Town Starts Campaign To Fill Police Vacancies

By Andrew Gorosko

The town plans to start employment advertising to attract job applicants to fill police patrolmen vacancies.

Acting Police Chief Michael Kehoe said June 26 the police department will place employment advertising in newspapers in the state to fill the several entry-level posts.

The police department currently has 36 sworn officers, with an authorized complement of up to 39 officers. As of July 1, the authorized complement will rise to 40 officers. If police move to create a second school resource officer, based on the town’s recent receipt of a police funding grant, the complement would rise to 41 officers.

Acting Chief Kehoe said the police department’s initial goal is to hire three officers who would be sent to the state’s Municipal Police Academy in Meriden for training.

Unlike past rounds of hiring, in which the department had the Municipal Police and Fire Registry of Bethel provide it with a list of job candidates, the police department plans to conduct an independent hiring process to increase its ranks. The town is conducting an independent hiring process to generate a larger pool of candidates for the entry-level posts than would be provided by the registry, Acting Chief Kehoe said.

Acting Chief Kehoe said he hopes the hiring process generates a list of at least 100 people who will take the written test for employment.

The new patrol officers hired by the Police Commission would enter the police academy by October, undergo police training, return to the police department for on-the-road training, and be full-fledged officers who patrol independently in about one year, he said.

“We’re looking for qualified candidates over the age of 21… somebody who’s committed to helping people,” Acting Chief Kehoe said. Applicants must be 21 by October 1.

Davey Associates of Glastonbury, a job recruitment firm, will conduct the testing.

The Police Commission has requested that the Legislative Council appropriate $5,000 for the police department’s independent hiring process, Acting Chief Kehoe said.

Besides the employment advertising in newspapers, the department is mailing notices of its hiring campaign to colleges in the state, to the state Department of Labor, and is posting information on the job vacancies on the Internet at: www.geocities.com/newtowndb/.

Applications for the patrol officer positions must be picked up at the police station at 3 Main Street and returned by 8 pm July 25. A $35 non-refundable application fee must accompany the completed application form. A written test for the job will be held July 31 at Newtown High School.

The job application form runs for 24 pages, going into exhaustive detail on personal information, relatives, references, roommates, education, experience, past employment, military history, criminal background, motor vehicle information, financial information, and illegal drug use.

For the job candidates who pass the July 31 written testing and pass a round of physical fitness testing on August 9, initial oral interviews will be held on August 11.

Candidates who progress through the hiring process also are subject to psychological testing, lie detector testing, and background checks.

As of July 1, the starting pay for new patrolmen is $34,848. The pay rises to $47,028 in a five-year progression to top patrolman salary. Insurance coverage is Blue Cross/Blue Shield Century Preferred with a $27.50 biweekly co-payment by the employee. Pension benefits are provided. Employees contribute five percent of their base pay to the pension plan. Officers receive paid holidays, paid vacation, a cleaning and clothing allowance, educational incentives, longevity pay, sick leave, and overtime pay.