Except for the position of Superintendent of
Police, each appointment to the police force shall be made only according
to qualifications and fitness, to be ascertained by competitive examinations.
Said examinations shall be given at such time or times and from time
to time as the Commission shall determine.
The Commission shall conspicuously post in the
Public Safety and Township Buildings notice of the time and place
of every entrance-level written examination for the police force,
together with 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.
In addition, at least two weeks prior to each examination, publication
of the notice shall occur in at least one newspaper of general circulation
or a newspaper circulating generally in the Township.
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478]
Applications for positions in the Police Department
shall be distributed only after an examination has been properly advertised
and before the deadline for receiving applications which must be set
forth in the public advertisement. Individuals requesting an application
will remit the current application fee, such application fee to be
established by the Township Manager and set forth in the public advertisement.
The person accepting the application shall record the receipt by time-stamping
all such 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 direction 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.
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478]
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
before the deadline stated by the Commission for that specific examination.
The applicant must take 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. Omissions and/or falsifications on the application
shall be considered grounds for rejection.
The Township is an equal opportunity employer.
It is the Township's and the Commission's policy to grant equal opportunities
regarding hiring, promotion and all other aspects of employment to
qualified persons. Neither the Township nor the Commission shall discriminate
based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, veteran's
status or non-job-related physical or mental handicap or disability
or any other unlawful reason. The Township and the Commission will
provide equal opportunities in employment and promotion.
Pursuant to the Veterans' Preference Act,[1] preferences and credits based upon veterans status shall
be given as provided by law.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 51 Pa.C.S.A. § 7101
et seq.
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478]
Application forms shall be available to all
interested persons through the Police Department. The Commission assumes
no responsibility for missed filing deadlines due to a delay in the
mail.
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478; 6-18-2003 by Ord. No.
3682; 11-16-2005 by Ord. No. 3761; 9-29-2021 by Ord. No. 4225]
All applicants must have reached their 21st
birthday before the deadline for submitting completed applications.
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478]
Every applicant for any sworn position in the
Police Department shall possess the following:
A.
A diploma from an accredited high school or a graduate
equivalency diploma and 60 credits from an accredited college or university,
or, in lieu of the 60 credits, five year’s full time service
as a police officer with a municipal or state police force. Any applicant
who possesses current Act 120 training is not required to possess
an additional 60 college credits. Instead, an applicant possessing
current Act 120 training need only possess the required number of
college credits which, along with Act 120 training, equals a total
of 60 college credits.
[Amended 2-17-1999 by Ord. No. 3519; 11-16-2005 by Ord. No. 3761]
B.
United States citizenship.
C.
Physical and mental fitness to perform the full duties
of a police officer, including meeting the qualifications promulgated
by the Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission
for certification as a police officer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
D.
Personal qualities.
[Amended 4-21-2021 by Ord. No. 4213]
(1)
Good
moral character. The applicant's background report, following an extensive
investigation, must reveal the applicant to be of good moral character,
law-abiding and possessing the fundamental traits of honesty, personal
integrity and an overriding respect for the rights of the persons
and property of others.
(2)
Emotional
stability. The mental acuity to respond rapidly to stressful stimulus
in a manner both measured and effective to the situation. The ability
consistently to exercise good judgment and make sound decisions based
on demonstrated facts.
(3)
Personal
stability. A personal history evidencing a lifestyle characterized
by appropriate, well-thought-out decisions and consistent and responsible
behavior.
E.
A valid motor vehicle operator's license issued by
this or any other state.
[Amended 9-29-2021 by Ord. No. 4225]
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478; 6-18-2003 by Ord. No.
3682]
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 general or specific qualifications
prescribed in these rules and regulations for the particular position
for which the applicant has applied, who fails to meet the Municipal
Police Officers' Education and Training Commission requirements, or
who at any point in the examination or certification process is, in
the Commission's sole opinion, physically or mentally unable to be
processed. In addition, to the extent permitted by law, 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 to which he/she seeks employment, 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 form of government set forth in the constitutions
and laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Any applicant or other person who believes that
he/she is aggrieved by the actions of the Commission in refusing to
examine or to certify him/her 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 to the procedures 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 Commission's action which is being challenged. The decision
of the Commission following review of its refusal to make such examination
or certification shall be final.
[Amended 3-15-1995 by Ord. No. 3387; 6-18-1997 by Ord. No.
3455; 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478; 6-18-2003 by Ord. No. 3682]
A.
Upon consultation with the Township Manager, the Commission
may appoint a written examination administrator, an oral examination
administrator, a polygraph examiner, a medical examiner and a psychological
examiner to conduct the appropriate examinations required by these
rules and regulations.
B.
General examination requirements.
(1)
The examination for the positions of police officer,
Sergeant and Lieutenant will consist of a written and an oral examination
which will be graded on a scale of 100 points. The written examination
will account for 45% of the final grade and the oral examination will
account for 55% of the final grade, provided that the applicant meets
the minimum passing score established herein.
(2)
The examination for the position of Captain will be
determined by a competitive examination to be prescribed by the Commission.
C.
Written examinations shall be graded on a one-hundred-point
scale, and an applicant must achieve a passing score of 70%. All applicants
will be given written notice of their test results.
(1)
Prior to the administration of the written examination
for the position of police officer, the Civil Service Commission shall
meet, and, based on the number of applications received and the current
need of the police force, a pre-selected number of applicants and
all other applicants with a matching grade may be chosen to proceed
to the oral examination, provided that the number selected achieved
the minimum passing score and had not otherwise been rejected.
(a)
On the date of the test of record and prior
to the administration of the written test, all participating applicants
will be advised of the pre-selected number, plus matching grades,
that will be advanced to the oral examination.
(b)
The identity of each applicant taking the written
examination for appointment to the police force shall be concealed
until after the Commission has determined the exact number of participants
with matching scores.
(2)
All candidates for promotion to the rank of Sergeant
and Lieutenant of Police receiving the minimum passing score on the
written examination shall be scheduled for an oral examination.
D.
The oral examination is a pass/fail examination and
an applicant must achieve a passing score of 70% on the oral examination
in order to continue in the examination process. The oral examination
shall be graded on a scale of 100 points and shall involve grading
the applicants on how they handle situations relevant to police work.
After the oral examination, the applicant shall be informed of his/her
written score and his/her oral examination results, and passing candidates
will be advised of their overall score.
[Added 6-18-2003 by Ord. No. 3682]
When the Township requests the certification
of a list of eligible candidates for the position of police officer:
A.
The applicants selected shall submit to a preoffer
polygraph examination; and
B.
The Commission shall request the Superintendent of Police to have background investigations conducted on each applicant. The background investigation shall be in compliance with the standards mandated by the Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission. 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 allegations, charges and convictions will be investigated. The applicant will be interviewed directly when the information collected during the background investigation requires clarification or explanation. After the background investigation is completed, upon consultation with the Township Manager, the Superintendent, or his/her designee, shall make a written recommendation to the Commission on whether the applicant is appropriate for consideration for appointment as a police officer. Appropriateness of the applicant shall be based on the criteria set forth in § A164-25 above. The Commission shall make the final determination on whether the information collected during the background investigation warrants rejection of the candidate.
C.
The Township may object to the Commission as to one or more of the persons so certified for any of the reasons stated in § A164-25 above. Should such objections be sustained by the Commission and the name of the candidate be removed, the candidate shall have a right to a hearing before the Commission as is provided in § A164-26 above.
[Amended 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 3478; 6-18-2003 by Ord. No.
3682]
A.
After the appointing authority selects a candidate
from the eligible list for appointment to the vacant sworn position,
that applicant shall submit to a physical examination, a psychological
examination by the appropriate medical experts and a post-offer polygraph
examination.
B.
The appointment shall be contingent upon successfully
passing the physical and psychological examinations. Failure to pass
either of these examinations shall result in the applicant being rejected
from consideration.
C.
The Commission shall then certify another name to
be included with the two previously certified names for consideration
by the appointing authority pursuant to the appointment portion of
these rules and regulations.
D.
If the candidate is unable to take or to pass any
of these examinations due to a temporary physical disability, the
candidates' name shall be returned to the eligibility list by the
Commission for consideration when the next vacancy shall occur.
