The Township Council may introduce an ordinance to change testing requirements for police recruits.
By: Joseph Harvie
The Township Council is expected to introduce an ordinance Tuesday that would change testing requirements and eligibility for township police recruits.
Township Attorney Don Sears said Tuesday said that if the ordinance is adopted, less weight would be given to the written portion of the tests given to new recruits. In addition, military service would count as college credits, a change police have said would open the door to a higher number of qualified recruits.
Mr. Sears said that recruits are currently ranked by their performance on written, physical and oral exams, with the written portion accounting for 100 percent of a recruits total weighted score.
He said if the ordinance is adopted, the written exam would account for 70 percent of the recruits total weighted score and the oral exam would account for the other 30 percent.
Mr. Sears said the proposal also would change how college credits are used in the application process. The township currently requires that recruits have 60 college credits. Under the changes, the requirements would be 60 college credits or four years of military service.
Mr. Sears said the ordinance was drafted after Township Manager Matt Watkins met with the presidents of the police unions, Sgt. George Luck of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 51 and Patrol Officer Martin Conte of the PBA Local 166.
Concerns about the hiring process were aired by the PBA and FOP, which represents rank and file and senior officers respectively, to the Township Council at its April 12 meeting.
The concerns prompted the postponement of the April 23 police recruit exam.
Members of the unions said that postponing the test would allow more candidates because under current hiring guidelines, a candidate needs 60 college credits. Members of the unions said that since most colleges don’t get out for the semester until the middle of May, postponing the exam could bring more potential officers into the hiring pool.
The officers also requested that Mr. Watkins allow military experience to count as college credits.
The FOP requested that two years of active service count as 30 college credits. The PBA requested that four years of active military experience be equivalent to the two years of college.
The union members also said the department needs to hire 10 new police officers. They requested that certified officers, or officers who have completed police academy training, and officers with previous experience, be given priority when new officers are being considered.