, in writing, of its decision to retain or remove the probationer within five calendar days and in no event beyond the last day of the probationary period.
G. 
At the end of the twelve-month probationary period, if the probationer is not notified in accordance with this section, a promoted ranking police officer shall receive permanent status in his or her respective promotional position.
Chief of Police
In the case of a vacancy in the Office of Chief of Police, the Borough Council have full discretion in selecting the individual to fill the position of Chief of Police. If the Borough Council requests the Commission to subject that person to a noncompetitive examination, and if that person shall be certified by the Commission as qualified, as a result of that noncompetitive examination, that person may then be appointed to the position of Chief of Police by the Borough Council and thereafter shall only be removed from the position of Chief of Police for the reasons set forth in § 14-65.