Application forms shall be available to all interested persons
in the offices of the Managing Director, Police Department or at a
place otherwise designated by the Commission.
The Township is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Township's
policy and the Commission's policy 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 to qualified
persons who can perform the essential functions of the specified task.
All applicants must have reached their 21st birthday by the
date of the application. Any and all residency requirements may be
determined by reference to the applicable collective bargaining agreement
then in force and effect, and any other Township agreement or directives
which may otherwise be applicable.
Every applicant for any position in the Police Department shall
possess a diploma from an accredited high school or 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, as defined in Act 120 and, prior to the appointment, possess
a valid motor vehicle operator's license by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
or valid in the state of origin.
[Amended 11-10-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-20]
A. In addition to meeting the qualifications in §
A211-13 above, all applicants for a promotional position, except Chief, shall not be considered for the request or promotion if such applicant has been suspended without pay for more than five days at anytime in the three years prior to the deadline for submitting applications. Any suspension to which the applicant has timely appealed pursuant to a grievance procedure or to these rules and regulations shall be disregarded unless the appeal is resolved prior to the creation of the eligibility list.
B. All applicants
shall have continuous prior service with the Police Department of
the Township as follows: [Amended 12-29-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-12]
(1) An
applicant for the position of Detective/Sergeant shall have prior
experience as a patrol officer, with at least five years of experience
as a police officer in the Township of Bristol Police Department and
no suspensions within the last two years.
(2) An
applicant for the position of Lieutenant shall have at least two years
of experience as a detective or sergeant in the Township of Bristol
Police Department and no suspensions within the past one year.
(3) Although
there are currently no Captain positions at the Township of Bristol
Police Department, any future applicants for the position of Captain
must have at least two years of experience as a lieutenant in the
Township of Bristol Police Department and no suspensions within the
past one year.
(4) An
applicant for the position of Deputy Chief of Police shall have at
least two years of experience as a lieutenant in the Township of Bristol
Police Department and no suspensions within the past one year.
An investigation of the character and reputation of the applicant
shall be made by the Civil Service Commission or its designee and/or
the Police Department or its designee and may include credit reports
and reports of investigations from recognized agencies.
Applications for positions in the Police Department shall be
received at the Township Building only after an examination has been
properly advertised and before the deadline for receiving any applications,
which must be set forth in a public advertisement. Applications will
be received by the municipal officer designated in a public advertisement
and/or that officer's designee. That person 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, to the discretion of the Commission, be returned to
the applicant for correction prior to the time line for filing applications
after which no new applications or amended applications will be accepted.
A. No application
received after 12:00 noon on the day that is 14 calendar days prior
to the date fixed for the written examination by the police announcement
shall be considered for such examination unless exceptional circumstances
are shown by the applicant
B. An application
shall become invalid six months after the date upon which it was received.
The Commission may refuse to examine or, if examined, may refuse
to certify as eligible 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 an 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 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 of America
and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Any applicants or other persons who believe they are aggrieved
by the actions of the Commission, in refusing to examine or 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 hearing which shall be conducted
pursuant the procedure set forth in Local Agency Law, 2 Pa.C.S.A.
§ 101 et seq. The applicant or aggrieved party must make the
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 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.