Entry Level Police Officer

City of Bowling Green

Entry Level Police Officer

Starting Base Rate: $29.94 per hour

The City is accepting applications from February 1st, 2023 through March 15th, 2023 for the classification of Police Officer. The City of Bowling Green is testing to fill multiple vacancies in 2023. These positions are open to candidates who meet the following education/experience requirements:

1. An associate's degree or 96 quarter hours of 64 semester hours towards a bachelor's degree. Post-secondary education must be obtained from an accredited college or university. Proof of education is required at the time of application; or

2. Current Ohio Peace Officer Training Council Certification. OPOTC Certification is required at the time of application; or

3. Current enrollment in an OPOTA Peace Officer Training program with a completion date prior to appointment with the City of Bowling Green. Proof of enrollment is required at the time of application; or

4. Two or more years of active-duty military service within the previous 24 months of application and honorably discharged. The candidate's DD Form 2014 documenting an honorable discharge must be submitted at the time of application.

5. Must be eligible to work in the United States of America and must possess a valid Ohio Driver's License

Union Contract: The current Bowling Green Police Patrolman's Association OPBA bargaining agreement is available at https://www.bgohio.org/DocumentCenter/View/314/Bowling-Green-Police-Patrolmans-Association-OPBA-PDF.

Salary Information: Starting base hourly rate is $29.94, as outlined in the previously referenced OPBA contract. Officers also have additional opportunities for regular and contract overtime. Pursuant to the current union contract, officers hired with prior experience may, at the City's discretion, be place anywhere within the appropriate pay grade. Officers hired will have to serve five years with the Bowling Green Police Division to be eligible for promotion, as established in the OPBA contract. Police Officers must serve a one-year probationary period.

Benefit Information: The City of Bowling Green offers a comprehensive benefit package, including medical/prescription/dental insurance coverage, life insurance, and participation in the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund. Additionally, the Bowling Green Police Division offers paid holidays, sick leave accrual, vacation accrual and paid job-related training opportunities. Leave policies are flexible and accrual rates are very competitive. Enrollment in the Ohio Deferred Compensation (457b) program is available. This is a voluntary governmental retirement plan that allows employees to increase retirement savings through pre-tax salary deferral.

Age: In accordance with Section 33.08 of the Bowling Green municipal ordinance (BGMO), no person shall be eligible to receive an original appointment as a police officer in the Bowling Green, Ohio Police Division, unless the person has reached the age of twenty-one (21). Furthermore, no person shall be eligible to receive an original appointment as a police officer in the Bowling Green, Ohio Police Division on or after the person's forty-first (41st) birthday. (The age restriction is permitted by the Public Safety Exemption to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (29 U.S. Code 623 (j)).

Veteran's Credit: Section 7.01 of the City's Charter provides for an additional credit of 10% of a passing test score for honorably discharged veterans. A candidate's DD form 214 documenting an honorable discharge must be submitted at the time of application in order to be eligible for the veteran's credit. Veteran's credit will NOT be added to a failing written examination score.

Application/Testing Process

1. Testing and Personal History Questionnaire is through the National Testing Network (NTN). The National Testing Network is a service provided to conduct entry-level testing in a standardized, professional environment. NTN does not replace the City of Bowling Green's responsibility and decision-making in the testing and hiring process. All candidate results are provided to the City where the final hiring decisions are made.

2. All candidates must complete and pass the law enforcement tests (video, writing, and reading) offered by the National Testing Network (NTN). Candidates who have tested with the NTN during the prior year will need to apply their scores to Bowling Green's current posting to be considered. NTN scores must be valid (not expired) on application deadline of March 15th, 2023. The weighted passing test score is 70, but ALL sections of the NTN written examination must be passed. (Veteran's Credit will not be added to a failing score.) Any cost (time or money) for taking the NTN exam is the responsibility of the candidate.

3. To register with NTN and schedule a test, go to https://www.nationaltestingnetwork.com, select "Find Jobs", then select "Law Enforcement Jobs", and sign up for the Bowling Green Police Division under the "State of Ohio" tab. When you visit the NTN website, you should do the following:

a. Complete the NTN registration process and schedule your test.

b. Review all information related to the City of Bowling Green Entry-Level Police Officer position, including minimum requirements, age requirements, veteran's credit, currently certified officers, salary and benefits.

c. Review detailed information about the testing process.

d. Review the Frequently Asked Questions and take an online practice test (if desired).

e. Candidates must also complete the public safety self-assessment (PSSA) and the NTN personal history questionnaire (PHQ). Candidates can access the questionnaire through their candidate account on NTN. The PHQ must be completed by March 15th, 2023 or you will not be considered further in the process.

4. City of Bowling Green Application for Employment: All candidates must complete a City of Bowling Green Employment Completed applications must be submitted to the Department of Human Resources by 4:30 p.m. on March 15th, 2023. Application that is available either online at https://www.bgohio.org/Jobs.aspx or in the Department of Human Resources located at 304 N. Church St., Bowling Green, OH 43402 Resumes alone are unacceptable. City application materials may be returned by email to humanresources@bgohio.org, by fax to (419) 352-1262 or by US Mail or hand-delivery to the address above. You can reach the Department of Human Resources by phone at (419) 354-6200.

5. Physical Ability Test: A physical ability test will be required of the candidates who pass the National Testing Network exams (must pass all sections of the examination and achieve a weighted score of 70), and submit their application to the City of Bowling Green by March 15th. Upon completion of your scheduled exam, scores are automatically available to the City of Bowling Green's Department of Human Resources. The City will contact candidates who have passed all portions of the NTN examination and attained a weighted score of at least 70 and will schedule them for the physical ability test. Candidates will be contacted by a police division employee to schedule their physical ability test on one of the following dates: Saturday March 18th, Sunday March 19th or Saturday March 25, 2023. One retest will be allowed if the test is taken on one of the first two testing dates, no retest will be allowed if you schedule and fail the physical ability test on the March 25th testing date. Those who pass the National Testing Network exams, submit a completed City application and pass the physical ability test by the March 25th deadline will have their scores submitted to the Civil Service Commission for certification.

The components of the physical ability test are outlined in the Ohio Attorney General guidelines to becoming a police officer: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/How-to-Become-a-Peace-Officer-in-Ohio. Candidates can also obtain a copy of these components from the Department of Human Resources of the City of Bowling Green. Candidates must pass the entrance standards, which are identified in the "start" column in the above-mentioned document (i.e. 32 sit-ups and 19 pushups in one minute based on age and gender) in order to be considered further in the hiring process.

Hiring Process

Section 7.01 of the City's Charter: When a vacancy occurs in the entry level position of the Police Division to be filled by appointment, the Civil Service Commission shall certify to the appointing authority the names of the five (5) persons standing highest on the eligibility list for such position. The appointing officer shall appoint one of such persons to such position.

Candidates who attain a passing score (pass all sections of the examination and achieve a weighted examination score of at least 70) on the NTN entry-level written exam and who also pass the physical ability test will be placed on the City of Bowling Green's eligibility list based on their written test score and the addition of any veteran's credit to which they are entitled.