Recruitment:  Police Officer

The Next Test is in 2010.

It is the policy of the Town of Cheektowaga Police Department to recruit and select candidates for the position of police officer in accordance with the New York State Civil Service Law as administered by the Erie County Civil Service Commission and to afford equal employment opportunity to all eligible candidates. Check out www.erie.gov for more information.

To be eligible for appointment, candidates must meet the prescribed standards set forth by the New York State Bureau for Municipal Police and the Erie County Civil Commission. There was no residency requirement to participate in the 2007 exam.  All candidates must be residents of The Town of Cheektowaga for at least 1 month prior to the establishment of a certified list for hier and at the time of appointment. Candidates must have at least sixty (60) hours of college credit or (30) hours of college credit with 1 year of active military duty. All candidates must be legal U.S. citizens and possess a valid New YorkState driver’s license.  All candidates must be at least 19 years of age but no older than 34 years of age (unless you have military credit) to take the Civil Service Exam and at least 20 years of age to be appointed.

Join the Cheektowaga Police Department & Make A Real Difference In The Community.

The Pay & Benefits Are Outstanding! (as of 2009)

• Patrol Officer's salary starts at $46,760 per year.

• Senior Patrol Officers earn $64,054 per year.

• Generous vacation, holiday and personal leave days.

• Full-range of health insurance benefits.

• Half-pay retirement after 20 years.

• Promotional opportunities.

The Cheektowaga Police Department Is An Equal Opportunity Employer.

For More Information Call 897-7294

Procedure:

Recruitment:

Recruitment is the first step in the hiring process. The primary method of recruitment for the position of police officer within the Town of Cheektowaga Police Department is through the Erie County Civil Service Commission continuous recruitment testing program. Candidates considered for appointment to the Town of Cheektowaga Police Department must be of good moral character and must satisfy the height, weight, age, physical fitness requirements prescribed by the New York State Bureau for Municipal Police (BMP) pursuant to Section 840 of the New York State Executive Law and Section 58(c) New York State Civil Service Law, and satisfy the Town requirements of being a resident and the educational requirement.

All candidates must pass a written exam as prescribed by the New York State Civil Service Commission. All written verbal tests used in the selection process will be administered, scored, evaluated and interpreted in a nondiscriminatory manner.

Physical Examination:

All candidates must satisfactorily complete a physical agility test which tests candidates using accepted standards as determined by the Bureau of Municipal Police. Before taking this test, the candidate must provide written documentation from a physician which indicates the person is capable of safely taking the test.

Background Investigation:

A thorough background investigation will be conducted on each person on the eligibility list by the Training Office of the Town of Cheektowaga Police Dept. Candidates must complete and submit a background questionnaire and they will be fingerprinted and photographed. The background investigation will include but not be limited to investigation into the candidate’s residence, family, education, military background, previous employment history, social contacts, physical and emotional health, organizations and affiliations and motor vehicle and criminal history inquiries.

 Oral Interview:

Candidates successfully completing the recruitment process and background investigation will be required to take part in an oral interview conducted by the Chief of Police and/or her designees. The oral interviews will employ a set of uniform questions and the results obtained will be recorded on standardized forms. The recorded results will be kept on file for a minimum of one (l) year after appointments resulting from any series of interviews.

 Psychological Screening:

The pre-appointed candidate will be evaluated by a qualified psychologist to establish that the candidate has the emotional stability, psychological fitness compatible with the position of police officer.

 Drug Testing:

The pre-appointed candidate will be required to submit to a test to determine substance use/abuse.

Polygraph Testing:

The pre-appointed candidate will be required to submit to a polygraph test given by a qualified polygraph operator as determined by the Cheektowaga Police Department.

Probationary Appointments:

At the conclusion of the selection process, the Chief of Police and/or her designee will make recommendations to the Cheektowaga Town Board for appointments to the position of police officer. All appointments will be probationary for a period of seventy-eight (78) weeks and will be evaluated routinely by the Town of Cheektowaga Police Field Training Program.

Subsequent to the effective date of appointment and prior to commencement of official duties, the appointee will be administered the standard Oath of Office for Police Officers by the Town Clerk.

 Study Aids For Entry-Level Police Officer Tests

1. Check your local book stores, such as Borders, etc. for Barrons and Arco Study Books.
2. The New York State Dept. of Civil Service Guide to Taking The Written Test for Entry-Level Police Officer Series is available HERE.
3. Law Loose-leaf Publications, Inc., 43-08 162nd Street, Flushing, NY11358, 1-800-647-5547, (718) 359-5559, FAX (718) 539-0941, www.Looseleaflaw.com and llawpub@erols.com
4. Tutorial Service, Inc. .Police118 Brook Street, Scarsdale, NY, 10583-5442, (914) 723-0350; www.policetutorialservice.com.
5. Five session study aid: each session is a booklet of test-type questions similar to those on the official entrance exam, along with a Reading Interpretation Quizzer - a booklet containing several types of reading Interpretation, paragraph rearrangement, sentence coherence, and fact-reporting examples. Also, a Vocabulary Workbook - a booklet containing words, their meanings and examples, definitions, synonyms; antonyms and a vocabulary quiz. Tuition: $50.00 for the entire course of 5 sessions, the reading quizzer and vocabulary workbook. To order: Send a short note requesting the NYS Police Officer Entrance Course, include your NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER, and enclose a check or money order payable to Police Tutorial Service, Inc. for $50.00.

This is not an all inclusive list of what may be available. The Cheektowaga Police Department does not endorse of any of the aids listed herein. This is for informational purposes only.

* Interested in working for the Cheektowaga Police Department?

****  Remember, you must be a resident.