(a) The Chief of Police shall be in immediate charge of the Division of Police, shall have jurisdiction over the police station and any substation which may be established and shall have control over the stationing and transfer of all patrolmen and other employees constituting the Division of Police under such rules and regulations as Council may prescribe. No special detectives or other special officers shall be employed except upon written authority from the Mayor and the Safety Committee of Council, and such authority shall be exercised only under the direction and control of the Chief of Police and for a stipulated time.
(b) The method of selecting the Chief of Police shall be as set forth below. Such method is intended to be different from the method set forth in Ohio R.C. 124.44 or any other statute governing the appointment of chiefs of police.
(c) When a vacancy occurs in the rank of the Chief of Police, the Civil Service Commission, within 60 days of such vacancy, or as soon thereafter as is practicable, shall first conduct a closed competitive examination as described in this division (c) for purposes of establishing an eligible list of candidates for the position of Chief of Police; provided that, if three or less candidates eligible under the provisions of this division (c) submit their names for consideration for the position of Chief of Police, the Commission may waive the requirement of an examination and proceed with an alternative assessment of the three or less candidates who submit their names for consideration. The Commission shall prescribe the subjects of the examination and the relative weights to be attached thereto; provided that, any such determination must have been adopted prior to the date of publication of the examination announcement.
(1) Eligible applicants for the closed examination process shall have the following qualifications:
A. Shall be a full-time employee of the City of Norton Police Department; and
B. Shall have a minimum of five years of full-time service with the City of Norton Police Department with a minimum of five years in the rank of sergeant or above.
(2) After such examination has been held and an eligible list established, the Commission shall forthwith certify to the Mayor the names of the three persons having the highest scores on said examination.
(3) The Mayor may appoint to the position of Chief of Police, from the candidates having the top three scores, the person, if any, that in the opinion of the Mayor will best perform in the public interest as the Chief of Police. If, upon investigation, the Mayor deems that none of the persons certified is qualified for the position of Chief of Police, the Commission shall then proceed to conduct an open competitive examination as described in division (d) hereof.
(d) (1) When a vacancy occurs in the rank of Chief of Police and after the completion of the close competitive examination process as described in division (c) above a Chief of Police is not selected in accordance with those provisions, the Civil Service Commission, as soon as possible thereafter, shall conduct an open competitive examination for purposes of establishing an eligible list of candidates for the position of Chief of Police. The Commission shall prescribe the subjects of the examination and the relative weights to be attached thereto, provided that any such determination must have been adopted prior to the date of publication of the examination announcement.
(2) The Civil Service Commission shall establish the minimum qualifications for applicants, which qualifications shall be designed to attract qualified applicants, from which an eligible list of candidates for the position of Chief of Police will be derived, and which qualifications shall conform to the job description of Chief of Police as established by Council. The following shall be one of the minimum qualifications for the position of Chief of Police:
A. A two-year degree in criminal justice; or
B. A two-year degree in any other field, plus five years of police supervisory experience in the rank of sergeant or above; or
C. Ten years of police supervisory experience in the rank of sergeant or above.
(3) The Civil Service Commission may establish reasonable credits for residency within the City, service within the Division of Police and military service, giving due regard to the objective of obtaining an eligible list having highly qualified candidates for the position of Chief of Police. No extra credit for the foregoing categories shall be added to an applicant's examination grade unless the applicant achieves at least a passing score without such extra credit.
(4) After an examination has been held and an eligible list established, the Commission shall forthwith certify to the Mayor the names of the three persons having the highest scores on said examination, giving due regard for credits given that affect the overall score.
(5) The Mayor shall appoint to the position of Chief of Police, from the candidates having the top three scores, the person that in the opinion of the Mayor will best perform in the public interest as the Chief of Police. If, upon investigation, the Mayor deems that one or more of the persons certified are not qualified for the position of Chief of Police, or if a person on the eligible list withdraws his or her name from the list, the Mayor shall request from the Civil Service Commission an additional name or names to be certified for the vacancy so that the Mayor will again have a list of three eligible candidates from which to appoint the Chief of Police.
(6) The probationary period for original appointments to the full-time position of Chief of Police whether selected pursuant to division (c) or (d) hereof shall be six months unless otherwise extended by the Mayor at his or her sole discretion for a one-time six month extension.
(7) No later than 90 days after his or her probationary period, the person appointed to the full-time position of Chief of Police shall become a resident of any location within a circular area determined by taking a 12-mile, straight-line radius from the base of the flagpole in front of the Administration Building and shall remain a resident within such area during his or her tenure as Chief of Police. For purposes of this subsection (d), a person is a resident in a particular location when he or she is an actual resident in fact of that location, i.e. he or she must occupy, personally and physically, a fixed habitation in such location, which is his or her actual primary dwelling. If the residency requirement set forth in this paragraph is not met within the timeframe required herein, the employment of the Chief of Police appointee shall be terminated.
(e) The salary for the Chief of Police shall be at least 5% higher than the annual maximum base salary for the highest paid full-time employee.
(Ord. 4-2018. Passed 2-26-18.)