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 at
the location so designated by the Commission. Completed applications
received by the Commission or entity designated by the Commission
and at the designated location prior to the deadline stated by the
Commission shall be considered the same as being received by the Commission.
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.
A.
The Borough of West Conshohocken is an equal opportunity employer.
It is the Borough of West Conshohocken's 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 Borough of West Conshohocken and
the Commission will provide equal opportunities in employment and
promotion.
B.
No question in any form of application for examination or in any
examination shall be so framed as to elicit information concerning
the political or religious opinions or affiliations of any applicant,
nor shall inquiry be made concerning the opinion or affiliations and
all disclosures of opinion or affiliation shall be ignored.
C.
No discrimination shall be exercised, threatened or promised by any
person against or in favor of any applicant or employee because of
political or religious opinions or affiliations or race, and no offer
or promise or reward, favor or benefit, directly or indirectly, shall
be made to or received by any person for any act done or duty omitted
or to be done under these rules.
Application forms shall be available to all interested persons
from the office of the Borough Manager and from such other offices
and officers that the Commission, from time to time, may choose to
designate, including but not limited to the Montgomery County Consortium
of Communities. 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.
All applicants must have reached their 21st birthday before
the deadline for submitting completed applications. Residency in the
Borough of West Conshohocken is not required to apply for a position
nor as a condition of employment.
A.
Every applicant for any position in the Police Department shall:
(1)
Be at least 21 years of age by the date applications are due;
(2)
Be a United States citizen;
(3)
Be physically and mentally fit to perform the full duties of a police
officer;
(4)
Have successfully completed Act 120 training prior to application;
(5)
Possess a valid motor vehicle driver's license prior to appointment;
and
(6)
Possess a diploma from a high school accredited by an educational
accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education,
or possess a graduate equivalency diploma.
B.
In addition to meeting all of the above criteria, every applicant
shall meet at least one of the following educational or experiential
criteria:
A.
In addition to meeting the qualifications in § 8-19 above, all applicants for a promotional position, except for the position of 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 shall be disregarded unless the appeal is resolved prior to the creation of the eligibility list.
B.
All applicants, except applicants for the position of Chief of Police,
shall have continuous prior service with the Police Department of
the Borough of West Conshohocken as follows:
(1)
An applicant for the position of Sergeant shall have completed at
least five years experience as a police officer within the Police
Department and, if originally hired on or after January 1, 2010, shall
possess a minimum of 60 semester credits from a college or university
recognized by the United States Department of Education as being accredited.
(2)
An applicant for the position of Sergeant shall have completed at
least eight years experience as a police officer within the Police
Department if originally hired on or before December 31, 2009.
The Commission may refuse to examine, or, if examined, may refuse
to certify after examination as eligible, any applicant who is found
to lack any of the minimum qualifications for examination prescribed
in the rules and regulations adopted for the position or employment
for which he has applied, or who is physically unfit for the performance
of the duties of the position to which he seeks employment, 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),
or 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 of 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 Pennsylvania.
Applications for positions in the Police Department shall be
received at the Borough Hall of West Conshohocken or by the Montgomery
County Consortium of Communities or other location designated by the
Commission 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 individual designated in the public advertisement
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, 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.
If any applicant is aggrieved by the refusal of the Commission
to certify the applicant as eligible after examination, or a person
is aggrieved by refusal of the Commission to examine the person, the
Commission shall, at the request of the applicant or person aggrieved,
within 10 days, appoint a time and place for a public hearing. At
the hearing, the applicant or person aggrieved may appear with or
without counsel, and the Commission shall take testimony and review
its refusal to provide examination or certification. The deliberations
of the Commission, including interim rulings on evidentiary or procedural
issues, may be held in the nature of a closed executive session. The
Commission's disposition of the matter shall constitute official
action which shall occur at a public meeting held pursuant to 65 Pa.C.S.A.
Ch. 7 (relating to open meetings). The decision of the Commission
shall be final.
The Commission shall conspicuously post in the Borough Hall
of West Conshohocken 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.
