City of Chester committee reviews updated civil service rules to modernize police and fire hiring

The City of Chester Public Safety Committee on Monday reviewed a proposed update to the city’s civil service rules and regulations governing hiring for police and fire departments, replacing rules last adopted in 1990 and 1993.

The presenter told the committee the updated 25-page draft corrects outdated, potentially discriminatory language and aligns the city’s hiring procedures with federal, state and local law. “These rules and regulations are woefully outdated,” the presenter said, pointing to an older provision that, in Section 303, used the phrase “every male eligible for the position.” The presenter added, “If we did, we’d be in a world of lawsuits,” and said the draft was vetted by the Civil Service Commission, the police and fire departments, human resources and city legal counsel.

Committee members were briefed on application and qualification requirements: openings will be publicized with at least 30 days to apply and applicants must supply documentation such as an I-9, a high-school diploma or GED, a valid motor-vehicle operator’s license and (for veterans claiming preference) a DD-214. Minimum ages differ by department: 21 for police and 18 for firefighters. The presenter reviewed automatic disqualifiers that would bar candidates from consideration, including falsifying application information, certain dishonorable military discharges, failure to register for the Selective Service (identified in the presentation as a federal registration requirement affecting men), and drug- or DUI-related thresholds (the draft cites one DUI as disqualifying for police and two for fire under specified conditions).

The committee was also briefed on testing, scoring and training. The hiring sequence in the draft starts with application verification, then a physical agility test and background checks, a cognitive exam and oral interview. The presenter described the physical test standards for police as matching the Municipal Police Officers’ training commission entrance fitness test (sit-ups, push-ups, a 300-meter run and a 1.5-mile run) and said the full agility battery must be completed within two hours with minimum rest periods between events. The cognitive exam is weighted at 70% of a candidate’s score, the interview at 30%; veteran preference adds 10 points but only if a candidate meets the exam’s minimum passing threshold, the presenter said. For tied final scores, the rules use the exam component with the greatest weight to break ties, then the oral interview score, and, as a last resort, application filing date.

The draft requires candidates who receive conditional offers to pass drug and alcohol screening and medical and psychological evaluations. The presenter emphasized that the city provides employee mental-health support and peer programs through unions and county resources for responders who develop PTSD or other issues in the line of duty.

Presenter remarks detailed post-hiring procedures: certified officers (for example, those with Act 120 or equivalent) may be assigned to field training rather than repeat an academy; other new hires will attend a paid career academy. Probation periods are set by department agreements: one year for police (per the collective bargaining agreement) and six months for firefighters. The draft also formalizes an applicant appeal process before the Civil Service Commission and requires the commission to issue written decisions within 45 days of the last hearing.

Mayor Ruth thanked the presenters, calling the packet “very comprehensive” and “long overdue.” The presenter said the next formal step is to move the draft out of committee and before mayor and council for consideration; an additional committee meeting was flagged to discuss updating ordinances that still reference volunteer fire companies as the city’s fire department.

The committee approved the minutes from the prior meeting with a minor edit requested to insert the word “pay” in a sentence about parking tickets. No public comments were taken on the agenda items during this meeting.

The committee did not adopt the civil service rules at this session; the presenter said the draft will be sent to mayor and council for consideration and any further questions from members will be addressed prior to any vote.