Becoming a Police Officer
SHARON POLICE DEPARTMENT
GAP114
PERSONNEL SELECTION FOR POLICE OFFICER
APPROVED: TILDEN KAUFMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
DATE: MAY 2, 2016
Reviewed 04/01/2017
BACKGROUND
In 1933, Sharon’s Town Meeting (Article 16) initiated the action to place the Sharon Police Department under the civil service system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Subsequently, police officers hired by the Town of Sharon were taken from certified lists provided by civil service. At the Annual Town Meeting of April 13, 1976, Article 40 was presented, “Selectmen to petition General Court to enact an act to exempt the Police Department from Civil Service”. At the Annual Town Election of April 5, 1977 Question 1 stated, “An act providing future members of the police force of the Town of Sharon shall be exempt from the Civil Service Law.” Results were: yes – 1616; No – 812; and blank – 230. At the Annual Town Meeting of May 9, 1989, Article 25 was presented, “Town authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court to adopt: An act making the police force of the Town of Sharon subject to the provisions of Civil Service law. On May 2, 2016 Town Meeting approved the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court to remove the police force of the Town of Sharon from the provisions of Civil Service law. Effective May 15, 2016 the recruitment, testing, and selection of suitable candidates for appointment as police officers is the responsibility of the Chief of Police. Oversight of the process will be provided by the Town Administrator. Selected candidates will be recommended to the Board of Selectmen, who is the appointing authority.
The civil service system was originally designed to protect the police hiring system from manipulation and undue influence while taking into account such factors as residential and veteran’s preferences. Without such a system in place, and in the interests of attracting and selecting only the best candidates as police officers, it becomes imperative that public officials and members of the Department strictly ascribe to a set of standard protocols. The Department shall continue to honor such historical preferences as residency and service in the military and no candidate shall be recommended by the Chief of Police for appointment, or appointed by the Board of Selectmen, unless the candidate has been processed according to this policy.
POLICY:
The Sharon Police Department will select new police officers according to the procedures set out below. All members of the Department assigned to the recruitment, testing, investigation, and selection of new police officers shall commit themselves to hiring only the finest candidates, and to furthering the Department’s standards of excellence.
All components of the selection process will be valid, have utility, and have a minimum of adverse impact on the Department and its officers. It shall be the responsibility of the Chief of Police to minimize any adverse impact in relation to the hiring process.
The Department will strive to attract candidates from diverse backgrounds and cultures, and will give priority to residency in the Town of Sharon, military service, education, character, and public service in the selection of new officers.
PROCEDURE:
The Chief of Police is responsible for the selection of police officer candidates for recommendation to the Town Administrator and subsequent presentation to the Board of Selectmen as the Appointing Authority. The Chief will designate a police officer of command rank to serve as the Selection Coordinator, who will be responsible for overseeing the entire selection process.
The Selection Process
The elements of the selection process are listed below and it will be the responsibility of the Selection Coordinator to ensure that they are administered, scored, evaluated, and interpreted in a uniform manner.
The Sharon Police Department will conduct a recruiting campaign prior to administering an entrance examination. Information about the exam, including its date, time, and location, along with information about how one would go about applying to take it, will be disseminated to the community via the media, social media and the News File maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services.
The Sharon Police Department will select a vendor to administer the entrance examination to qualified candidates. An exam will be held every two years. In order to take the examination, the candidates must meet the following minimum criteria:
Not be a convicted felon;
Be at least 21 years of age at the time of examination;
Preferred to possess an Associate’s Degree, or be an active member of the military or honorably discharged;
Have a Massachusetts driver’s license;
Have the ability to obtain a Massachusetts License to Carry a Firearm;
The passing grade of the examination will be 70.
Candidates who pass the examination, or who fall in one of the excepted categories in h. below, will be considered for further processing based on the criteria below (not necessarily in any order of importance):
Education
Military Service
Paramedic or EMT certification
Second language proficiency
Residency within the Town of Sharon
Prior public service
Prior law enforcement experience
The following are excepted categories in which the applicant is not required to to take the entrance examination:
A full-time law enforcement officer from any U.S. law enforcement agency with a minimum of two years full time experience in his/her agency may apply to join the Department as a lateral transfer.
A former Sharon police officer, who separated from the Department in good standing, may apply to rejoin the Department as a reinstatement.
The top tier of desirable candidates shall be checked for Massachusetts and interstate criminal history, and a driver’s history. If the checks do not reveal any issues a minimum of fifteen candidates will move to the second step in the process and participate in a preliminary interview.
Preliminary interviews will be conducted to determine which candidates will move forward in the interview process. A preliminary interview panel consisting of the Chief, Selection Coordinator, a superior officer, a patrolman mutually agreed upon between the Chief and the Patrolman’s Union, and any other officers as the Chief sees fit will conduct preliminary interviews.
When a candidate indicates he/she is willing to accept the position, he/she will be informed of the remaining elements of the selection process and the expected duration. .
Candidates selected for further consideration must submit a completed background investigation packet, sign an Authorization for Release of Information Form, and produce any required documentation (e.g. Massachusetts driver’s license, high school diploma, military record, etc.).
Omissions or deficiencies in the submission of information may be used to disqualify a candidate. However, minor omissions or deficiencies on the form may be corrected prior to the interview process as long as there is not a finding that there was an intent to withhold information.
Candidates failing to complete the application or produce the required documentation within the required time frame will be disqualified from the selection process.
No applicant will continue to the next step in the process until he/she has successfully completed the previous step.
An applicant who fails to pass at any step will be notified in writing as soon as possible.
All candidates will be required to submit to a drug and alcohol screen during the application process.
A thorough investigation of each candidate will be conducted. The investigation will include, at a minimum, the verification of a candidate’s qualifying credentials, a criminal history records check, Registry of Motor Vehicles checks, an employment history check, verification of at least five (5) personal references of the candidate, and interviews with previous employers, coworkers, and current and past neighbors.
The Chief of Police will select police officers to participate in the screening process as background investigators. These officers will be responsible for conducting background investigations and submitting written reports on all applicants. Once selected, the officers will receive training on the duties and responsibilities of a background investigator.
Oral interviews will be conducted with the selected candidates who successfully pass the background investigation. The interview panel will consist of the Town Administrator, the Chief of Police, the Selection Coordinator, two command level police officers selected by the Chief of Police, representative from Local 166, and a representative from the Personnel Board.
The same general questions will be asked of each candidate and their responses will be rated and recorded on a standardized form.
Candidates may also be asked specific questions based on the information that was obtained during the background investigation or the oral interview.
A conditional offer of employment may be offered by the Town Administrator if the candidate successfully passes the employment screening and interview process.
All candidates who accept a conditional offer of employment will undergo a psychological evaluation. The evaluation will be conducted in two (2) phases: a written test/evaluation and a clinical evaluation. .
A licensed psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct the psychological screening and the psychologist/psychiatrist will maintain any and all records or materials utilized or generated during the process for the Sharon Police Department. A summary recommendation will be prepared for the Department. This report will be kept separate from the candidates personnel file.
A physical examination will be conducted by a licensed physician. Medical records will be maintained and secured in a file separate from the the personnel file.
Prior to being accepted to a basic recruit academy, candidates must successfully complete the Physical Abilities Test (PAT), administered by the Massachusetts Human Resources Division. The PAT consists of events that require candidates to perform simulations of activities that are part of a police officer’s job.
The probationary period for a student police officers is one (1) year following successful completion of a Municipal Police Training Committee certified Academy.
The Selection Coordinator will be responsible for the maintenance and security of the records and selection materials of all applicants. Access to all selection records will be limited to the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief or designated Lieutenant, the Selection Coordinator and the officers assigned as background investigators. Records pertaining to applicants hired will be retained indefinitely. Records of unsuccessful candidates will be retained (in a secured area) as long as required by state law and regulations, and until all rights of appeal have been exhausted, but not less than 10 years. Records will be shredded when destroyed.
The Selection Coordinator will ensure that the Department’s selection process for sworn entry-level positions complies with all current and applicable laws, rules, and regulations. To accomplish this the Selection Coordinator will:
Keep abreast of all changes in Massachusetts General Law, and the policies, rules, and procedures of the Department.
Evaluate and review with the Chief of Police, all elements of the selection process administered by the Department for adverse impact;
Offer recommendations for change or improvement to the Chief of Police; and
Revise and update this policy as needed.