(a) The division of human resources shall create a register for appointment to positions in the police academy.
(b) The examination for appointment to the police academy shall be comprised of a two (2) phase process. Phase I shall consist of a written examination, a physical fitness test, and an oral examination. Phase II shall consist of a psychological suitability screening test, polygraph examination, and background investigation.
(c) Any candidate who is at least twenty (20) years of age shall be eligible if they will be twenty-one (21) years of age at the time of becoming certified, and if they shall not have reached their forty-first birthday by the application filing deadline date.
(d) Prior to the academy class, the director shall close the date for applications for each class to be published as required by KRS Ch. 424.
(e) The examination components shall be approved by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, and validated by the division of human resources.
(f) Phase I shall consist of the following:
(1) A job-related written examination shall be prepared by the division of human resources. The test administrator shall provide each candidate with his score on the written examination and shall indicate to each candidate whether he is eligible to proceed.
a. A different version of the written test shall be given for each hiring process.
(2) Each candidate shall complete and pass the state required, certified physical fitness standard, Kentucky Peace Officer Professional Standards (POPS).
(3) An oral examination shall be prepared and administered by the division of police.
a. The oral examination board shall consist of the following five (5) members:
1. A police sergeant, or above, and the police chief or a designated representative;
2. Two (2) police officers appointed by the police chief;
3. A professional member of the community agreed upon by the director, the commissioner of public safety, and the chief of police; and
4. At least one (1) African-American and one (1) female. One (1) individual may not satisfy both requirements.
5. The director, or his designated representative, shall attend all sessions of the oral examination board as a neutral adviser and shall have no vote in any of the proceedings.
b. A member of the urban county council, to be appointed by the vice mayor, may attend all sessions as a neutral observer and shall have no vote in any of the proceedings.
(4) After the written and oral examination process, the representative and/or test administrator shall compute the scores of the candidates which will result in a preliminary ranking. Preference points equaling a two (2) percent upgrade will be added to any candidate's score who has served in any branch of the United States military and has received an honorable discharge.
(g) Phase II shall consist of the following:
(1) The chief shall establish the maximum number of candidates who shall proceed to Phase II of the hiring process which shall consist of a polygraph examination, a psychological suitability screening test and background investigation.
a. Upon completion of Phase II, all components from Phase I and II shall be reviewed and taken into consideration when recommending candidates for selection.
b. The division of police shall supply the director with a list of those candidates whom the division recommends be eliminated from the current and future hiring processes. The director shall accept the recommendation for elimination if the circumstances satisfy the requirements of KRS 95.430 and applicable sections of this Code. The aforementioned examination, test, and reports may also be used as a basis to remove a candidate at any other point in the process.
(h) When vacancies arise in the division, the chief shall select names from the eligible list equal to the number of approved positions and a sufficient number of alternates.
(i) After all requirements have been met the chief shall forward his recommendation through the urban county government chain of command to the mayor with a recommendation for appointment. The mayor may accept or reject any recommendation made through the chain of command and shall have the sole prerogative to make the final selections. After the final selections are made, the mayor shall submit the recommendations to the urban county council for approval to make conditional offers. After conditional offers are made and accepted, each selected candidate shall undergo a physical examination or medical examination and drug screening. All candidates who successfully complete the physical examination or medical examination and drug screening shall begin their probationary period.
(j) If a candidate is selected for an academy and is unable to attend or complete the academy due to unforeseen circumstances, the director and chief of police will review the situation and decide if the candidate will be allowed deferral to the next academy. Any candidate who is allowed to defer to the next academy must pass a new physical fitness test, and Phase II requirements.
(k) Upon the completion of the orientation section of the academy class, the list may be expired; however, the director and chief shall have the discretion to exhaust or maintain the register.
(Ord. No. 97-96, § 3, 6-13-96; Ord. No. 296-2000, § 1, 9-28-00; Ord. No. 397-2000, §§ 1—7, 12-14-00; Ord. No. 285-2003, §§ 1—6, 12-4-03; Ord. No. 219-2004, § 1, 8-26-04; Ord. No. 89-2006, §§ 1—5, 4-13-06; Ord. No. 39-2009, § 1, 3-26-09; Ord. No. 74-2010, § 1, 4-22-10; Ord. No. 227-2010, § 3, 12-9-10; Ord. No. 027-2022, § 1, 3-17-22; Ord. No. 060-2022, § 36, 7-5-22; Ord. No. 119-2023, § 1, 10-12-23)