Media sets up process for hiring new police officers

Borough council approved steps leading to hiring one or more police officers, but not before a review of significant details. Councilman Paul Robinson continued to press for clarification of Civil Service Commission testing as well as candidate eligibility.

The board previously amended Civil Service regulations on how new officers would be chosen. Rather than advertise and open the position open to anyone, the decision was made to draw from the part-time staff, who are routinely serving the borough. The rationale for this decision has a few components. The first is the borough’s determination to hire the best personnel possible; the second is that the part-timer officers have developed knowledge of police policies, and relationships with other officers and the borough as a whole.

After the motion by Councilwoman Lisa Johnson, chair of Public Safety and Civil Service Committees, Robinson asked what “pool” would be used for application — general population or serving part-time officers. The regulations had been adopted for the latter with the specific qualifications that those officers would have a minimum of 144 hours employment with the department.

Robinson then addressed a chicken-and-egg situation of when the civil service would test and prepare a list of candidates for hiring. Must a pool of four officers with the hours be in place before advertising the test, or vice versa? If such a pool did not exist, the efforts of the commission would be wasted. Mayor Bob McMahon, head of public safety, said the department was down two officers, and that having the pool in place was the most efficient way to proceed.

After the specifics were batted about, Lisa Johnson amended her motion to reflect that exact criteria — advertising and test preparation would commence when four qualified candidates were available, which is currently the case.

Council’s vote was 6-1. With his dissenting vote, Robinson said he felt the “pool” eliminated veterans and all other potential candidates from around the county and region.

Johnson’s second agenda item, to authorize the Civil Service Commission to conduct a sergeant’s exam, was passed 7-0. The end result will install a new sergeant after the retirement of Steven Longbottom.