massachusetts Human Resources Division 
DEPARTMENTAL PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION                                               ANNOUNCEMENT #2691
POLICE SERGEANT Holbrook Police Department 
Last date for filing applications:  September 7, 2010                          Examination Date:  October 16, 2010

$250.00 Examination application fee required.	 Please file early.
Apply on-line with Visa or MasterCard at https://www.csexam.hrd.state.ma.us/hrd/

Money orders and certified bank checks accepted when applying by mail.                     No cash or personal checks.

ELIGIBILITY:  To be eligible for this examination you must be an employee in the Holbrook Police Department with permanent civil service status in the below listed title(s) (“qualifying title”).  You are also required to have been employed in the qualifying (eligible) title after certification from a civil service list, on a permanent or temporary civil service basis for twelve months preceding the examination date.  A combination of temporary and permanent service can be applied towards meeting this twelve month requirement.  Time you spent on the certification leading to your permanent or temporary appointment to your qualifying title may be counted toward the twelve month requirement.  (Time spent on an eligible list does not count toward promotional eligibility.)  However, you must have permanent civil service status in a qualifying title as of the date of the examination in order to be eligible.  Time spent pursuant to a temporary appointment in the title of Sergeant will not interrupt the service period in your permanent position. Police Officers filing for this examination must have twelve months of permanent experience after completion of their Police Academy course.  Service as a Student Officer before successful completion of an approved academy does not count towards meeting the eligibility requirement.
Eligibility Title
Police Officer

SALARY:  Questions regarding salary should be directed to the Appointing Authority. 

DUTIES:  Under supervision, to perform the duties of a Police Sergeant in conformance with the rules and regulations of the Holbrook Police Department; to perform all duties assigned by the Chief of Police in every phase of police work; and to perform related work as required.

EXAMINATION SUBJECTS:  The written examination will be designed to test, where practicable, the following knowledge, abilities and skills that have been established as qualifications for the position:  Knowledge of the U.S. and Massachusetts Constitutional law, the Massachusetts General Laws, Federal, State and Local Rules and Regulations, local ordinances and bylaws and important court decisions that pertain to the operation of a police department and govern police work; knowledge of appropriate police goals, objectives, methods, procedures, and techniques pertaining to major municipal police functions (e.g., traffic control, criminal investigation, hostage situations, juvenile investigation, etc.); knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques of community policing (e.g., patrol, community relations, neighborhood and community policing, etc.); knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques of police supervision (e.g., planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling, training, performance evaluation, communication, job stress, psychological aspects, motivation, etc.); ability to choose actions appropriate to the situation; ability to confront problems, take charge, and assume responsibility; ability to demonstrate administrative judgment; ability to coordinate the efforts of others in accomplishing assigned objectives.

EXAMINATION WEIGHTS:  Your results on the written exam represent 80% of your final mark, with your rating in education and experience making up the remaining 20%.  Applicants must get a passing mark on each of the weighted components.

EXAMINATION SCORING:  Scoring methodology will be announced on or before the date of the examination. 

CREDIT FOR EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Pursuant to the provisions of Section 22 of Chapter 31, individuals may be granted credit for education and experience in the eligible title(s) identified in this announcement. At the examination, you will be asked to complete a Rating Sheet to claim education and experience credit and to provide full documentation supporting your claims.  If you cannot submit all the documents at the examination, you must do so within seven calendar days after the exam date. (No new type of education and experience claims can be introduced once you submit your Rating Sheet.)  Information on how to complete the Rating Sheet is posted approximately two weeks prior to the examination on the HRD website at www.mass.gov/hrd/examforms. For this examination, HRD will grant education and experience points only for whole and conferred degrees from recognized (accredited) higher institutions, and not for individual semester hours or degree credits. If you have multiple conferred degrees and have applied the same course credits from one degree to another, HRD will grant you full education and experience points for one degree, but will prorate the points for your additional degrees(s) to account for any course overlap.

Once you receive your examination mark, you will have seventeen calendar days from the mailing of your mark to appeal in writing your Education and Experience score. 

Examination Forms for this examination will be available after October 4, 2010. You must download a copy of the education and experience rating worksheet, the instructions for preparing the worksheet, and a copy of the employment verification form for the examination from the website, available by clicking on the Exam Forms link. If you cannot download or print these documents, please contact the Civil Service Unit via e-mail at: CivilService@hrd.state.ma.us or at the Examination Hotline phone number: 617-878-9895. Please include your name, address, and day-time phone number in the message. Copies will be mailed to you.

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:

Notice to Appear
Notices to appear to your assigned examination site will be mailed to applicants for this examination. You will be able to get a copy of your notice after October 4, 2010, by logging on to the Human Resources Division Standings and On-line Applicant Record Information system. You will need to register as a first-time user if you have not already created an account in this system.  This is a separate system from the on-line application filing system. Please follow the instructions on how to Get a Copy of Your Notice to Appear for an Exam.

PRIVATE SCHOOL OR SERVICE: The Human Resources Division does not recommend or endorse any private school or service offering preparation for examinations and is not responsible for their advertising claims.

IDENTIFICATION AT THE EXAMINATION SITE: At the examination site, applicants must present current and valid photo identification with signature (e.g., motor vehicle operator’s license, passport, ID from an institution of higher education).

HOW TO APPLY
You may apply for this examination, using a credit card, on-line at the Human Resources Division website: https://www.csexam.hrd.state.ma.us/hrd/ until midnight on September 7, 2010. A confirmation number for each transaction will be issued. 

You may also obtain a paper application form, and file it along with the examination-processing fee (or fee waiver form) in person or by mail with HRD. Applications and fee waiver forms may also be available at city and town clerks’ offices across the state. If you mail your application, send all correspondence by certified mail with “return receipt requested,” if possible. Your application MUST be received in HRD by 5:00 p.m. on September 7, 2010, or postmarked no later than September 7, 2010. 

CURRENT MILITARY PERSONNEL: ALL military personnel who, in connection with current service, CANNOT be in Massachusetts on October 16, 2010 should contact the Human Resources Division to request a make up examination. To request a make up, you must:
•	file an application and processing fee by the last filing date (September 7, 2010);
•	Request such accommodation in writing, with a copy of your military orders attached; include in your letter either your daytime base phone number or name and phone number of a Massachusetts resident with whom you are in regular contact.

TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: If you need special testing accommodations due to a documented impairment such as a hearing, learning, physical, mental or visual disability, fill in the circle in item #15 of your application or click the corresponding circle in the on-line application, and include a letter detailing what type of accommodation you require at the exam site. You must also include a letter of support from a qualified professional. Without such a letter, HRD cannot guarantee that we will be able to grant your accommodation. This information is sought only to provide reasonable accommodation on the day of the examination and will not be used for any other purposes. 

EXAMINATION FEE: All paper applications must be accompanied by a money order, certified bank check, or by a completed fee waiver form. The examination-processing fee is $250. Payment by money order or certified bank check should be made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please print your name, address, social security number, and the examination announcement number 2691 on the front of the money order or certified bank check. Payments by Master Card and VISA are also accepted when applying via the web site. NO CASH OR PERSONAL CHECKS. There will be NO REFUNDS of the examination-processing fee unless the examination is cancelled by HRD.

FEE WAIVER: The examination-processing fee may be waived for applicants receiving certain forms of state or federal public assistance, unemployment insurance, or workers’ compensation. If you are claiming a fee waiver, fill in item #16 on the paper application. Fee waiver forms are available from, and must be filed with, the Massachusetts Human Resources Division (see address below). Waiver forms must be accompanied by proof of eligibility, for the subject time period, in the form of signed and dated receipts check stubs and/or other documentation from the agency providing the assistance. 

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE
Definition of a Massachusetts Veteran M.G.L. c. 4, sec. 7, cl. 43 as amended by the Acts of 2004 Effective August 30, 2004:  To be a “veteran” under Massachusetts law, a person is required to have either 180 days of regular active duty service and a last discharge or release under honorable conditions OR 90 days of active duty service, one (1) day of which is during “wartime” and a last discharge or release under honorable conditions. A chart defining “wartime” service is available on-line.
VETERANS’ PREFERENCE:  If you are claiming veterans' preference and if your eligibility for veterans’ preference has not been approved before by HRD, you must submit a copy of your DD Form 214 (Release From Active Duty) or if you are still in military service, you must submit a verification letter for HRD review from your commanding officer, on official letterhead with appropriate signature, with details of your military service to date including, the dates of full-time active duty, current assignment, and estimated time of separation in order to receive proper credit. Your notice to appear for the examination will indicate whether or not you are already classified as a veteran. Qualifying service must have been in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Air Force of the United States. Please note that active duty exclusively for training in the National Guard or Reserves does NOT qualify you for veterans' preference. National Guard Members or Reservists must have 180 days and have been activated under Title 10 of the U.S. Code - OR- if activated under Title 10 or Title 32 of the U.S. Code or Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 33, sections 38, 40, and 41, must have 90 days, at least one of which was during wartime, per the chart on the website. The Members’ last discharge or release must be under honorable conditions.
Disabled Veteran Status:  Claims for status as a disabled veteran require written confirmation from the US Veterans Administration of a continuing service-connected disability rated 10% or higher. (See MGL. Chapter 31, Section 1).  Please see the above Veteran’s Preference section for instructions on submitting documentation.
Documentation for veteran’s preference and/or disabled vet status may be submitted at the exam site on the testing date or after the exam and during the life of the eligible list along with a completed Add Preferences & Skills Form to HRD by fax: 617-727-0399, email CivilService@hrd.state.ma.us or postal mail: Human Resources Division, One Ashburton Place, Room 301, Boston, MA  02108.  During the HRD review process or during the life of the applicable eligible list(s), applicants must make original supporting documentation available should the issue of authenticity arise with the submitted copies. 

Veterans and disabled veterans will be awarded two points to their passing, overall (general average) examination score.

PROMOTIONAL PREFERENCE FOR 25 YEARS OF SERVICE:  A member of a regular police force or fire force who has served as such for twenty-five years and who passes an examination for promotional appointment in such force may qualify for two additional preference points. Eligible applicant must claim this preference at the examination and verify eligibility on the Employment Verification Form which he or she submits for this examination.  Applicants qualified for the Promotional Preference will be granted two additional points to their passing, overall (general average) examination score.

If you are qualified for both the Veteran’s Preference and the Promotional Preference for 25 years of service, please be advised that two points are the maximum allowable number of points to be added to your passing, overall (general average) examination score.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Information about this examination can be obtained on the Internet at www.mass.gov/civilservice or by contacting the Human Resources Division Monday through Friday, 1 Ashburton Place, Room 301, Boston, MA, 02108, 8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., except holidays, during these hours at the following numbers:
In the Boston area: (617) 727-3777			  Outside the Boston area: (toll free) 1-800-392-6178
TTY Number: (617) 878-9762			  FAX Number: (617) 727-0399
Exam Info Hotline (617) 878-9895

READING LIST FOR DEPARTMENTAL PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATIONS TO POLICE SERGEANT,
LIEUTENANT AND CAPTAIN

Examinations for this series are scheduled for October 16, 2010. All applicants are responsible for reading all the texts and other materials listed below and on all pages of this announcement. Please note carefully which edition and/or date of publication is listed for each item. All chapters, appendices, glossaries, etc., are included unless otherwise noted. All examination questions will be based on these materials.

Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective (5th ed., 2009). Kappeler, V. E., and Gaines, L. K.; Anderson Publishing Company-Lexis Nexis; ISBN-13: 9781593455118. 
 
Criminal Investigation (10th ed., 2009). Swanson, C. R., Chamelin, N. C., Territo, L., and Taylor, R.W.; McGraw-Hill, Inc.; ISBN-10: 0073401536; ISBN-13: 9780073401539.  All chapters except Chapter 17. 

Police Administration (7th ed., 2008). Swanson, C. R., Territo, L., and Taylor, R. W.; Prentice-Hall, Inc.; ISBN-10: 0131589334; ISBN-13: 9780131589339.

Supervision of Police Personnel (7th ed., 2009). Iannone, N. F., Iannone, M. P., and Bernstein, J.; Prentice-Hall, Inc.; ISBN-10: 0131131613; ISBN-13: 9780131131613. 

Massachusetts General Laws, as amended through the release date of this reading list.

Additional Sources to Help Explain Massachusetts General Law and Constitutional Law
The primary source of examination questions measuring knowledge of law and court decisions governing police work in Massachusetts is the Massachusetts General Laws (amended as of April 16, 2010). The four resources that follow are secondary sources of information about law and court decisions. In the event of a direct conflict between the information contained in these resources and that contained in the General Laws, the General Laws will be the definitive source. 

Motor Vehicle Police Manual 2010 (2010). Scheft, J. S.; Law Enforcement Dimensions; 
ISBN-10: 1932348379. 

Juvenile Law Police Manual 2010 (2010). Scheft, J. S.; Law Enforcement Dimensions; ISBN-10: 1932348441.  

Massachusetts Criminal Law Textbook for 2010 (2010), Rogers, P. M.; Commonwealth Police Service, Inc. 

Massachusetts Criminal Procedure Textbook for 2010 (2010), Rogers, P. M.; Commonwealth Police Service, Inc. 

Publishers of Reading List Texts

Anderson Publishing Company-Lexis Nexis, 1275 Broadway, Albany, NY 12204; 800.223.1940; http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawenforcement/books

McGraw-Hill, Inc., P.O. Box 182604, Columbus, OH 43272; 800.262.4729; http://www.mhprofessional.com

Commonwealth Police Service, Inc., 5 Jethol Drive, Assonet, MA 02702; (508.644.2116); http://www.commonwealthpolice.net 

Law Enforcement Dimensions, 846 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476; 781.646.4377; http://www.ledimensions.com 

Prentice Hall, Inc., a division of Pearson Education, 200 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ 07675; 800.947.7700; http://www.mypearsonstore.com OR www.policetrainingstore.com

Please note that the Human Resources Division does not recommend specific bookstores for the purchase of reading list texts. For local vendors, contact the publishers at the telephone number or web site listed, or check with the Chief of your department or local union representative for assistance. Many local bookstores will be able to special-order any text not carried in stock.