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 Commission, or its designated authority, before the deadline stated by the 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.C.S.A. § 4904 relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.
The Township is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of both the Township and the Commission to grant equal employment opportunities to qualified persons without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, veteran status, marital status or non-job-related physical or mental handicap or disability. The Township and the Commission will provide equal opportunities in employment and promotion.
Application forms shall be available to all interested persons in the office of the Township Police Department, and from such other offices and officers that the Commission, from time to time, may choose to designate. Application forms may be mailed upon written or telephone request. However, the Commission assumes no responsibility for missed filing deadlines due to a delay in the mail.
Applications for positions in the Police Department shall be received at the office of the Township Police Department, or at the location of the designated authority, only after a hiring or promotional test has been properly advertised and before the deadline for receiving applications which must be set forth in the public advertisement. Applications will be received by the municipal officer designated in the public advertisement or that official's designee. That municipal officer shall record the receipt of all applications and provide each applicant with notice of the time and place for the first portion of the testing procedure, the written examination. Any application containing material errors or omissions may, at the discretion of the Commission, be returned to the applicant for correction prior to the deadline for filing applications, after which no new applications or amended applications will be accepted.
All applicants must have reached their 21st birthday before the deadline for submitting completed applications.
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 full duties of a police officer, and, prior to appointment, possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Applicants must have completed and passed or be enrolled in the police officers' training course approved by the Municipal police officers' Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) as set forth in 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 2161 et seq. at the time of application. An applicant must have completed and passed the course prior to being eligible for appointment or qualify for a waiver of training from the Pennsylvania Municipal police officers Education and Training Commission.
A. 
In addition to meeting the qualifications in § A255-20 above, all applicants for a promotional position, except chief, shall have not been demoted or suspended without pay for 36 hours or more, whether consecutive or otherwise, in the three years prior to the deadline for submitting applications. Any demotion or suspension to which the applicant has filed a timely appeal pursuant to this chapter shall be disregarded if such appeal remains pending before the Commission when the eligibility list is certified.
B. 
All applicants shall have continuous prior service with the Police Department as follows:
(1) 
An applicant for the position of Corporal shall have a minimum of two years of continuous prior service with the Police Department after completion of the initial (new hire) probationary period.
(2) 
An applicant for the position of Sergeant shall have a minimum of three years of continuous prior service with the Police Department after completion of the initial (new hire) probationary period and shall have served a minimum of one year in the position of Corporal. Applicants who do not meet the corporal rank requirement may qualify by having five years of continuous prior service with the Police Department after completion of their initial probationary period.
(3) 
An applicant for the position of Lieutenant shall have a minimum of five years of service with the Police Department, including a minimum of two years of experience as a Sergeant within the Police Department and shall hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
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 this chapter for the particular position for which the applicant has applied, which shall include providing any false or misleading information or material omissions at any time during the examination or investigation process. In addition, the Commission may refuse to examine, or if examined, may refuse to certify, any applicant who is physically or mentally unfit to perform the full duties of the position applied for, or who is illegally using a controlled substance, as defined in Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (Public Law 91-513, 21 U.S.C. § 802), who has been 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.
Any applicant who is aggrieved by the actions of the Commission in refusing to examine or to certify the applicant 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 a public hearing, with or without counsel, which shall be conducted pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Local Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq. The applicant must make his request for a hearing in writing within 10 calendar days of the date when the applicant knew or should have known of the Commission's action which is being challenged. The request for a hearing shall be addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission and delivered to the Township Police Department office. At the hearing the Commission shall consider evidence and review its refusal to provide examination or certification. The decision of the Commission shall be final.
The Commission shall conspicuously post in the Township Building an announcement of the hiring or promotional testing and set forth the time and place of every examination, together with the information as to the type of position to be filled, the requirements for that position, where applications may be obtained, and the deadline for filing those applications. In addition, at least two weeks prior to the close of the application period, publication of the notice shall occur in at least one newspaper of general circulation or a newspaper circulating generally in the Township.