New Canaan Police Department
Entry Level Requirements,
Application & Testing Procedures,
Salary & Benefits
Misc. Departmental Information
Sergeant Christian Gray
Training Officer/RTS Administrator
The Purpose of This
Presentation is to:
 Provide Candidates with Vision and Mission Statements
 Review entry level requirements
 Review the testing & selection process
 Describe salary and benefits of the position
 Provide a brief overview of the Department and its
personnel
 Briefly describe the duties & responsibilities of a New
Canaan Police Officer
 Review online pre-application packet and submission
requirements
Our Vision & Mission
Statements
 Our Vision Statement- A safe, peaceful and
crime-free community.
 Our Mission Statement- To protect and serve the
community with courage, professionalism and
integrity.
Entry Level Requirements
By Date of Hire
 Minimum age - 21 years
 You must be a Unites States Citizen
 You must possess a valid motor vehicle operator’s
license
 Have NO previous criminal Felony convictions
 Have NO previous Class A or B Misdemeanor
convictions
 Have NO domestic violence convictions
Entry Level Requirements
(Cont.)
 Educational and/or military requirements and/or prior
police experience:
• You must have received a minimum of 60 credits or
an Associate Degree from an accredited college or
university. or;
• Two years of active service in the United States Armed
Forces and have been honorably discharged or;
• Have prior police experience and are currently certified
as a police officer.
The applicability of experience will be evaluated on a
case by case basis
Testing Requirements
 All candidates must meet the entry level requirements in
order to participate in the testing and selection process.
 All candidates are required to attend all scheduled
activities unless specifically excused by the Department’s
Training/R.T.S. Officer.
 Candidates are required to successfully pass each phase of
the testing and selection process in order to continue on to
the next testing or selection component.
Testing & Selection Components
The components of the testing and selection process will
consist of the following and in the order listed;
 Submit A Complete and Accurate Application by the
Application Deadline (When established)
 Written Examination
 Physical Agility Test (Note; We do not accept the
C.H.I.P.S. card)
 Peer Interview
 Conditional Job Offer
 Polygraph Examination
 Police Commission Interview
 Psychological Examination
Testing & Selection Components
(Cont.)
 Medical Examination and Controlled Substance/Drug
Screening
 Complete Background Investigation
 Police Commission Review (Optional)
 Probationary Appointment
 Field Training
The Application
Deadline is Open Ended
at the Present Time.
The closing date will be determined at a later
date.
Submission of the Application
 The 1st component of the recruitment process is the submission of
the NCPD application.
 Applications are available until the established closing date.
Applicants may obtain an application at the Police Department or
by downloading it from the Departments website at
www.newcanaanpolice.org.
 Applications must be completed and submitted and received by the
Department prior to the specified deadline
 Applications are to be completed in their entirety and should
include official school transcripts, DD214 and other supporting
documentation
 Any false statement made on the application will be grounds for
immediate dismissal from the hiring process
Misleading and/or False
Statements
 Each candidate will be required to sign their application
acknowledging that he/she understands that false or
misleading information given in the application may
disqualify him/her from the testing process and if
discovered after appointment may result in his/her
discharge from employment with the Police Department.
Physical Agility / Written
Examination
 The 2nd and 3rd components in the process are the written
examination and physical agility test. Both of these two
tests will be administered on the same day
 The written examination will be administered first. Those
candidates who pass the written examination will be
eligible to take the physical agility test shortly after the
written examination is completed.
 Candidates that pass the written exam and the physical
agility test will be notified of their status by email/mail at
a later date and will be scheduled for the next component
of the testing process
The Written Examination
 The written test will:
• Be administered by personnel from the New Canaan
Police Department
• Will have a maximum time limit
• Be a general knowledge type test, where no prior
police experience or knowledge about the town is
required
• Evaluate predictors of job related skills and behaviors
(validation has been established)
Physical Agility Exam
 You must present a Photo I.D. when registering ( Driver’s
License is preferred)
 Candidates MUST have submitted a completed Medical
Approval Form at the time of the physical agility test in
order to participate in the test. No exceptions will be
made
 Wear comfortable clothing and athletic shoes. Bring a
towel
 The physical agility exam is age & gender appropriate.
The standards and measurement criterion and may be
found on the Police Officer Standards and Training
Council website.
The Peer Interview
 The 4th component of the testing and selection process is
the Peer Interview.
 The interview panel(s) will be comprised of New Canaan
Police Department personnel of various ranks
 The interview is designed to evaluate predictors of jobrelated skills and behaviors, including interpersonal and
communication skills.
 Interviews are approximately 40 minutes in length
The Conditional Job Offer
 The 5th component in the testing process is the
Conditional Job Offer
 All Conditional job offers are made in accordance with
the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
 A Conditional job offer may be made to a qualifying
candidate and who have successfully passed their peer
interview.
 Conditional job offers will be made prior to candidates
submitting to a polygraph examination.
The Polygraph Examination
 As the 6th component, the Polygraph examination will be
administered by the Connecticut State Police in Meriden,
Connecticut or other qualified vendor.
 Candidates participating in a polygraph examination will,
prior to the examination, be provided with a list of areas
from which the polygraph questions will be drawn.
 Candidates who successfully pass all levels of the testing
and selection process up to this point may participate in
the Police Commission Interview.
The Psychological Examination
 Candidates who successfully pass the Commission
interview may be scheduled for a full psychological
screening and personality profile, the 7th component of the
testing and selection process.
 The tests are administered by a licensed psychologist who
evaluates a candidate’s overall psychological stability as it
relates to the tasks performed by a Police Officer.
 The psychologist will make at determination as to whether
a candidate is qualified to be a police officer.
 This evaluation lasts approximately 4 to 6 hours
The Police Commission
Interview(s)
 The 8th component of the testing and selection process is
the Commission Interview.
 The Chief of Police presides over a panel of three Police
Commissioners.
 A second Commission Interview may be conducted on a
later date, if deemed necessary by the Police Commission
and/or Chief of Police.
 Each interview is approximately 45 minutes in length
The Medical Examination, Stress
Test & Drug Screening
 Those candidates that successfully pass the psychological
evaluation may be required to undergo a medical
examination, stress test and drug screening, (i.e. The 9th
component of the testing and selection process.)
 The medical examination and drug screening will be
conducted by a licensed clinic, typically Concentra or other
licensed clinic.
 Drug screening results that indicate the presence of a nonprescribed controlled substance or illegal drug may
eliminate the candidate from the remainder of the process.
The Background Investigation
 The 10th and often final component of the testing and
selection process is the background investigation.
 Comprehensive background investigations will be
conducted on all candidates who have successfully passed
all components of the testing and selection process up to
this point. Some areas of the investigation include:
 Credit History
 Employment History
 Criminal History
 Driving Record
 Information Verification
The Appointment
 Appointment(s) will be made after the background
investigation has been concluded and prior to admission to
the Police Academy.
 Recruits will begin to receive their base pay upon
appointment.
 Upon appointment, newly hired officers will be issued the
appropriate uniforms and equipment. Recruit training at a
Police Academy will commence as soon after
appointment as practicable.
 Police Academy training will last approximately 6
months.
The Field Training Program
& Probationary Period
 The Field Training Program will commence after
appointment and will continue for a minimum of 10
weeks (400 hours).
 Newly appointed officers shall be on probation from the
date of graduation from the Municipal Police Academy
(POSTC) and continue for a minimum of one year.
Probationary periods may be extended at the discretion of
the Chief of Police.
Composition-Sworn Personnel
 47 Sworn Personnel
• Chief of Police
• 2 Captains (1 Operations, 1 Staff Services)
• 5 Lieutenants (4 Patrol, 1 Administrative)
• 8 Sergeants (4 Patrol, 3 Investigators & 1 Training
•
Officer)
• 31 Patrol Officers
Administrative Staff
Leon Krolikowski, Chief of Police
Captain Vincent DeMaio
Captain John DiFederico
Sergeant Peter Condos
Sergeant Carol Ogrinc
Sergeant Christian Gray
Operations Division Commander
Staff Services Division Commander
Commander of Investigations
Youth Officer
Training/RTS Officer
 NCPD is internationally accredited by the Commission on
Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
The Patrol Division
 Upon successful completion of the Field Training
Program, probationary officers will be assigned to the
Patrol Division and may be assigned to any of the three
patrol shifts.
• Day - 0700-1500 hours: Lt. William Ferri, Shift Commander
• Evening - 1500-2300 hours: Lt. Fred Pickering, Shift Commander
• Night - 2300-0700 hours: Lt. David Ferris, Shift Commander
• Relief – 0700-1500 & 1500-2300hrs Lt. James George, Shift
Commander
• The patrol division’s schedule is called a 5-2/5-3. It
means that an officer will work 5 days, have 2 days off,
return to work for 5 days and then have 3 days off.
Patrol Duties
 All New Canaan Police Officers are expected to perform a
full range of law enforcement services including, but not
limited to:
 Emergency response
 Traffic law enforcement
 Report writing and warrant preparation
 Criminal investigations
 Court testimony
 Dispute resolution
Specialized Assignments
 The Department has a number of specialized positions,
including:
• The Special Response Team (SRT)
• School Resource Officer
• Motorcycle Enforcement Officer (MEO)
• Bicycle Patrol
• Accreditation
• Accident Investigator
• Community Impact Officer
• Honor Guard
• K-9 Officer
• T.R.I.A.D.
• POSTC Certified Instructor
• Car Seat Technician
Entry Level Salary
 The Salary of an entry level Police Officer position shall
start at the step I level as dictated by the current collective
bargaining agreement.
 The salary level for lateral entry under the current contract
will start at $56,358.00+
+ Indicates ability to supplement salary w/overtime & extra duty jobs
The Benefits
Vacation days are accrued on a monthly basis and may
be accrued to a maximum of 48 days. Vacation time
awards increase with tenure as follows:
• 12 days per year (1-5 years of service)
• 15 days per year (5-10 years of service)
• 18 days per year (10-15 years of service)
• 24 days per year (15 + years of service)
Employees also receive 12 paid holidays per year
The Benefits (Cont.)
 The Department provides its officers with a full pension.
Benefits and particulars are listed below:
•
•
•
•
•
50% of salary after 20 years of service
75% of salary after 30 years of service
Minimum age to collect – 50 Years
Contribution – 1% of salary
Fully vested after 10 years of service
Note; This information is based upon the current Collective
Bargaining Agreement and is subject to change.
Additional Benefits
 Classification Pay
 Shift Differential Pay
 Investigator Standby Pay
 Tuition Reimbursement
 Educational Pay
 Longevity Pay
 Uniform Allowance
 Cleaning Allowance
 EMD/AED/EMT Stipend
 Life Insurance
On-Going Recruitment Process
Information
 Information concerning dates, locations and times of
scheduled appointments will be posted on the
Department’s website www.newcanaanpolice.org .
 Candidates will also be notified in writing as to their
status as a candidate after each step in the process.
 Information may also be obtained by contacting Sgt.
Christian Gray by phone at 203-594-3506 or email at;
christian.gray@newcanaanct.gov.
An Equal Opportunity
Employer
 The New Canaan Police Department is an Equal
Opportunity Employer. As such, candidates are not
disqualified for non-job specific factors to include; race,
creed, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin
or religion; nor shall any qualified candidate be denied
employment solely by the reason of a handicap.
 All testing processes comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)
Reapplication
 A candidate who is not selected for appointment as a
probationary officer, will not necessarily be excluded
from further consideration if reapplication is made during
future recruitment processes.
 However, a candidate will be excluded from re-evaluation
if the condition(s) which had previously eliminated them
from appointment are serious enough that another
rejection is assured.
 Due to the infrequency of the recruiting process, unless
the aforementioned exception applies, there is no
limitation on the number of times an applicant may apply
for a position.
Tentative 2015 Testing &
Selection Schedule
 The Schedule Will Be Determined and Posted Once an
Application Deadline is Established
 Details to Follow.
Rev02/15CG