Sec. 38-23. - Qualifications for appointment to the police department.

(a)

A candidate for initial appointment to the police department, excluding the office of chief of police, must meet the following minimum qualifications:

(1)

Must be a citizen of the United States;

(2)

Must be a resident of the state upon appointment;

(3)

Must be 21 years of age or older upon appointment.

(4)

Height must be proportionate to weight;

(5)

Vision must be not less than 20/30 correctable to 20/20 and must be able to distinguish colors;

(6)

Must have a valid unrestricted state driver's license upon appointment;

(7)

Must have a minimum of 60 college credit hours or two consecutive years of honorable active duty or reserve military service or one year full-time employment as a police officer, corrections officer, or equivalent law enforcement experience at an agency with arrest powers by the date of application.

(b)

Each candidate meeting the above minimum qualifications will be required to take a validated written examination administered by the department or a department approved administrator. A passing grade of not less than 70 percent is required in order to continue with the application process.

(c)

Each candidate passing the written examination must pass the physical agility test as mandated and administered by the Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training.

(d)

A minimum of the top 15 successful candidates who have passed the written examination and physical agility test shall be subjected to a three-person oral board. A maximum score of 50 percent will be awarded by the oral board. Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the town from including more than 15 candidates in the oral board.

(e)

Each successful candidate will be investigated by the detective unit as to his/her background and eligibility to be appointed to the department. Successful candidates will be required to submit proof of:

(1)

High school graduation or GED certification;

(2)

Birth certificate;

(3)

Driver's license;

(4)

Military discharge, 60 college credits or prior police service, if any;

(5)

Proof of state residency.

Each candidate will be required to submit appropriate waivers of any confidential information so that the investigating officers can conduct a full and complete background investigation.

(f)

An eligibility list of successful candidates will be established. The list will be finalized on the following:

(1)

Written examination maximum score of 500 points .....50 percent

(2)

Oral board maximum score 500 points .....50 percent

(3)

Physical fitness test .....pass/fail

(4)

Background investigation .....pass/fail

(5)

Personal interview by chief of police, executive officer and director of public safety .....pass/fail

A maximum of 1,000 points will be awarded to establish the final list which will be computed down to a percentage of thousands of a percent. The chief of police, with the approval of the director of public safety, will select whom to appoint from the top five candidates.

(g)

When the final list is established and prior to appointment, each candidate will be required to submit to and pass a physical examination and a psychological examination as defined by state statute law. The physical examination will be graded as: recommended for appointment or not recommended for appointment. The psychological evaluation will be graded unsatisfactory-below average through satisfactory-above average. Candidates graded unsatisfactory-below average will not be considered for appointment and will be struck from the final list for appointment.

(h)

A candidate has the right of appeal on any part of the testing procedure to the chief of police and the director of public safety. Their decision will be final.

(i)

An active police officer who has been certified by the RI Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training may be hired, at the discretion of the chief of police and with the approval of director of public safety, as a lateral transfer without completing subsections (b) through (d) contingent upon the RI Police Officer Standard and Training (POST) approval.

(j)

The appointment of candidates from the finalized list will be subject to the hiring practices as set forth by the Town Charter and ordinances of the town.

(Code 1986, § 11-18; Ch. 864, § 1, 7-18-2005; Ch. 1092, § 1, 3-21-2022; Ch. 1112, § 1, 9-18-2023)

State Law reference— Qualifications and standards, G.L. 1956, § 42-28.2-8.