(A) Rule VIII of Appendix 8 of the rules and regulations of the Police Civil Service Commission is hereby amended to read as follows:
CONDUCT OF EXAMINATIONS
A. Applicants for the rank of probationary patrolman, unless applicant is already a West Virginia Certified Law Enforcement Officer in Good Standing with a Current Certification, must first take and pass the physical agility test before taking the written test. Those applicants that take the written test will be stacked in numerical order, highest to lowest, based off their test scores. All qualified applicants shall then be graded on a scale of 100% of which 60% of said grade shall be the written examination, and 40% of said grade shall be by oral examination.
(Am. Ord. 1301, passed 10-10-00)
Section 1. Examinations to be practical: All fitness tests shall be practical in character, shall relate directly to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity of the person examined to discharge the particular duties of the class of positions to which appointment is sought and shall when appropriate include test of physical qualifications, health and manual skills.
Section 2. Content of examinations: The fitness test held to establish a list of eligibles for any class shall consist of one or more of the following parts:
(a) Written test. This part when required shall include a written demonstration designed to show the familiarity of competitors with knowledge involved in the class of positions to which they seek appointment, their ability in the use of English, the range of their general information or their general educational attainments. A formal thesis upon one or more subjects may be required if advisable.
(b) Oral interview. This part when required shall include a personal interview with applicants for position of probationary patrolman where ability to deal with others, to meet the public or other personal qualifications are to be determined. An oral test may also be used in examinations where a written test is unnecessary or impracticable.
(c) Performance tests. This part when required shall include such tests of performance or trade as will determine the ability and manual skill of competitors to perform the work involved.
(d) Physical tests. This part when required shall consist of tests of the bodily condition, muscular strength, agility and physical fitness of competitors. This may be given a weight in examinations or may be used in excluding from further examination applicants who do not measure up to the minimum required standards. West Virginia Certified Law Enforcement Officers in Good Standing with a Current Certification will not be required to participate in the physical test portion.
(Am. Ord. 2071, passed 3-25-19)
(e) Mental tests. This part when required shall include any tests to determine intelligence, the general capacity of applicants to adjust their thinking to new problems and conditions of life or to ascertain special character traits and aptitudes.
(f) Training and experience. This part when required shall be marked from the statements of education and experience contained in the application form or from such supplementary data as may be required. The commissioners, in their discretion, may investigate the truth of competitors’ statements as to training and experience and govern their rating accordingly.
Section 3. West Virginia Certified Law Enforcement Officers: Applicants who are already West Virginia Certified Law Enforcement Officers in Good Standing with a Current Certification are subject to the following provisions:
(a) Physical Testing. Applicants who qualify under this section will not be required to take any testing involving bodily condition, muscular strength, agility and physical fitness.
(b) Probationary Period. Those applicants that meet the criteria in this section will be placed on a one-year probationary period, but will not be subject to the 10% less pay requirement during their probationary period.
(c) Personal Days. Three personal days will be given to applicants to whom this section applies to.
(d) Sign-on Bonus. Applicants under this section who sign a 2-year contract will receive a $5000 sign-on bonus that will be paid over the course of the 2-year contract period.
B. All applicants for examinations for promotions within the Police Department from a lower grade to the next higher grade shall be required to have completed at least two (2) years of service in the next lower grade before they shall be eligible for promotion, except for the Chief of Police (WV 8-14-17). Applicants for promotion shall be graded on a scale of points determined by experience of service and written competitive examinations.
Section 1. Written Examination. This part shall consist of such number of questions as may be set forth by the Commission, based upon subjects designed to show the familiarity of competitors with the knowledge involved in the class of position to which they seek promotion. The applicant having the highest number of correct answers within the testing group for that rank shall receive one hundred (100) promotion points. All written examinations will be obtained from an approved source and will be graded by said approved source.
Section 2. Experience. For the purposes of this section, experience shall be determined to be the applicant’s longevity within the Weirton Police Department. Credit for seniority shall be given only for actual service whether such service has been continuous or not. Seniority shall be computed as of the date of examination as follows:
For the first full year 1 point
For each full year of completed service thereafter, one additional point.
Section 3. The written examination will be graded on a bell curve system.
After receipt of the results of the written examination from the examination source, the commission will open the results in the presence of two members of the Fraternal Order of Police who have been designated by the Fraternal Order of Police as observers, if the Fraternal Order of Police desires the presence of observers. The commission will grade the results by using the bell curve and will then post the results for the entire examination.
Section 4. All applicants for promotion to a position in the Weirton Police Department who have passed the competitive examination specified above shall before being appointed or promoted, undergo a medical examination which shall be conducted under the supervision of a board composed of two doctors of medicine appointed for such purpose by the appointing officer of the City.
C. Rules applicable to all classes of applicants:
The actual conduct of every examination shall be under the responsible direction of the commission, or its designated agents, free from interference, participation or influence of the appointing officer, or of any person other than the examiner and experts, employed by the commission, and the commission is hereby authorized to employ such assistance or experts, and for this purpose may exempt from examination under these rules, any person engaged in private business who shall render it any professional, scientific, technical or other expert service of an occasional or exceptional character.
All examinations shall be impartial, fair, and practical, and designed to test the relative qualifications and fitness of applicants to discharge the duties of the particular position which they seek to fill. No question in any examination shall relate to the political or religious convictions or affiliations of the applicant.
(Ord. 880, passed 9-12-88; Am. Ord. 943, passed 5-13-91; Am. Ord. 1012, passed 2-8-93; Am. Ord. 1021, passed 4-12-93; Am. Ord. 2071, passed 3-25-19)
(B) Rule IX of Appendix A of the rules and regulations of the Police Civil Service Commission is hereby amended to read as follows:
Rule IX
Eligible list.
Section 1. Posting of lists: From the returns of each examination, the commission shall prepare and keep open to public inspection, an eligible list of the persons who are eligible. Such persons shall be notified and take rank upon the eligible list in the order of their relative grades without reference to priority of time and examination.
Whenever it becomes necessary to hold a subsequent examination in order to obtain additional eligibles, the commission may consolidate existing lists for the same class by rearranging the eligible names therein according to their grades. All persons whose names appear on an existing list which is to be merged with a new list shall have an opportunity to compete in the second examination.
Section 2. Duration of the lists: The term of eligibility for each eligible list shall be as follows:
A. Probationary list of eligibles shall be valid for a period of three (3) years after certification by the commission.
B. Promotional lists of eligibles shall be valid for a period of one (1) year after the certification by the commission.
Section 3. Where examinations are held, only the grades of the successful candidate or candidates will be released. The commission will seal up the grades of all unsuccessful candidates and such grades shall not be made public and will be filed away for the sole use of the members of the commission.
(Ord. 881, passed 9-12-88)