#63027 POLICE OFFICER/DEPUTY SHERIFF

Ulster County Personnel Department

Civil Service Examination Announcement

FILING FEE $40.00

#63027 POLICE OFFICER/DEPUTY SHERIFF

OPEN-COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION

LAST DATE FOR FILING APPLICATIONS:  October 14, 2009

EXAMINATION DATE:  November 14, 2009

Note:  Applications bearing an original signature must be received or postmarked no later than October 14, 2009.  Applications received or postmarked after October 14, 2009 will NOT be accepted.

APPLICANTS MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:  ULSTER, COLUMBIA, DELAWARE, DUTCHESS, GREENE , ORANGE, AND SULLIVAN .

Appointments from the resulting Eligible List will be made, if applicable, in accordance with Public Officer's Law Section 3.2, which concerns residency limitations for Police Officer candidates.  Not all of the above residents are eligible for appointment in every local jurisdiction.

Preference may be given to Ulster County residents for Deputy Sheriff positions.

Note:  If you indicate a Post Office box number on your application, you MUST also indicate your legal residence.

The eligible list established as a result of this examination will be used where appropriate to fill full-time and part-time vacancies as they occur for Deputy Sheriff positions in the Ulster County Sheriff's Department, and for Police Officer positions in the Towns and Villages in Ulster County. Vacancies are expected to occur from time to time.

SALARY:  The starting salary for Deputy Sheriff is currently listed at $19.13 per hour.

                 The starting salary for Police Officer varies by location.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Graduation from high-school or possession of an equivalency diploma AND EITHER:

A.      Completion of sixty (60) credit hours at a regionally accredited or New York State registered College or University; OR

B.      Completion of thirty (30) credit hours at a regionally accredited or New York State registered College or University; AND

1.       One (1) year of active military service with an honorable discharge; OR

2.       The equivalent of one (1) year of full time work experience in a criminal justice field, for example police officer, correction officer, police dispatcher, investigator or licensed security guard; OR

C.      Four (4) years of satisfactory, full-time work experience or it’s pro-rated part-time equivalent in any field of employment; OR

D.  An equivalent amount of training and experience as defined by the limits of A, B and C above.

Special Requirements:

1.       United States Citizenship is required at time of appointment.

2.       Possession of a valid New York State Driver's license is required at time of appointment.

Notes:

1.       Successful completion of Police-related training programs, such as Police training offered by a BOCES or the Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) course, may count towards meeting the credit requirements above, if the candidate obtains college credits for the courses through a regionally-accredited or New York State recognized college or university.

2.       Candidates may qualify for part-time appointments with two (2) years of full-time permanent competitive class status as a Police Officer or Deputy Sheriff in New York State, or as a member of the New York State Police or New York City Police.

3.   There are various laws, rules and regulations governing appointments to the title of Police Officer in areas such
      as, but not limited to: age, height, weight, physical fitness, and training. To be appointed, candidates must meet
      all established requirements applicable to specific positions at the time of appointment.

Special Requirements:

Age:  Candidates must be at least 19 years of age on or before November 14, 2009 to be admitted to the written test. Eligibility for appointment as a police officer begins when the candidate reaches age 20. Candidates who reach their 35th birthday on or before the date of the written examination are not qualified except as follows.* Candidates may have a period of military duty or terminal leave up to six years, as defined in Section 243 (10-a) of the Military Law, deducted from their age for the purpose of meeting the age requirement. YOUR DATE OF BIRTH IS REQUIRED ON YOUR APPLICATION.

*Section 58.1(a) requires that applicants not be "more than thirty-five years of age as of the date when the applicant takes the written examination…" Candidates who may be impacted by the maximum age requirement and who are requesting an alternate test date (for active military duty, Sabbath observance or for an alternate test date situation which meets the conditions of the agency's alternate test date policy) are advised to contact the Ulster County Personnel Department to discuss their request.

Citizenship: United States Citizenship is required at time of appointment. It is not necessary for admission to the examination.

Driver's License: Candidates must possess a valid New York State Operator's License at time of appointment.

NOTE: Conviction of a felony will bar appointment, and conviction of a misdemeanor or other offense may bar appointment. A background check will be completed for all candidates prior to appointment.

Medical and Physical Fitness Tests:  Applicants who successfully pass the written examination and a physical fitness test who are conditionally offered employment, will be required to participate in a medical fitness test.  The medical and physical fitness standards are those established for police officers by the New York State Municipal Police Training Council, Division of Criminal Justice Services.   Candidates are responsible for all fees associated with Medical and Physical Fitness Tests.

Substance Abuse Testing:  All candidates for Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff will be substance abuse tested prior to appointment at the time of the medical fitness test. Evidence of substance abuse or refusal to submit to a urinalysis shall result in disqualification from appointment.  Candidates are responsible for all fees associated with Substance Abuse Testing.

ANTICIPATED ELIGIBILITY (FOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATION ‘A’ ONLY):

If you expect to complete the educational requirement within six months of the date of examination, you may apply.  If successful on the examination, you will not be certified for appointment until you have submitted proof of completion of the requirements to the Ulster County Personnel Department.

WHERE COLLEGE IS A REQUIREMENT, YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO SUBMIT COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30, 2009 OR YOU WILL BE UNCONDITIONALLY DISQUALIFIED.  IF COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS ARE ALREADY ON FILE WITH OUR OFFICE, INDICATE THIS ON YOUR APPLICATION.  ONCE SUBMITTED, COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS WILL BE HELD ON FILE IN OUR OFFICE FOR A PERIOD OF TEN YEARS. TRANSCRIPTS NEED NOT BE OFFICIAL COPIES; HOWEVER, THEY MUST CONTAIN ALL INFORMATION NECESSARY TO QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS POSITION.

NOTE:  If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

APPLICATION REVIEW TOLERANCE POLICY

For the purposes of this policy, "tolerance" shall mean the leeway given regarding work experience when reviewing an application. Applicants lacking a small amount of work experience when applying for promotional or open-competitive examinations may qualify under the following conditions:

1) Candidates will be given a maximum tolerance of one (1) month.

2)       Tolerance will be given only when the minimum qualification requires one or more years of work experience.

3)       Tolerance Policy does not apply to education or licensure/certification requirements. (See particular examination announcement for "Anticipated Eligibility" information).

4)       Tolerance Policy does not apply where required work experience is set forth by law or rules.

5)       Tolerance Policy does not apply to enable applicants to meet residence requirements.

For more information regarding Tolerance Policy, please contact our office at (845) 340-3550.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: The work involves responsibility for the enforcement of laws, ordinances and the protection of lives and property in an assigned area of the county during a specific period.  The work consists primarily of routine patrol tasks, the investigation of criminal offenses and the apprehension of criminal offenders.  Work is performed under the direct supervision of a higher-ranking officer whether performing patrol duties or on special assignment, with leeway allowed for the exercise of sound judgement in emergencies and when the direction or guidance of a higher-ranking officer is unavailable.  Supervision over the work others is not normally a function of      this position, however, advisory supervision over the work of less experienced personnel may be required on occasion.  Does related work as required.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION:

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. Only your score on the written test will be considered when computing your final score. In addition, candidates must meet the physical fitness and medical standards prescribed by the Municipal Police Training Council.  Candidates must pass the written test in order to be scheduled for the qualifying physical fitness test.

WRITTEN TEST:

A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the following areas:

  1. Applying written information (rules, regulations, policies, procedures, directives, etc.) in police situations

These questions test for the ability to apply written rules in given situations similar to those typically experienced by police officers.

  1. Memory for facts and information

These questions test for the ability to remember facts and information presented in written form. You will be given 5 minutes to read and study the information in the Memory Booklet. After the 5-minute period, the Memory Booklet will be taken away. You will then be required to answer questions about the material that was presented in the Memory Booklet.

  1. Reading, understanding and interpreting written information

These questions test for the ability to read, understand, and interpret the kinds of written information that police officers are required to read during their formal training period and on the job.

  1. Preparing written material in a police setting

These questions test for the ability to prepare the types of reports that police officers write. You will be presented with a page of notes followed by several questions. Each question will consist of four restatements of the information given in the notes. From each set of four, you must choose the version that presents the information most clearly and accurately.

The rating key for this examination will be established by the New York State Civil Service Commission prior to the date of the test, upon recommendation of a committee of police experts who will review all the questions for appropriateness and the key answers for correctness. There will be no review of the questions by candidates. This committee was selected with the assistance and endorsement of the Police Conference of New York, Inc., the New York State Association of PBA's, Inc., and the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  THE USE OF CALCULATORS/SLIDE RULES IS PROHIBITED  IN THIS EXAMINATION.

QUALIFYING PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST

The three elements measured in the qualifying physical fitness test are muscular endurance, absolute strength and cardiovascular capacity. The following is a brief description of the physical fitness test.

Muscular Endurance – The requirement is for a number of bent-leg sit-ups to be performed in one minute.

Push Up – This test measures muscular endurance of the upper body (anterior deltoid, pectoralis major and triceps). The requirement is for a number of full body repetitions that a candidate must complete without breaks.

Cardiovascular Activity – 1.5 mile run; the requirement is for the attainment of a score calculated in minutes and seconds.

The Municipal Police Training Council adopted the physical fitness-screening test based on the model formulated by the Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research. The minimum passing scores, depending on age and sex, represent the fortieth (40th) percentile of physical fitness as established by the Cooper Institute. Failure on a part of qualifying test will remove your name from further consideration for appointment. Please note: Candidates may cancel or defer their physical fitness test a maximum of three times. Canceling or deferring beyond three times will result in candidates name being removed from future consideration for appointment.

Copies of the physical fitness and medical standards are available upon request from the Ulster County Personnel Department.

A Guide to Taking the Examination for Entry-Level Police Officer Series is available at the Ulster County Personnel Department or at the New York State Department of Civil Service web site: http://www.cs.state.ny.us/testing/localtestguides.cfm. A copy of this guide may be obtained in person at the Ulster County Office Building, Personnel Department, 244 Fair Street – 5th Floor, PO Box 1800, Kingston, NY  12402-1800. OR; Call (845)340-3550 or write to the Ulster County Personnel Department at the above address.

*FEES*:  Send your check or money order for forty dollars ($40.00) (made payable to COUNTY OF ULSTER) with your application.  Please include the examination number, title, and applicant’s name on your check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH.  NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED, therefore, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the qualifications for admission and apply only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.

EXCEPTION TO FEE REQUIREMENT:  An exception to the processing fee will be made for persons receiving Supplemental Social Security payments or public assistance (Safety Net Assistance or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), provided Foster Care or certified Workforce Investment Act of 1998 eligible through a state or local social service agency, and for those who are currently unemployed.  Individuals wishing to claim this waiver of fee on the basis of Supplemental Social Security, Safety Net Assistance or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, must certify on their application, under number 20 Remarks, that they are receiving public assistance and must indicate the type of assistance they are receiving, the agency providing the assistance and their case numbers. Persons claiming this waiver through Foster Care or Workforce Investment Act of 1998 Certification must specify the program and name of their contact agency. Persons claiming this waiver, who are currently unemployed must certify on their application, under number 20 Remarks, that they are currently unemployed and must provide documentation that they are receiving unemployment benefits or other unemployment documentation deemed appropriate by the Ulster County Personnel Officer.Such claims are subject to later verification and, if not supported by appropriate documentation, are grounds for barring appointment.

Applications may be obtained at the Ulster County Office Building, Personnel Department, 244 Fair Street ‑ 5th Floor, P.O. Box 1800, Kingston, NY 12402‑1800 OR by mail (INCLUDE A STAMPED SELF‑ADDRESSED, LEGAL‑ SIZE ENVELOPE) OR from our website at: http://ulstercountyny.gov/personnel/index.html.  Applications must be received by the Ulster County Personnel Department or postmarked no later than the ‘LAST DATE FOR FILING APPLICATIONS’ stated on page one of this announcement.

For those applications submitted in person on the last file date, please submit no later than 4:30 PM. All applications must be in our office no later than 5:00 PM on the last file date. Applications postmarked by the last file date will also be accepted.

This examination is being prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23‑2 of the Civil Service Law.  The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations dealing with the rating of examinations will apply to this test.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION POLICY:  In accordance with Ulster County Local Law Number 14 of 2007, a criminal background check (including fingerprinting) will be initiated by the Ulster County Personnel Department upon initial employment or re-hire to Ulster County positions, and conducted by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the New York State Office of Court Administration, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Verification Information System (IMAGE Program), or any law enforcement agency.

SPECIAL NOTE:  All public agencies are required by law to provide full and equal opportunities for minorities, women and to people with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to compete without regard to race, creed or national origin. Applicants requesting special testing arrangements as a Saturday Sabbath Observer, alternate test date candidate (in accordance with Alternate Test Date Policy), or an active member of the military away from the area on the scheduled test date must clearly indicate this fact on the application. All such requests must be supported by appropriate documentation.

VETERANS: Non-disabled and disabled veterans who wish to claim additional credits must request a Veterans Credits application from our office. This form must be completed and submitted along with a war service (DD214) form prior to the establishment of the resulting eligible list. Veterans credits may only be added to a passing score and may only be used for appointment once. Candidates currently in the armed forces may apply for and be conditionally granted veteran’s credits.  Any candidate who applies for such credits must provide proof of military status to receive the conditional credits.  You may not claim additional Veterans Credits after the eligible list has been established. It is the candidate’s responsibility to request the Veterans Credits application forms and submit these forms and any required supporting paperwork before the eligible list is established.

ADDITIONAL CREDITS FOR CHILDREN OF FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY:  In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served.  If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination.  A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility.  However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established.

APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON SAME DATE:  If you have applied for any other Civil Service examinations for employment with New York State or any other local government jurisdiction, you must make arrangements to take all the examinations at one test site.

If you have applied for both State and Local government examinations, you must make arrangements to take all your examinations at the State examination center by calling (518) 457‑7022 no later than two weeks before the test date.

If you have applied for other local government examinations, call or write to each Civil Service Agency to make arrangements.  You must make your request for these arrangements no later than two weeks before the date of the examinations.  You must notify all local government civil service agencies with whom you have filed an application of the test site at which you wish to take your examination(s).  For this examination call (845) 340‑ 3531 OR write to Ulster County Personnel Department, 244 Fair Street ‑ 5th Floor, P.O. Box 1800, Kingston, NY  12402‑1800.

*If candidates have not received notification of this examination within four (4) days of the examination, they should contact this office immediately.

#63027

ISSUED:  September 10, 2009