Police Officer - Open Competitive Exam

This is a highly responsible position involving patrol, inspection, investigation, and enforcement tasks. Incumbents have personal responsibility for the enforcement of laws and ordinances, preservation of the peace, protection of lives and property, investigation of criminal offenses, and the apprehension of criminals and lawbreakers. Incumbents must exercise sound independent judgment in both emergency and routine situations. Most work is performed without direct supervision. Related work is done as required. Patrols assigned area, checking for and investigating suspicious persons, vehicles, sounds, activity, property, etc., maintaining communication with the department via radio; Maintains up to date knowledge of department rules, regulations, policies and procedures, of criminal activity and of laws and court decisions; Conducts preliminary investigations, intelligence activities, and surveillances, analyzing incidents, recruiting informants, exchanging information with other law enforcement officials; Identifies suspects, locating reliable witnesses, organizing line-ups, reviewing records and pictures; Advises crime victims, juveniles and their parents, and other community members regarding crime, police, and community programs and resources, emergencies, personal safety and crime prevention; Mediates civil disputes, referring parties to social agencies as appropriate; Supervises traffic through traffic direction, traffic law enforcement, vehicle inspection, and investigation of accidents; Plans and conducts crime scene and other searches, photographing and guarding the scene, tracking persons, determining need for assistance and collecting, documenting and preserving evidence and relevant property; Apprehends and arrests persons; Prepares and submits arrest and incident reports, criminal case summaries, field investigation/interrogation cards, daily log sheets, complaints, confessions, statements, reference notes, and memos; Testifies in trials and at hearings and assists in the prosecution of accused persons; Interviews complainants, witnesses, informants, victims, community medical personnel and interrogates suspects; Administers emergency first aid, summons assistance, accompanies and transports sick/injured persons; Controls groups and crowds, locating agitators, patrolling problem areas and maintaining order at public gatherings. High School graduate or holder of a high school equivalency diploma (GED) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS : Possession of a valid driver's license at the time the background investigation begins Possession of a valid NYS driver's license at the time of appointment Candidates must be at least 19 years of age on or before the examination date to be admitted to the written test. Eligibility for appointment as a police officer begins at the age of 20. Candidates who reach their 43rd birthday on or before the date of the written examination are not qualified except as follows: Candidates may have a period of military duty or terminal leave up to seven years, as defined in Section 243 (10-a) of the Military Law, deducted from their age for the purpose of meeting the age requirement. United States Citizenship is required at the time of appointment. It is not necessary for admission to the examination. Must pass a medical examination that will cover areas such as, but not limited to, vision, color vision, hearing, and blood pressure, and must pass a psychological evaluation Must meet the Rochester Police Department’s “Tattoo and Body Art Restrictions for Prospective RPD Employees” Policy (General Order 350). Effective 1/31/12. Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills, and /or abilities in the following areas. Situational Judgment: These questions test for the ability to identify appropriate and effective responses to work-related challenges. You will be presented with scenarios that reflect the types of challenges one could encounter in a work environment. Each scenario will be followed by several responses to the scenario. You must rate the effectiveness of each response. Language Fluency: These questions test for the ability to read, understand, and present a clear and accurate summary of information. For some questions, you will be given a brief reading passage followed by four statements, each summarizing the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given several sentences, one of which contains a spelling, grammatical, or punctuation error. You must then select the line that contains the error. Information Ordering and Language Sequencing: These questions test for the ability to properly identify the sequence or order of events, or to organize information to fit a timeline. You will be given a brief reading passage followed by one or more questions. You must identify the proper sequence of events in order to answer one or more questions. Problem Sensitivity and Reasoning: These questions test for the ability to apply information and to identify a problem or potential problem. For some questions, you will be given information in the form of policies, rules, regulations, or laws, which will be followed by a situation. You must then identify the problem and apply the information to select the best course of action to take. For other questions, you will be given a scenario and mock witness statements. You must use this information to answer one or more questions about the scenario. Selective Attention: These questions test for the ability to focus on completing a task and to pay attention to important details while performing repetitive and monotonous tasks. You will be presented with a series of letters, symbols, and/or numbers. You must select the choice that contains the series of letters, symbols, and/or numbers that matches exactly. Visualization: These questions test for the ability to imagine how something will look when it is moved around or when its parts are changed, moved, or rearranged. You will be presented with an image of a face followed by four images of faces. Each face is disguised or altered in some way. Three of the images have a difference in facial structure or facial features. You must select the choice that contains the image with the identical facial structure and facial features. Spatial Orientation: These questions test for the ability to unders