[Amended 1-13-2021]
The examination for police officers will consist in part of a written and an oral testing which will be graded on a 100-point scale with the written testing representing 40% of the final score and the oral testing representing 60% of the final score. Before an applicant is certified as eligible for appointment by the appointing authority he will also undergo a polygraph test, a physical agility test and a background investigation. These tests and investigation will be graded on a pass/fail basis for every applicant. After an applicant has been extended a conditional offer of employment by the appointing authority, final appointment shall be contingent upon the applicant passing a medical physical test which includes range and motion testing and psychological testing.
[Amended 7-26-2023]
The examination for the positions of Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain shall include an assessment and an oral testing procedure which will be graded on a 100-point scale with the assessment representing 50% of the final score and the oral examination representing 50% of the final score.
The Commission shall appoint a written testing administrator, an oral testing administrator, a polygraph examiner, a medical examiner and a psychological examiner to conduct the appropriate examination required by these rules and regulations.
The written examination shall be graded on a 100-point scale, and an applicant must score 70% or higher and remain one of the top 25 scores, including ties, in order to continue in the application process. Applicants scoring less than 70% shall be rejected.
A. 
Qualified applicants who scored 70% or higher and receive one of the top 25 scores in the written examination shall be given an oral examination which will be graded on a 100-point scale with a score of 70% or higher necessary for passing. The oral examination shall include questioning applicants on how they would handle situations relevant to police work.
B. 
Within 30 days after the applicant's oral examination, they shall be informed of their oral examination and total overall scores, and each passing applicant shall be informed of the next step in the examination process.
Pursuant to the Veterans' Preference Act,[1] any applicant for the position of police officer who qualifies as a "soldier" under this Act shall receive an additional 10 points on top of their total score if that applicant had received passing scores under §§ A288-4.1, A288-4.4 and A288-4.5.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 51 Pa.C.S.A. § 7101 et seq.
Qualified applicants for the position of police officer shall fill out a personal data questionnaire and, prior to being certified as eligible for appointment by the appointing authority, shall undergo a polygraph examination. The examiner shall state in a report to the Commission whether any of the applicant's responses to questions from the applicant's personal data questionnaire are deceptive.
A. 
The Commission shall request the Chief of Police or the Chief's designee to conduct a background investigation on qualified applicants for the position of police officer prior to their certification as eligible for appointment by the appointing authority. The background investigation may include interviews with the applicant and family, acquaintances, current and former employers, current and former neighbors, references and current and former teachers and school officials. In addition, the applicant's credit history and record of criminal convictions should be investigated. The applicant may be re-interviewed directly when the information collected during the background investigation requires clarification or explanation.
B. 
After the background investigation is completed, the Chief or the Chief's designee shall make a written recommendation to the Commission on whether the applicant is appropriate for consideration for appointment as a police officer.
C. 
Appropriateness of the applicant shall be based on the criteria set forth in § A288-3.7 of these rules and regulations. This recommendation shall be in writing and, if the recommendation is to disqualify, then a detailed written explanation of the reasons for disqualification must be included. The Commission shall make the final determination on whether the information collected during the background investigation and/or polygraph examination warrants rejection of the candidate.
Before an applicant is certified as eligible for appointment by the appointing authority, each applicant shall complete a physical agility test to be prescribed by the Commission in consultation with the Chief of Police. Such physical agility test shall be job-related and consistent with business necessity. The physical agility test shall be graded on a pass/fail basis for every applicant. Any applicant who fails the physical agility test shall be removed from further consideration in the hiring process.