[Amended 2-4-2003 by Ord. No. 767, approved 2-4-2003; 2-21-2006 by Ord. No. 801, approved 2-21-2006; 10-2-2007 by Ord. No. 07-817, approved 10-2-2007; 3-4-2008 by Ord. No. 828, approved 3-4-2008; 12-16-2008 by Ord. No. 835, approved 12-16-2008; 5-23-2019 by Ord. No. 931, approved 5-23-2019; 1-3-2022 by Ord. No. 957, approved 1-3-2022; 2-6-2024 by Ord. No. 967, approved 2-6-2024]
A. 
The examination for police officer will consist of a written and an oral examination, which will be graded on a 100-point scale, with the written examination representing 70% of the final score and the oral examination representing 30% of the final score, which written examination may be administered by the South Central Regional Testing Consortium, the Cumberland County Chiefs of Police Association, or other similar pooled testing service as the Commission may designate from time to time. In addition, each applicant will undergo a physical fitness test. A background investigation to include a polygraph or computer voice stress analyzer (CVSA) examination will be conducted after the creation of an eligibility list. This test and investigation will be graded on a pass/fail basis for every applicant. After an applicant has been extended an offer of probationary employment by Shippensburg Borough, final appointment shall be contingent upon the applicant passing medical and psychological exams.
B. 
The polygraph or CVSA examination shall be conducted for the limited purpose to assist the performance of the background investigation on each qualifying applicant eligible for certification. The procedures for conducting the polygraph or CVSA examination are as follows:
(1) 
Every applicant for the position of police officer shall fill out a personal data questionnaire and undergo a polygraph or CVSA examination. The Commission or Commission designee shall furnish each polygraph or CVSA examiner with forms upon which the examiner shall state whether any of the applicant's responses to questions from the applicant's personal data questionnaire are deceptive. The report on each examination shall be submitted to the Commission or Commission designee within five days after the date of the examination.
(2) 
The examiner shall ask questions based on the information contained in the personal data questionnaire. Before administering the test, the examiner shall ask each applicant whether there is any more information related to the personal data questionnaire which the applicant would like to provide. There shall also be a post-test review, during which the examiner shall again ask the participant, if deception is indicated, whether there is any information which the applicant is withholding.
(3) 
If the examiner shall deem any of the applicant's relevant responses to be deceptive, the examiner must tell the applicant. The applicant will have an opportunity to explain, deny or admit the deception.
The examination for the positions of corporal, sergeant, lieutenant and captain shall include a written and an oral examination which will be graded on a one-hundred-point scale, with the written examination representing 70% of the final score and the oral examination representing 30% of the final score. After an applicant has been extended an offer of promotion, the final appointment to the promotional position shall be contingent upon the applicant passing a medical and psychological examination.
The Commission or Commission designee shall appoint a written examination administrator, an oral examination administrator, a physical fitness examiner, a medical examiner, a psychological examiner and a polygraph examiner to conduct the appropriate examinations required by these rules and regulations.
Applicants for the position of police officer must demonstrate a fitness level that would allow them to perform the essential job functions of a police officer. Applicants must take and pass a physical agility test (which is job-related and appropriate for the Department), which may be administered by the South Central Regional Testing Consortium. The physical fitness testing will be administered first in the process of hiring a police officer.
Every applicant who passes the physical fitness test shall be given a written examination. The written examination shall be graded on a 100-point scale, and an applicant must score 70% or higher in order to continue in the application process. Any applicant scoring less than 70% shall be rejected. The applicant shall be given written notice of his or her test results within 30 days after the administration of the written examination, and any passing applicants shall be scheduled for an oral examination appointment.
Every applicant who scored 70% or higher in the written examination shall be given an oral examination with a score of 70% or higher necessary for passing. The oral examination shall involve questioning the applicant on how he or she would handle situations relevant to police work. Within 30 days after the applicant's oral examination, he or she shall be informed of the score of his or her oral examination and total overall score.
A. 
Pursuant to the Veterans Preference Act,[1] any applicant for the position of probationary police officer who qualifies as a soldier under said Act shall receive an additional 10 points on top of their total score if the applicant had received passing scores under §§ 9-25, 9-29 and 9-30.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 51 Pa.C.S.A. § 7101 et seq.
B. 
Any applicant for the position of probationary police officer may receive an additional point on top of their total score if the applicant had received passing scores under §§ 9-25, 9-29 and 9-30 for each year of full-time law enforcement experience. Applicant may not receive more than five points.
C. 
Any applicant for the position of probationary police officer shall receive an additional five points on top of their total score if the applicant has a current Act 120 certification or waiver.
A. 
At the completion of the examination requirements set forth in this article, written examination, oral examination, and physical fitness test, the Commission shall rank all passing applicants for police officer 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. Applicants who qualify for preference points shall have those points added to their passing score prior to being ranked on the eligibility list. The Commission shall post in its office the eligibility list containing the names and grades of those who have passed the examination.
B. 
For promotional positions, fulfilling the performance requirement set forth in § 9-20 is also required. In the case of tied scores, the tie will be broken by giving preference to the applicant who submitted a final completed application first. If both tied applicants submitted their complete applications on the same day, then the applicants shall be ranked in alphabetical order by surname.
C. 
The eligibility list shall be valid for one year from the date the Commission ranks all passing applicants, assigns preference points and formally adopts the eligibility list. The Commission may, at its sole discretion, by a vote of the majority of the Commission at a duly authorized Commission meeting, extend the list for an additional year. The Commission may, at its sole discretion, void an eligibility list at any time for any reason.
A. 
A background investigation will be conducted after the creation of an eligibility list. The Commission or Commission designee shall request a background examiner to conduct a background investigation on applicants as determined. The background investigation examinations of an applicant may include personal background, including family, education, military, and employment history, character references and personal associates, credit history and record of criminal convictions. The applicant may be interviewed directly when the information collected during the background investigation requires classification or explanation.
(1) 
Applicants may be disqualified and background stopped for any of the following reasons: The applicant is found to lack any of the minimum qualifications for examination prescribed in these rules and regulations, is physically unfit for the performance of the duties of the position to which the applicant seeks employment; is illegally using a controlled substance, as defined in Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 802), who has been guilty of any crime involving moral turpitude, or of infamous or notoriously disgraceful conduct, 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.
B. 
After the background investigation is completed successfully, the Chief or designee shall make a written recommendation to the Commission on whether the applicant is appropriate for consideration for appointment as a police officer.
C. 
Appropriateness of the applicant shall be based on the criteria set forth in § 9-21 of these rules and regulations. This recommendation shall be in writing, and if the recommendation is to disqualify, then a detailed written explanation of the reasons for disqualification must be included. The Commission shall make the final determination on whether the information collected during the background investigation warrants rejection of the candidate. Within 30 days after the Commission considers the recommendation of the Chief of Police or designee, each applicant will be informed of whether he or she has passed the background investigation.
D. 
The background investigation shall also determine whether the applicant has current Act 120 training.