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Police Officer Recruitment Overview
The Community: The City of Fairview Heights is a unique community with a residential population of approximately 16,000. Residents have the opportunity to choose form a wide array of housing options raging from stylish rental apartments to luxurious executive-style single family homes. Living in Fairview Heights is considered to be a genuine pleasure. In addition to having a wonderful selection of housing options, the City also has excellent school systems and offers several well-equipped parks for recreation.
Fairview Heights attracts visitors and shoppers from throughout Southern Illinois and the entire St. Louis region with our substantial number of restaurants and hundreds of retail stores, including our huge, one million square foot regional indoor shopping mall.
The Government: The City of Fairview Heights was incorporated on October 2, 1969, and operates under a mayor/council form of government. The mayor, city clerk, treasurer, and ten council members are elected by the citizens of Fairview Heights. A professional City Administrator oversees the day to day operations of the city government. The City is a home rule unit and is currently divided into five aldermanic wards.
The Department: The department employs forty-one (41) sworn officers and eighteen (18) civilian employees. The Fairview Heights Police Department offers qualified candidates the opportunity to join a progressive and professional police department with several career enhancing opportunities, including criminal investigations, juvenile investigations, undercover drug operations, school resource officer, D.A.R.E. officer, auto theft task force investigations, crisis intervention teams, and regional SWAT teams.
Police officers in Fairview Heights have always enjoyed the support of the citizens of the community, due in large part to the officers’ dedication to the philosophy of community oriented policing and the officers’ devotion to the tenets of professional and ethical policing. The department is focused on preventing crime and increasing the quality of life for everyone who lives in or visits the community.
Patrol officers are represented by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 217. The collective bargaining agreement offers a very competitive salary and comprehensive benefit program.
The Requirements: In order to be considered for employment with the Fairview Heights Police Department, candidates must possess and adhere to the following requirements:
· Be between the ages of 21 and 35. Exceptions: 1) Candidates who are over 35 years of age, and have any amount of full time law enforcement experience with a municipality in any state, are eligible, 2) Candidates who have Illinois Sheriff Deputy and/or Illinois State Police patrol experience are eligible up to the age of 40, and 3) Candidates who are 20 years of age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university, are eligible.
Possess an Associates Degree or above in law enforcement or a related field, -OR- the Board may consider an applicant who has a minimum of sixty-four (64) semester hours or its equivalent in undergraduate college work towards the attainment of any bachelor’s degree, -OR- four years full-time employment as a commissioned police officer or as a military police officer.
Be a U.S. citizen or an alien admitted for permanent residency or authorized to work in the U.S.
Possess a valid Illinois license or have the capability to obtain one at the time of the appointment.
Pass written examinations, agility tests, oral interviews, background investigation(s), physical examination, vision test, polygraph test, and an extensive psychological examination. All of the medical examinations will be conducted by department physicians.
Possess the capability of being accepted into and successfully completing a state mandated police basic training academy.
Live within 30 minute response time of the Fairview Heights Police Department within one year of employment.
The Process: Advertising for the entry level testing process, mandated orientation, application form, physical agility test, and written examination are elements of the selection process that will be conducted by the Southwestern Illinois Fire & Police Recruitment & Testing Consortium for member communities. Written examination scores and all forms that have been submitted to the consortium will be forwarded to the Fairview Heights Board of Fire & Police Commissioners on all applicants who successfully meet the requirements set by the Board. The Fairview Heights Board of Fire and Police Commissioners will notify all candidates of the written
examination results and ranking if placed on the eligibility register. Successful candidates placed on the eligibility register who are eligible for veteran, educational, or law enforcement certification preference points will have an opportunity to claim them.
A final eligibility register will then be established in numeric order based on written examination scores and claimed preference points. Candidates listed on the final eligibility register may be invited to continue in the Board’s pass/fail process that will consist of the following:
Extensive background investigation
Polygraph examination
Oral interview
Candidate ranking on the Final Eligibility Register is valid for a period of two years from the date that the commission adopts it.
Final participation in the selection process will take place as vacancies in the police department occur. When an opening occurs, the Final Eligibility Register’s top ranking candidates or the highest ranked candidate who has successfully completed the minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Course will be invited to participate in the following:
Conditional offer of employment, which is conditional on the successful completion of:
Medical examination (includes drug screening).
Psychological examination.
Appointment and swearing-in ceremony by the city clerk.
Probationary Period: Following appointment, a new police officer is required to satisfy the following requirements:
Successfully complete a state mandated recruit academy.
Become certified by the Illinois State Training Board.
Successfully complete the department's field training program.
Successfully complete an eighteen (18) month probationary period.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
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