The Mayor of the City of Northfield, in accordance
with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118, shall appoint the Chief of Police and such
other officers as may be required, subject to the confirmation of
said appointments by the City Council. In accordance with its obligation
to have appointments based upon merit and fitness, the Council of
the City of Northfield will confirm only those officers who have successfully
taken and completed a promotional examination as herein set forth.
To qualify to sit for the promotional examination,
one must comply with the following eligibility requirements:
A. To sit for the Sergeant's examination, a candidate
shall:
(1) Have served as a patrolman of the City of Northfield
Police Department.
(2) Be a present member of the City of Northfield Police
Department.
(3) Have served as a full-time member of the City of Northfield
Police Department for at least three years continuously next preceding
the examination date.
(4) As an individual applicant, not have any more than
three upheld suspensions for the three years immediately preceding
the date of the promotional examination.
B. To be eligible to sit for examination for rank of
Lieutenant, Captain or Chief of Police, a candidate shall:
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
(1) Have served as a patrolman in the City of Northfield
Police Department.
(2) Be a present member of the City of Northfield Police
Department.
(3) Have served as a full-time member of the City of Northfield
Police Department for at least five years continuously next preceding
the examination date.
(4) Have held the rank of Sergeant or above in the City
of Northfield Police Department for at least two years, including
acting and permanent time, which must be continuous and uninterrupted,
next preceding the date of the written examination.
(5) As an individual applicant, not have any more than
three upheld suspensions for the three years immediately preceding
the date of the promotional examination.
Once determined to be eligible for promotion,
the following criteria will be utilized by the City to determine which
officer will be promoted. A maximum score of 100 points will be possible.
All tests and point allocation shall be prepared and administered
in accordance with the guidelines as set forth herein. The City of
Northfield reserves the right to choose one of the top three scoring
candidates.
A. Written test.
(1) The written test shall consist of law enforcement
material related to the rank being tested for as determined by the
Examination Committee. Each officer taking the written examination
must be given the exact same test.
(2) A maximum of 20 points shall be allocated according
to the following schedule:
|
Score
|
Number of Points
|
---|
|
95 to 100
|
20
|
|
90 to 94
|
17
|
|
85 to 89
|
14
|
|
80 to 84
|
11
|
|
75 to 79
|
8
|
|
70 to 74
|
5
|
|
Below
|
|
B. Oral test.
(1) The oral test shall consist of 10 questions prepared
by the Examination Committee just prior to the time of the test. Questions
must be related to the law enforcement profession and for the rank
being tested for as determined by the Examination Committee. Each
officer taking the oral examination must be asked exactly the same
questions.
(2) A maximum of 20 points shall be allocated according
to the following schedule:
|
Score
|
Number of Points
|
---|
|
95 to 100
|
20
|
|
90 to 94
|
17
|
|
85 to 89
|
14
|
|
80 to 84
|
11
|
|
75 to 79
|
8
|
|
70 to 74
|
5
|
|
Below
|
|
C. Job performance.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
(1) Evaluations shall be in the following two areas of officer performance (as noted in Police Policy and Procedures) and shall be conducted in accordance with §
61-26F):
(a)
The officer's demonstrated leadership and responsibility.
(b)
The officer's demonstrated job knowledge.
(2) These are the two areas to be considered in evaluating
the officer's performance.
(3) A total of 20 points to be allocated for job performance
may range from zero to 20 points. The evaluations, as explained in
this section, are not bound to the following breakdown, but, rather,
this is presented merely as a guide:
|
Evaluation
|
Number of Points
|
---|
|
Excellent
|
20
|
|
Good
|
15
|
|
Fair
|
10
|
|
Needs improvement
|
5
|
|
Poor
|
|
D. Seniority.
(1) Credit will be given for each year of completed full-time
police service as a police officer with the City of Northfield Police
Department.
(2) A maximum of 20 points will be allocated, with one
point given for each year of service.
E. College achievement. For obtaining the advantages
of a higher education from an accredited college or university, a
maximum of 10 points shall be allocated, according to the following
schedule:
|
Number of Credited Hours/Degree
|
Number of Points
|
---|
|
32
|
2
|
|
64/Associate's
|
4
|
|
96
|
6
|
|
128/Bachelor's
|
8
|
|
160/Master's
|
10
|
F. Personal interview.
(1) Each eligible candidate will be interviewed by the
Mayor, the City Administrator and the Chief of Police. Considerations
under this criteria shall include at least the following:
(a)
Performance by the candidate in the oral interview.
(b)
Leadership abilities of the applicant.
(c)
Decisionmaking abilities of the applicant.
(2) A maximum of 10 points will be allocated for the personal
interview based upon the aforementioned criteria.
(3) In the event the examination is for the Chief of Police, each eligible
candidate will be interviewed by the Mayor, City Administrator and
Council President.
[Added 9-13-2016 by Ord.
No. 11-2016]
All tests shall be conducted in accordance with
the following rules and regulations:
A. Promotion tests will be conducted on weekdays between
the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., preferably at a municipally
owned building.
B. A notice of the test must be posted on the Police
Department bulletin board for at least 30 days prior to the test date.
C. Any officer who is eligible and wants to take the
test must notify the Chief and Mayor in writing at least seven days
prior to the date of the test. If the examination is for the Chief
of Police, any officer who is eligible and wants to take the test
must notify the Mayor in writing at least seven days prior to the
date of the test.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
D. Any officer scheduled to take a promotional test may
be excused from duty for 24 hours prior to the time of the test without
pay or compensatory time.
E. All employees who take the test will be allowed to
see their own tests and the grades received after the official results
are announced and posted and within 14 days of such posting.
F. Job performance evaluations will be completed by the
Chief. Evaluations will be compiled on the supervisor rating form
designed for evaluating police officers in determining point allocation.
The Chief will base his evaluations of officers by generally acceptable
police standards and comparison among other officers taking the promotional
examination. Standardly accepted evaluation techniques, i.e., ranking,
paired comparisons, etc., shall be used in evaluating officers. If
the examination is for the Chief of Police, the evaluation shall be
done by the Mayor using similar forms and standards as described herein.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
G. The written and oral test will be given by an impartial
Examination Committee. It is the full responsibility of the Examination
Committee to determine the content and confidentiality of the examination
with the guidelines as provided for by these procedures.
H. At least two Chiefs or examiners will be required
to administer the written and oral tests. No one conducting the testing
may reside or be employed in Atlantic County or have any personal
knowledge of any of the candidates taking the examinations.
I. Scoring and grading of the written and oral test results
will be completed by the Examination Committee.
J. The Examination Committee will forward the test results
and the grades received for the written and oral tests by sealed envelope
to the Chief and Mayor within five working days of the completion
of the examinations. If the examination is for the Chief of Police,
the test results shall be sent to the Mayor.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
K. The Mayor, along with the Chief, the City Administrator
and a Police Committee representative, will take the test results
which were forwarded by the Examination Committee and compute, according
to the point schedule established in these procedures, all points
earned in the written and oral portions. They will add those points
due each officer according to the schedule for job performance, seniority
and college achievement and personal interview. The complete total
of accumulated points will be the officer's score for promotional
purposes. Officers must receive a minimum score of 50 total accumulated
points to be considered for promotion. If the examination is for the
Chief of Police, then the Mayor, City Administrator and Police Committee
Representative will execute the process set forth above.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
L. The Chief and Mayor shall have the responsibility
of selecting the officer to be promoted from among the three top-scoring
candidates. In the event that the Chief and Mayor cannot agree on
the selection as indicated above, then a committee consisting of the
Mayor, Chief, City Administrator and the Council members of the Police
Committee shall make the selection of the officer to be promoted.
If the examination is for the Chief of Police, then the Mayor and
the Council President shall have the responsibility of selecting the
officer to be promoted from among the top-scoring candidates. If the
Mayor and Council President cannot agree, then a committee consisting
of the Mayor, Council President, City Administrator and Council members
of the Police Committee shall make the selection of the officer to
be promoted.
[Amended 9-13-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
M. All test results will remain effective for a period
of three years. Therefore, if any additional promotions are made within
that three-year period of time, said promotions shall be made from
the next top three individuals on the promotional list.
Promotions to positions on the Police Department
and force shall be based upon merit as determined by suitable promotion
tests for such positions; provided, however, that a resident shall
be appointed rather than a nonresident thereof in any instance in
which the resident and nonresident achieved the same final average
score in such test.