[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Norristown
7-7-1992 as Ord. No. 92-15. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Police Department — See Ch. 74.
A.
It is the goal of the government of the Borough of Norristown
that the makeup of the Police and Fire Bureaus of the borough should more
closely reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of the borough. It is the
belief of the government of the Borough of Norristown that a Police and Fire
Bureau that more closely reflects the ethnic and racial composition of the
borough itself will be better able to effectively serve the borough and its
citizens.
B.
By establishment of this chapter, the government of the
Borough of Norristown declares that its affirmative action plan is not designed
to establish numerical goals or quotas of employment for one (1) group or
set of groups. Rather, the goal is to ensure that the borough always remain
an equal-opportunity employer, and to further improve the quality of the policing
of the borough and the quality of life of the residents of the Borough thereby.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
A plan to encourage the hiring of qualified minority candidates for
the Police and Fire Bureaus of the Borough of Norristown.
A notice to the public and/or to any other organization announcing
the search for candidates for the Police or Fire Bureaus of the Borough of
Norristown.
A person who is female, black, Hispanic, Asian or American Indian.
One of the staff of men and women employed by the Fire Bureau and
paid a full-time salary to prevent and extinguish fires and prevent conflagrations
in the Borough of Norristown.
One of the staff of men and women employed by the Police Bureau to
enforce the laws and criminal statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A permanent opening in the Police or Fire Bureau for which the borough
desires to hire additional staff or replacement employees on a full-time basis
to the position of police officer or paid firefighter.
A.
When a vacancy exists in the Norristown Police or Fire
Bureau and it is determined by the appropriate authorities that it is necessary
to recruit candidates for the position of police officer or paid firefighter,
the Municipal Administrator shall cause to be issued announcements to not
fewer than two (2) newspapers of general circulation in Montgomery County
that the borough is seeking new recruits for the position of police officer
or paid firefighter, as the case may be. The Norristown Civil Service Commission
may, from time to time, designate one (1) or more additional publications
in which the aforesaid announcement may appear, in addition to those above
stated. All such announcements shall contain a statement that the borough
is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and that the borough is actively seeking
minority applicants.
(1)
Announcements regarding the recruitment of candidates
for the position of police officer shall also be sent to appropriate schools
in the five-county Philadelphia area offering degrees or certifications in
Police Science, Law Enforcement or Law Enforcement and Corrections and to
organizations listed as law enforcement affirmative recruitment referral sources
by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
(2)
Announcements regarding the recruitment of candidates
for the position of paid firefighter shall also be sent to appropriate schools
in the five-county Philadelphia area offering degrees or certifications in
Fire Science, firefighting and applied science and to chartered firefighting
schools and other fire departments within the Philadelphia five-county area.
B.
When there exists one (1) or more vacancies in the Norristown
Police Bureau or Fire Bureau and the appropriate authorities determine that
it is necessary to recruit candidates for the position of police officer or
paid firefighter, public buildings under the control of the Borough of Norristown
shall have posted in them, in prominent places, announcements of the positions
or positions, as described above. Further, the borough shall seek to place
such notices in other public governmental buildings in the borough, if the
authorities in control of said buildings permit.
C.
As soon as practical after the adoption of this chapter,
there shall be added to all applications of positions with the Police Bureau
and Fire Bureau of the Borough of Norristown the following statement:
When there exists one (1) or more vacancies in the Norristown Police
Bureau or Fire Bureau, and appropriate authorities of the borough determine
that it is necessary to recruit and hire one (1) or more police officers or
paid firefighters, an examination shall be scheduled and held by the Borough
Civil Service Commission and such person(s) or organization(s) as the Borough
Civil Commission shall designate to hold such examination. Such examinations
shall be validated for job performance and shall be certified by whatever
organization or organizations have prepared said examination and/or are administering
the test that said test does not have a non-job performance related bias against
minorities. If the examination process shall include oral examination(s),
then all interviewees shall be asked the same job-related questions. However,
this provision shall not be construed to mandate that an oral examination
be given in addition to or in lieu of a written examination. The Borough Administrator,
Civil Service Commission, Public Safety Director and/or any other person of
the administration of the Borough of Norristown involved in the testing and
certification of candidates for the Police Bureau or Fire Bureau shall be
entitled to rely upon the written certification of nonbias, referred to above,
if he or she has no reason to believe that said certification was not given
in good faith.
To the extent that the civil service rules of the Borough of Norristown
are contrary to the terms of this chapter, the civil service rules are superseded
by this chapter.
Ordinance No. 87-17[1] and all other ordinances, rules, regulations, policies or procedures
or parts of any of them inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.
A.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as mandating
that the Police Bureau or Fire Bureau shall have a specific minimum or maximum
number of police officers or paid firefighters.
B.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as applying
to employees of the Borough of Norristown other than police officers and paid
firefighters.
C.
Section headings set forth in this chapter are for convenience
only, are not controlling upon this chapter, and are not to be read as substantive
parts of this chapter.
D.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as granting
civil service rights to any employee or employees whose job(s) or position(s)
are not covered under the Civil Service Rules and Regulations of the Borough
of Norristown. By the adoption of this chapter, all other employees of the
borough not previously exempted are hereby exempted from the civil service
provisions as set forth in the Home Rule Charter, Administrative Code, other
ordinance or Civil Service Rules and Regulations, except for the positions
of police officer and paid firefighter.
