Safety & Security Officer Trainee

You may be assigned to either Saturday or Sunday to take your test. The Department of Civil Service reserves the right to administer tests either online or with paper booklets and answer sheets. Your admission notice will tell you whether your test will be administered online. You cannot request a day in advance or change your scheduled day.

IMPORTANT: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT received by the Department of Civil Service. No late applications will be accepted after the filing deadline has passed.

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $1,722 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $919 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before February 29, 2020, you must have a high school or high school equivalency diploma issued from an accredited public or private school recognized by the New York State Education Department.

Notes

1. Your high school diploma or equivalency diploma must have been awarded by a high school or educational institution accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your high school diploma was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1MXT.
2. Training and Advancement: Prior to the end of your traineeship, you would be required to satisfactorily complete Academy Training mandated by the Municipal Police Training Council, as well as any other training mandated by law, rules, and/or regulations imposed by the employer. At the successful completion of your one-year traineeship and Academy Training, you will be advanced to the full journey level, salary grade 12 ($42,740) effective March, 2015, without further examination.
3. Physical/Medical Requirements: Your physical and medical condition will be evaluated to ensure that you are able to satisfactorily perform the duties of this position with or without reasonable accommodation. A complete statement of the physical and medical standards is available at: http://www.cs.ny.gov/ehs/forms.cfm. A medical examination will be required prior to appointment, and you are responsible for payment of the clinical laboratory test fee. Appointees to this position may be required to undergo periodic medical examinations to reassess their ability to perform the essential duties of the position.

4. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: In some agencies, the names of all prospective employees will be:

   • Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
   • Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws;

   and may be:

   • Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment.

   You will be responsible for payment of all required fees.

5. Medicaid and Medicare: In order to be eligible for appointment and to maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). If you are appointed and subsequently listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program), you may be terminated from your employment.
6. License Requirement: At the time of appointment and as a condition for continued employment, you must possess a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State. Conditional licenses are not acceptable.
7. Peace Officer Requirements: Safety and Security Officers have peace officer status as authorized under Criminal Procedure Law Section 2.10 and Sections 7.25 and 13.25 of Mental Hygiene Law or Section 455 of Public Health Law. As such, they must meet the requirements for appointment to public office defined in Public Officers Law Section 3 (1) and for continued employment as required in Section 30. This includes: Minimum Age Requirement: At the time of appointment, you must have reached your 18th birthday. New York State Residency and United States Citizenship: New York State residence is not required to take the examination. However, at the time of appointment you must be a resident of New York State and a citizen of the United States. Employment requires that you maintain your residency in New York State.
8. Language Proficiency: If you are considered for appointment to a Language parenthetic, you will be required to pass a performance test to demonstrate your proficiency in the language. Proficiency must be at a level that will ensure your ability to properly perform the duties of the position. Only enough candidates needed to fill current vacancies will be called to the proficiency test.
9. If you submit an application for No. 26-810 Safety and Security Officer Trainee (Spanish language), an application will automatically be submitted for you for No. 26-809 Safety and Security Officer Trainee at no additional cost.
10. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.

The Positions

These positions exist in the Office of Mental Health, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and the Department of Health.

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Duties

As a Safety and Security Officer Trainee, you would be required to satisfactorily complete a comprehensive one-year training program. During this period, you would be trained to protect individuals and property, prevent and detect crime, conduct investigations, search for and eliminate contraband, and maintain peace and security in a State agency, facility, or community residence. While serving your traineeship, you may be assigned on a fixed or rotating basis to mobile or foot patrol, dispatch desk post, fire post, or fire and safety inspections. In these assignments, you would utilize computers, cameras, fingerprinting equipment, and complex alarm systems; operate emergency vehicles; and transport individuals and staff on and off premises. You would complete incident and other written reports, may testify in court or at other hearings, and conduct basic fire and safety training for other employees. In addition, prior to being advanced to the full journey-level, you would be required to satisfactorily complete Academy Training mandated by the Municipal Police Training Council, and any other training mandated by law, rules, and/or regulations.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
2. Following directions (maps) - These questions test your ability to follow physical/geographic directions using street maps or building maps. You will have to read and understand a set of directions and then use them on a simple map.
3. Applying written information in a safety and security setting - These questions evaluate your ability to read, interpret and apply rules, regulations, directives, written narratives and other related material. You will be required to read a set of information and to appropriately apply the information to situations similar to those typically experienced in a public safety and security service setting. All information needed to answer the questions is contained in the rules, regulations, etc. which are cited.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

TEST GUIDE: A Guide to the Written Test for the Safety and Security Series is available on the Department website https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Important: The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies may communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your examination results and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S1/TC1 MXT-dah
Issued: 12/13/2019

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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