Job Information

POWELL, CITY OF
47 HALL STREET
POWELL, OHIO 43065
(614)885-5380
http://www.cityofpowell.us

Bookmark: http://nationaltestingnetwork.com/publicsafetyjobs/fullJobDetails.cfm?agencyjobid=255&jobid=1&agentid=221

Updated: March 13, 2020

Classification: Police Officer

Although we are not currently hiring, the Powell Police Department maintains an active eligibility list for the next available vacancy and encourages interested candidates to apply.

Salary Information: $61,760.12 - $91,963.53 annually

Benefit Information: Excellent benefits provided

Contact Information:
For questions or inquires, please email the recruitment team.
recruitment@cityofpowell.us

Patti Mills
Police Clerk
614-885-5005 ext 1119
pmills@cityofpowell.us

Department Information: The Powell Police Department is comprised of a Chief and Deputy Chief of Police, twenty full-time sworn officers and two civilian clerks. The police department is committed to a community policing philosophy and providing its officers with abundant training opportunities. The agency also is constantly upgrading its technology both in the marked police vehicles and at headquarters in order to provide the officers with the best available equipment.

City Information: WalletHub ranked Powell as one of the best places to live for Ohio families; Movoto Real Estate ranked Powell as the third best suburb in Columbus for families and Powell was named one of the safest communities in Ohio. We also were named the Best Hometown by Ohio Magazine and 95% of our residents rated Powell as an exceptional or better than average place to live in the 2016 Community Attitude Survey.

Population: 12,500 (2010 census)

Job Requirements

Age: Must be 21 or older at the time of appointment

US Citizen: United States citizen, or possess a valid permanent resident card

High School Grad/GED: High school diploma or equivalent certificate, with a preference for a degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.

Valid OHIO State Driver's License: Required

Ability to Read/Speak English: Fluently read and speak English

College: Applicant with associate’s degree or equivalent credits from an accredited college or university is preferred.

Academy Certification: Must currently possess a valid Ohio Peace Officer certificate from the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.

Specific Disqualifiers/Behaviors: The following disqualify a potential candidate from hire for the position of Police Officer.

Any incidents of dishonesty or falsification throughout the application and selection process;
History of domestic violence or failure to pay court-ordered child support;
Employment history that includes a pattern of discipline or termination;
Any ‘dishonorable’, ‘bad conduct’ or ‘other than honorable discharge’ from military service;
A conviction of vehicular homicide or an equivalent offense;
Driving record which contains multiple moving violations, recent OVI or equivalent offenses, other serious traffic convictions or an overall poor driving record;
Criminal history, that includes:
1. Any felony conviction;
2. An admission or a conviction for any theft offense within the last (5) years;
3. A pattern of theft or similar offenses;
4. Any fraudulent insurance or related claims; or
5. Multiple criminal convictions of any nature.
Substance abuse, that includes:
1. a. Any illegal substance use within (1) year of the candidate’s application;
2. History of cultivating, manufacturing or trafficking in illegal drugs; or
3. A pattern of using illegal drugs or abusing legally obtained drugs.

Community Policing Efforts: Powell's community policing efforts fall into both traditional and contemporary categories, including bicycle and foot patrols; selective traffic problem area enforcement and use of speed trailers throughout the City.

Bicycle Patrol:
Officers patrol on bicycle, weather permitting, reaching out to citizens and improving our overall crime detection efforts.

Foot Patrol:
Utilized in neighborhoods and business areas, foot patrol officers enforce parking regulations, look for signs of criminal activity and advise of security concerns.

Preventative Patrol Program:
Upon police officer observation of a possible threat to community member or visitor's property, contact is made by phone or in person to advise of the findings. The area in question can be secured to limit access to potential criminals. A notice will be completed and a copy will be left to serve as a future reminder to secure property. Upon receipt of four notices, a form letter will be sent to the community member/visitor advising them of our findings.

Selective Enforcement:
When the department receives a traffic complaint from citizens, officers are assigned to monitor the identified area to ensure traffic laws are being followed. The department strives to obtain voluntary compliance with all laws.

Police Officer Position: Duties and work requirements consist of preventative patrol, preliminary investigations, and traffic control in designated areas. It also includes a variety of staff assignments. Duties may involve an element of personal danger and employees must be able to act without immediate and direct supervision, and exercise independent judgment in meeting emergencies. The nature of the work requires irregular schedules, covering all hours of the day, 365 days a year. Applicants should be of exemplary character and be able to demonstrate traits that are consistent with the mission and values of the Powell Police Department.

Lateral Hires: Applicants who are currently certified Peace Officers and have prior full-time law enforcement experience are eligible to start at a higher wage step at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

Police Officer Selection Process:

Purpose

The following is an outline of the police officer selection process utilized by the City of Powell to make hiring decisions. The entire selection process will take approximately ninety (90) days to complete. Applicants may be dismissed from further consideration at any stage during the selection process.

Announcement, Advertisement, Formal Application & Written Examination

When the City of Powell has a vacancy for the position of Police Officer, the City Manager shall authorize the posting and publication of an announcement/advertisement publicizing the fact that the Powell Police Department is seeking qualified candidates for employment. The job posting will include a detailed job-description outlining the duties, responsibilities, requisite skills, educational level and any other minimum qualifications.

Candidates may formally apply and take the written test at any time, as testing is continuous with no end date. The written test is offered through the National Testing Network (NTN), a nationally validated provider and may be taken at any of the locations offered by this company. Formal applications for the position of police officer will also be submitted through this website at the time of registration for the written test.

Interested applicants should visit https://nationaltestingnetwork.com to apply and sign-up to take the written test. Applicants utilizing the National Testing Network website will also find a link to the City of Powell website outlining all elements of the selection process.

The City of Powell utilizes this written test to establish a preliminary list of qualified, eligible applicants. This list will be ranked based on the scores from the video component of the written test only. Candidates must score an eighty (80) percent on the video portion of the written test to advance in the selection process.
This job posting will contain a deadline by which interested candidates must have completed the written test in order to have their score included in the list of qualified candidates.
The City of Powell will then receive the properly ranked eligibility list from the National Testing Network.
Applicants can earn up to an additional twenty (20) percent of the applicant’s score on the video portion of the written test. In no case, can an applicant receive more than a twenty (20) percent credit to the applicant’s score on the video portion of the test. These additional credits can only be earned if candidates have scored an eighty (80) percent or higher on the video portion of the written test. Qualified candidates shall then be ranked according to standardized scoring in the written testing phase with the inclusion of any authorized credits. Credit can be earned for any of the following.
- A military credit of twenty (20) percent of the applicant’s score, when approved, shall be applied to candidate’s written test scores in accordance with standards established by the Board of Personnel Review.
- A ten (10) percent credit of the applicant’s score, when approved, shall be applied to the candidate’s written test score when the applicant has a current Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy law enforcement certification.
- An educational credit of ten (10) percent of the applicant’s score, when approved, shall be applied to the candidate’s written score when the applicant has a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university in any field of discipline (or an advanced postgraduate degree such as a Master’s, PhD or Juris Doctor).
- An educational credit of five (5) percent of the applicant’s score, when approved, shall be applied to the candidate’s written score when the applicant has an Associate Degree from an accredited university in any field of discipline.
Applicants will be asked at the time of testing to complete a voluntary “Equal Employment Opportunity Information” form.

Formal Selection Process

If one (1) vacancy exists, the top twenty (20) candidates will be selected to advance in the selection process. Greater than twenty (20) candidates may progress to the next phase if multiple vacancies exist in accordance with Board of Personnel Review rules. Candidates selected to advance in the selection process will be notified accordingly. Those applicants will be sent additional documents to include:
1. Applicant Release Form
2. Pre-Employment Drug Testing Consent Form.
3. Personal History Questionnaire
Candidates must complete all required forms and releases as part of the selection process. Failure to do so could result in the disqualification of the candidate’s eligibility to continue in the selection process.
Candidates must return the completed documents to the Powell Police Department by the posted deadline.

Pre-Interview Records Check Prior to the oral interview phase, candidates will undergo a preliminary records check that includes a Comprehensive Criminal History (CCH) and a driving record check. This is done to determine if any disqualifiers exist that would render a particular candidate ineligible to continue further in the selection process. A list of employment disqualifiers will be included with the application documents on the City of Powell’s website.

Oral Interview Process

Candidates who successfully pass the pre-interview records check will advance to the oral interview process.

If a current eligible candidate has previously been interviewed in a past hiring process with this agency, the agency reserves the right to use their prior oral interview performance in the current selection process in lieu of conducting a second interview.
Candidates will be notified in writing of the date and time of any interview scheduled throughout the selection process.
Each candidate will be interviewed by a preliminary panel which includes employees of the Powell Police Department. The candidates will be scored based on an established, standardized scoring system. At the conclusion of the first panel interview, the candidates will be re-ranked solely based on the panel interview scores. Candidates must score an eighty (80) percent in order to move forward in the selection process. Those candidates who do not score an eighty (80) percent will be eliminated from the selection process. This panel will decide how many of the applicants are to move forward in the selection process.
The candidates recommended for advancement by the preliminary panel will then be interviewed by a second panel. This second panel’s members will be decided at the discretion of the Chief of Police or designee. This panel will select a predetermined number of candidates to move forward in the selection process.

Background Investigation

The candidates selected by the second panel will advance to the background investigation phase. Due to the sensitive nature of law enforcement and the high amount of trust that is expected from the public, potential hires will be required to submit to a thorough background investigation which can include but is not limited to:
1. Verification of the candidate's stated credentials, driver's license record, citizenship or residency status for employment, residence, employment history and any other information submitted by the applicant.
2. Review of all past traffic and criminal records and credit history. A thorough records check of each candidate will review local, state and national records for traffic and criminal convictions.
3. Interviews with past employers, personal references, educational institutions, neighbors and acquaintances.
Candidates may be disqualified based on the results of the background investigation. The following are disqualifiers for a candidate’s eligibility for employment with the City of Powell:
1. Any incidents of dishonesty or falsification throughout the application and selection process;
2. History of domestic violence or failure to pay court-ordered child support;
3. Employment history that includes a pattern of discipline or termination;
4. Any ‘dishonorable’, ‘bad conduct’ or ‘other than honorable discharge’ from military service;
5. A conviction of vehicular homicide or an equivalent offense;
6. Driving record which contains multiple moving violations, recent OVI or equivalent offenses, other serious traffic convictions or an overall poor driving record;
7. Criminal history, that includes:
  - Any felony conviction;
  - An admission or a conviction for any theft offense within the last (5) years;
  - A pattern of theft or similar offenses;
  - Any fraudulent insurance or related claims; and
  - Multiple criminal convictions of any nature.
8. Substance abuse, that includes:
  - Any illegal substance use within one (1) year of the candidate’s application;
  - History of cultivating, manufacturing or trafficking in illegal drugs; and
  - A pattern of using illegal drugs or abusing legally obtained drugs.

Truth Verification Examination

A polygraph examination or other truth verification examination will be administered to each candidate who is selected to move forward in the selection process after completion of the oral interview. Examinations will be administered by an examiner certified in the type of exam administered.
The examination will verify information obtained by the Powell Police Department through the course of the application and background process. The examination will also explore areas of the candidate’s past that could be potential concerns for a person trusted to be a police officer. These areas can include criminal conduct, sexual deviance, and patterns of dishonesty, work history and personal relationships.
While the results of the examination will not be used as a single determinant of a candidate’s continued eligibility in the selection process, any deception noted during this segment of the process that is corroborated by other means may eliminate the candidate from further consideration.

Final Interview

Those candidates who have successfully completed the background phase and the truth examination verification, will be scheduled for a final interview with the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police may at his discretion then offer the candidate(s) a conditional offer of employment.

Psychological Examination

Candidates moving forward in the process will be given a psychological evaluation to determine whether they possess the desirable psychological, emotional and personality traits to perform as a law enforcement employee with the Powell Police Department.
Some of the following characteristics are representative of the unacceptable qualities that may result in a candidate being disqualified from the selection process:
1. anti-social behavioral patterns, attitudes or inability to control one’s temper
2. unwillingness to accept supervision and carry out lawful orders
3. lack of compassion
4. low self-esteem or inordinately high self-esteem
5. deceptiveness in answering questions
6. inability to accept constructive criticism
7. potential for abuse of power and position as a law enforcement employee
8. inability to handle stress
9. racial/sexual or other prejudices
10. other qualities, traits, or attributes undesirable for the power and responsibility of a law enforcement employee
All psychological processes will be conducted by a qualified psychological or psychiatric professional.

Medical Examination

A medical examination, including a drug screen, will be conducted on each candidate who has accepted a conditional offer of employment.
This examination will be conducted, at the expense of the City of Powell, by a licensed physician selected by the City of Powell.
Medical examinations will be conducted to ensure that candidates meet minimum health guidelines necessary to perform the essential job functions and that no medical condition exists that would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of the candidate or others.
Medical information obtained by the Powell Police Department will be kept strictly confidential.

Probationary Period

New hires who are already certified as peace officers will be considered probationary for one (1) year from the date of hire. New hires who need to attend a basic peace officer academy will begin their (1) year probationary period upon successful completion of the academy.
Failure to reach a satisfactory level of performance within the probationary period may result in an extension of the probationary period or termination.

Eligibility List Duration, Re-application

Eligibility lists are maintained in accordance with Board of Personnel Review guidelines.
Eligible candidates who are not hired may re-apply in any future selection processes.

Thank you for your interest in the Powell Police Department.

The Powell Police Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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