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. In addition,
each applicant will undergo a physical agility test, a polygraph test
and a background investigation. These tests and investigation will
be graded on a pass/fail basis for every applicant. In order to proceed
to the next step in the hiring process, an applicant must have satisfied
the requirements for passing the previous step. Any applicant who
fails any pass/fail portion of the process or fails to obtain the
required minimum score and/or ranking on the oral or written examinations
shall be removed from further consideration in the hiring process.
After an applicant has been extended a conditional offer of employment,
final appointment shall be contingent upon the applicant successfully
passing a medical and psychological examination.
The examination for the position of Sergeant 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.
The Commission shall appoint a written examination administrator,
an oral examination administrator, a polygraph examiner, a physical
agility examiner, a medical examiner and a psychological examiner
to conduct the appropriate examination required by these rules. With
respect to any of the above administrators, the "administrator" may
consist of a committee of individuals.
The written examination shall be graded on a one-hundred-point
scale, and an applicant must score 70% or higher and receive one of
the top 25 highest scores, including ties, in order to pass and to
continue in the application process. Applicants scoring less than
70% or not receiving one of the top 25 highest scores shall be removed
from further consideration in the hiring process. Within 30 days after
the administration of the written examination, all applicants shall
be given written notice of their test results, and each passing applicant
shall be informed of the next step in the examination process.
Every applicant who scored 70% or higher and receives one of
the top 25 highest scores, including ties in the written examination,
and successfully passes the physical agility examination, shall be
given an oral examination that will be graded on a one-hundred-point
scale with a score of 70% or higher necessary to pass the oral examination.
The oral examination shall involve questioning applicants on how they
would handle situations relevant to police work. Within 30 days after
the applicants' oral examination, they shall be informed of their
oral examination and total overall scores, and each passing applicant
shall be informed of the next step in the examination process.
Pursuant to the Veterans' Preference Act,[1] any applicant for the position of police officer who qualifies as a "soldier" under this Act, shall receive an additional 10 points on top of their total score if that applicant had received passing scores under §§ 8-25, 8-28 and 8-29 and also passed the physical agility test, the polygraph examination and the background check required by these rules. Any applicant claiming veterans' preference is responsible for providing any and all relevant documents to the Commission.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 51 Pa.C.S.A. § 7101 et seq.
A.
Every applicant for the position of police officer shall fill out
a personal data questionnaire and undergo a polygraph examination.
The Commission shall furnish each polygraph 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 within five days after the date of the examination.
B.
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.
C.
If the examiner shall deem any of the applicant's responses
to be deceptive, the examiner must tell the applicant immediately
and give the applicant an opportunity to explain, deny or admit the
deception. If the applicant denies being deceptive or if the explanation
is found unsatisfactory by the examiner, the applicant will be given
the opportunity to retake the test with a second examiner. Notice
of the opportunity to retest shall be given, in writing, to the applicant.
The second examiner will not have access to the results of the first
test prior to readministering the polygraph. If the second examiner
finds no deception, the applicant will be considered as having passed
the polygraph. If the second examiner also finds the applicant deceptive,
the applicant will be considered as having failed the examination.
D.
An applicant who has failed both tests may appeal to the Civil Service
Commission for a third examination, and the decision to give the applicant
an opportunity to take a third test resides solely within the discretion
of the Commission. If the applicant is awarded an opportunity to take
a third test and passes, then the applicant will be considered as
having passed the polygraph test. If the applicant is found deceptive
on a third test, the applicant will be rejected.
An applicant for the position of police officer must successfully
complete a physical agility test which is approved by the Commission
utilizing any recommendation of the Borough's Chief of Police.
Such test shall be designed to test physical agility components involved
in the performance of the essential duties of a Borough police officer.
A.
The background investigation may be conducted on and restricted to
candidates on the eligibility list or those candidates to be certified
to Borough Council for possible appointment. The Commission shall
request the Chief of Police or the Chief's designee to conduct
a background investigation on each eligible applicant on the eligibility
list or to be certified to Borough Council for possible appointment.
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.
At a minimum, personal interviews shall be conducted with at least
three people that have personal knowledge of the applicant but who
are not related to the applicant and with the applicant's employer(s)
for the past five years. The background investigation shall also include
a criminal history check, including the submission of fingerprints
to the Central Repository for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The applicant's credit history
and record of criminal convictions shall also be investigated, as
well as the applicant's driving record for verification that he possesses
a valid driver's license. The applicant may be interviewed directly
when the information collected during the background investigation
requires clarification or explanation.
B.
If necessary to complete a thorough background investigation on any
applicant, the Commission may, upon the request of the Chief of Police
or his designee, subpoena the personnel records maintained by any
other police department(s) by which the applicant was previously employed.
C.
After the background investigation is completed, the Chief of Police, or 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 § 8-19 of these rules. This recommendation shall be in writing and, if the recommendation is to disqualify, then a 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 they have passed the background investigation.
