Employment Opportunites Law Enforcement Careers Jobs Work with the Lewiston Police Lewiston Maine
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The City of Lewiston is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and will not discriminate in any of its practices on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, marital status, physical or mental handicap, age, ancestry or national origin unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification.

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Positions for Lewiston P.D. - Patrol Officer
	Written Civil Service Examination Will be given on  TBA The Agility Test will be given on T.B.A for those who qualify

Salaries & Benefits

Patrol Officers Union - Maine Association of Police
Supervisor Union - Lewiston Police Supervisory Command Unit

Full-time officers hired from another jurisdiction will receive a lateral transfer for up to 8 years of service rounded to the closest number of years.

All uniformed officers work a four day on, two day off work cycle.
Work shift selection is made on a seniority basis.
Officers in the Criminal Investigation Division work a five day week.

Basic Benefits include:

Family Health Insurance: Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust       
    Effective 01/01/02: 7% of premium to a cap of $15.00 weekly
    Effective 01/01/03: 7% of premium to a cap of $20.00 weekly
    Effective 01/01/04: 10% of premium to a cap of $25.00 weekly

Dental Plan: Flexible Benefits Program, paid by employee

Paid Life Insurance

Paid Holidays (11): New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Patriot's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Columbus Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.

Retirement Plan: Maine State Retirement Plan allows for retirement at half pay, after 25 years of service, with retirement benefits collectible upon retirement, no age limit.

Paid Vacations: Paid vacation time accumulates at:

• 1 day per month during the first five years of service
• 1-1/2 days per month between 5 and 20 years of service
• 1-3/4 days per month after 20 years of service.

Sick Leave: Sick leave is accumulated at 1 day per month of service accumulative to 150 sick leave days.  Sick leave incentive pays employees 8 hours of straight time for non-use of sick leave for a four month period

Clothing Allowance: An annual clothing allowance of $500.00 is allotted to each officer towards the purchase of uniforms, related clothing and extraneous equipment.  Effective 07/01/03 the annual allowance will be $525.00

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Minimum Requirements and Qualifications

• Applicants must be a United States citizen, or in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen at time of hiring.

• Applicants must be at least twenty (20) years of age.

• Applicants are required to have completed the twelfth (12th) grade or its educational equivalent.

• Graduates of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy or comparable institutions are preferred, contact the City of Lewiston Human Resource Office for more details.

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Application Procedure

The application procedure begins with acquisition of an Application Packet.
This packet contains the forms and directions needed to apply for employment.
Obtaining an Application Packet can be accomplished by calling or writing to:

Human Resources
City Building
Lewiston, ME 04240
(207) 784-2951 - Ext. 115 or 116

Application/Hiring Procedure Overview

All applicants must first take and pass the ALERT Test which is a basic literacy test administered by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

Applicants are then scheduled to take a competitive Civil Service Exam.

Applicants are then placed on a Certified List compiled by the City of Lewiston's Personnel Office, the applicants position on the Certified List is determined by the score achieved on the Civil Service Exam. As vacancies occur on the Lewiston Police Department the top five names from the Certified List are submitted per each vacant position to the Chief of Police for consideration for employment.

The successful applicants submitted to the Chief of Police by the Personnel Office from the Certified List will next participate in an Oral Interview. Upon completion of the oral interviews the Chief of Police makes a selection from those applicants who were interviewed, and offers them "Conditional Employment". The "conditions" essentially are the successful and satisfactory completion of the remaining hiring procedures.

The selected applicant(s) accepting conditional employment are then scheduled for a Polygraph Examination, which is followed by a Psychological Examination and Medical Examination.

A thorough Background Check on each selected applicant is then conducted.

The process ends with the selected applicant taking the Fitness Test, which is a further test of the applicants physical abilities. The Fitness Test is designed to standards set forth by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and must be passed by the applicant in order to graduate from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

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The ALERT Test

The ALERT test is a basic literacy test administered and required by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. This test must be taken by any applicant wishing to apply for the position of Police Officer anywhere in the State of Maine.

Presently the ALERT test is available to be taken on the first and third Wednesdays of every month at 9:00AM. It is given at the:

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Maine Criminal Justice Academy
93 Silver Street
Waterville, ME 04901-0093
Phone # : (207) 877-8000

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A $25.00 fee is required upon submission of your application to take the ALERT test. The application form to take the ALERT test, and further directions are included in your Application Packet.

Once the ALERT test is taken, your name and score are kept on file and can be utilized repeatedly by you, towards any future applications for employment you submit anywhere in the State of Maine, that require the taking of the ALERT test as a prerequisite.

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The Civil Service Exam

The Civil Service Exam is a competitive general aptitude test. The score an applicant receives on this test determines their placement on the Certified List, which can remain in effect for a full year.

The Civil Service Exam is presently administered once a year, usually in January, by the Personnel Office for the City of Lewiston. The exact time, date and location of the test is made known to all eligible applicants as that time of year approaches. There is no charge for taking this exam.

You must have made application with the City of Lewiston for the position of Police Officer, and have taken and passed the ALERT test in order to be eligible for the Civil Service Exam.

The Civil Service Exam typically takes 2-1/2 to 3 hours to complete, the results of which will be furnished to the applicant on the same evening the test is administered.

In years past Civil Service Examinations have been attended by upwards of 100 individuals at a time.

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Oral Interview

The Oral Board is composed of administrative and supervisory personnel from the Lewiston Police Department, as appointed by the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police may often be present during a candidates oral interview.

This is when applicants are afforded the opportunity to verbally represent themselves and provide information and opinions that may not have been included in any other aspects of the hiring procedure.

 

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Polygraph Examination

A Polygraph (Lie Detector) Exam is administered by one the Lewiston Police Departments licensed polygraph examiners, at no financial cost to the prospective employee.

The polygraph exam takes app. 3 hours to complete and is primarily used to verify a candidates general background information. Some of the issues and topics covered during the polygraph exam include:

• Criminal Activity
• Narcotics and Alcohol Use
• General Honesty
• Employment History
• Use of Force Issues
• Motor Vehicle Violations and Accidents

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Psychological Examination

The Psychological Test is administered by a Psychologist chosen by the City of Lewiston, at no cost to the prospective employee.

The Psychological examination consists of a battery of tests designed to assess the following elements:

• Analytical Judgment
• Employee Aptitude Survey
• Preference Index
• 16 PF Test (Interpersonal Skills)
• Gilfred-Zimmerman Temperament Survey
• Vocational Preference Inventory
• Analysis of Communication Style
• Sentence Completions
• Personal Interview

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Medical Examination

Prior to appointment candidates must submit to a thorough medical examination to identify any medical problems that might inhibit work performance, shorten a career, or contribute to work related disabilities.

The medical examination is conducted by a physician chosen by the City of Lewiston.

The medical examination is administered at no cost to the candidate for employment.

The medical examination shall include but not be limited to a chest x-ray, EKG and back x-ray.

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Background Check

All prospective candidates for employment go through a rigorous background check conducted by one of the Lewiston Police Departments experienced investigators.

The background check is conducted solely for evaluating the qualifications of an applicant to become a law enforcement officer, and is done so as to determine relevant information pertaining to the applicants:

• Integrity
• Lawfulness of Past Behavior
• Behavior with regards to Motor Vehicle Operation
• Performance in Previous Jobs
• Personal References

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Fitness Test

The Fitness Test is a requirement of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Candidates for employment on the Lewiston Police Department must pass this test in order to attend the Academy.

This test is administered by a representative of the Lewiston Police Department who must indicate to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that the candidate has passed the Academy's minimum physical fitness requirements.

The procedures and requirements for this Fitness Test are as follows:

Maine Criminal Justice Academy
40th Percentile Physical Fitness
Entrance Requirements

The following five test items constitute the physical fitness test for Maine Criminal Justice Academy APPLICANTS prior to entrance into the Academy. Applicants will be required to successfully complete each test at the 40th percentile standard based on the Institute of Aerobic Research age and sex norms.

Physical Fitness Test Standards

1. Anaerobic Power - One repetition maximum leg press
2. Flexibility - Sit and reach test
3. Absolute Strength - One repetition maximum bench press
4. Dynamic Strength - One minute sit-up test
5. Cardiovascular Endurance - 1.5 Mile Run

PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST DESCRIPTIONS

ONE REPETITION MAXIMUM LEG PRESS: After the applicant's weight is determined, applicant will leg press on a "Universal Gym" apparatus the maximum amount of weight possible. For safety, a total of four or more warm-up or preparatory lifts will first be completed. The applicant must press the minimum acceptable weight to receive a passing score. This is determined by a ratio of weight lifted to applicant's body weight. The lifting effort will start with a weight level approximately the applicant's body weight if male, and 3/4 of body weight if applicant is female.

Scoring: The ratio of weight lifted divided by the body weight.

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SIT AND REACH TEST: The applicant sits on the floor with legs extended at right angles to a box. The heels touch the near edge of the box and are approximately eight inches apart. A yardstick is placed between the legs. It rests on the box with the 15-inch mark on the near edge of the box (touching your toes would be a 15" stretch). The applicant slowly reaches forward as possible down the yardstick, while exhaling with both hands together and on top of each other. The legs must remain straight or unbent. The position is held until a monitor acknowledges the stretch. The distance reached on the yardstick by the fingertips is recorded. The best of three trials is the flexibility score.

Scoring: The inches reached or stretched.

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ONE REPETITION MAXIMUM BENCH PRESS: After the applicants weight is determined, the applicant will bench press on a "Universal Gym" apparatus the maximum amount of weight possible. For safety, a total of four or more warm up or preparatory lifts will first be completed. The applicant must press the minimum acceptable weight to receive a passing score. This is determined by a ratio of weight lifted to body weight. The lifting effort normally will start with a weight level approximately 2/3s of the applicants body weight if the applicant is a male, and 1/2 of your body weight if the applicant is female.

Scoring: The ratio of weight lifted divided by your body weight.

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ONE MINUTE SIT-UP TEST: The applicant will lie down on their back with knees bent and heels flat on the floor. A partner will hold the applicant's feet down. The hands will be placed on the side of the head and behind the ears. Hands will not be allowed to be clasped. A correct sit-up is performed by sitting up until the upper body is perpendicular to the floor. Usually this will mean that the applicant's elbows must touch the top of the knees or extend beyond the lower legs. The complete sit-up is finished by returning to a full lying position (upper back touching the floor) before starting the next sit-up. The applicant will perform as many sit-ups as possible in a one minute period.

Scoring: Your total number of correct sit-ups.

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1.5 MILE RUN: The applicant will walk, jog, run, or any combination thereof, a distance of one and one-half miles. A measured, relatively level course will be used, such as an indoor or outdoor track. Exact distances will be indicated. A monitor will keep record of the distance and time the applicant has completed. If using a track, the assigned monitor will inform the applicant at the end of each lap the cumulative running time.

Scoring: The time it takes to finish 1.5 miles.

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