Allowing the Reading police chief to hire experienced police officers without using the state’s civil service process could streamline the hiring process and get more officers out on the streets more quickly, Chief Eli Vazquez said.
Vazquez spoke last week at a City Council committee of the whole meeting, during which council discussed a proposed ordinance that would amend the city code to allow the chief and Police Civil Service Board to hire Act 120 certified officers without using the Pennsylvania Third-Class City Code’s civil service process.
“It’d be a lot easier to hire them and it’d be more attractive for them to come to Reading as well if they don’t have to go through such a stringent process,” Vazquez said.
The change would apply only in the case of experienced new hires who have already achieved Act 120 Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission certification.
Act 120 certification is required for all municipal police officers in the state. It involves completing a certified training program and passing the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission’s state certification exam.
The proposed change would allow the police department to fill needed positions in a timelier manner, said William Heim, city managing director and a former city police chief.
“It can cut the timeline before an officer can patrol on his or her own from about one year to a matter of two or three months,” Heim explained.
As of Aug. 12, Heim said, 149 of the authorized 175 positions in the city police department are filed, leaving 26 openings.
“It is hoped that this new regulation (if passed) will help fill the ranks at an accelerated rate,” he said.
Experienced police officers who are hired by the city could also begin their service at a higher pay rate than raw recruits, Heim noted, making such lateral entry more appealing.
All new hires get a $5,000 sign-on bonus with or without experience, Heim noted.
Recruits without Act 120 certification would still be required to follow the civil service process for police officers in the state, which is required for all uniformed hires to the city’s department, Vazquez said.
That process involves the following steps:
- Applying to the Civil Service Board.
- Meeting eligibility requirements, such as being a U.S. citizen, having a high school diploma or GED, and being at least 20 years and 6 months old at the time of testing.
- Passing a written exam, physical fitness test, oral interview and criminal history check and Civil Service Board review.
Applicants who pass the testing process are placed on an eligible list that is valid for only one year.
Under the current code, if the police chief determines there is a need to fill officer positions to help ensure public safety, the Reading Civil Service Board can authorize the recruitment and appointment of new hires from an existing civil service list, Heim said.
This can be done without regard to their competitive standing on the list, he said, or, when there is no current civil service eligibility list, officers can be hired by the department with the Civil Service Board approval.
At present, candidates who take a civil service exam are taken by their competitive score on the test, plus any special points given for veterans and/or fluent Spanish speaking individuals, Heim noted.
“The importance of this (proposed) new regulation,” he said, “is that the police department could fill needed positions on a timelier basis, and get certified and, often, experienced officers from other municipalities into field training and then into full service much quicker.”
The city of Allentown enacted a similar code change and has used it successfully for several years without legal challenge, he said.
Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. said he has some reservations about the proposal.
“I understand that you want to streamline it (the hiring process),” he said, “and I know you want to make it easier for officers to come to the city.”
However, he said, the existing process was put in place for a reason. He is reluctant to support legislation that could detract from officers’ training.
“We see what happens across the country, right, with certain police incidents,” Baez said, “and we want to try to avoid that as much as possible.”
Vazquez said Act 120 certified officers have gone through police academy training previously.
“They’re certified, so all the courses that a new person would be going through in an academy, they’ve already gone through,” he said. “And then they’re also going to go through a background check. We’re not going to skip a beat when it comes to that and making sure that we get the best qualified candidates.”
Council took no action on the proposal at its Aug. 12 regular meeting.
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