Police chief: testing complete; three finalists advance in Connellsville hiring process

The Police Chief told Connellsville City Council on Dec. 16 that the department’s recruitment process for new officers has reached its final selection stage.

The department received 18 applications, 10 candidates attended testing, 5 passed the physical portion and 3 passed the written exam and were interviewed by the civil service board. Those three are ranked and council will receive formal documentation from the civil service board as staff proceeds with background checks (SEG 251-265; SEG 278-281). "The testing is finally complete," the chief said, summarizing the selection steps (SEG 248-249).

The chief detailed the training status of the candidates: one is a police officer in Morgantown, W.Va., who needs Pennsylvania coursework; another lacks 120 training and would need academy attendance; the third recently graduated from a Pennsylvania academy and would be ready to serve after backgrounds (SEG 268-277).

The chief and the council discussed next steps and timelines for background checks and conditional offers. Separately, the chief described an unusual police call: a 500-pound welding machine placed on a West Side sidewalk in front of a business and later loaded onto a flatbed. The item has a serial number and the department is working to identify the owner; the machine is valued at over $8,000 according to the chief (SEG 321-361).

Council members praised staff for outreach and the recruitment turnout; Keating and the mayor thanked the chief and Captain Heminski for their work on the hiring process (SEG 282-287). Background checks remain pending before final hires are announced.