Correction Officer
June 24th, 2023
ISSUED: April 18, 2023
ANNOUNCES AN OPEN-COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR:
CORRECTION OFFICER
EXAM NO. 66-120
DATE OF EXAMINATION: June 24, 2023
EXAM FILING FEE: $20.00
LAST DAY FOR FILING: Applications must be received no later than close of business May 19, 2023.
VACANCY: This examination is being held to fill future vacancies in the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department.
SALARY: $24.93 hr. – $27.40 hr.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT: Candidates must be legal residents of Lewis County or the contiguous county of Jefferson, Oneida, St. Lawrence, Oswego, or Herkimer for a minimum of one month immediately preceding the date of the exam. Preference in appointment may be given to successful candidates who are legal residents of Lewis County. To be eligible for appointment, an applicant must be a resident of Lewis County or a resident of a contiguous county (listed above).
DUTIES: Involves responsibility on an assigned shift for the enforcement of rules and regulations governing the custody, security, conduct, discipline, safety and general well being of inmates in a county correctional facility. The duties involve considerable inmate contact and supervision in a work, recreation or learning environment.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma (issued by an appropriate State education authority). The diploma issued to the high school graduate must be from an accredited public or private school recognized by the New York State Education Department. Diplomas issued through a home study course and not by an appropriate educational authority are not acceptable.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPOINTMENT:
- Eligibility for appointment begins when the candidate reaches age 18.
- Possession of an appropriate level New York State driver’s license at the time of appointment. License must remain valid throughout appointment.
- At the time of appointment, candidate must meet physical agility and medical standards.
- Completion of New York State Commission of Corrections training prior to completion of the probationary period.
- By New York State Law, a Correction Officer is a Peace Officer and must be a U.S. citizen to qualify to hold such office.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Candidates who pass the written test will be subject to an extensive background investigation. Applicants may be required to authorize access to educational, financial, employment, criminal history, mental health records or other records and participate in a polygraph examination. Conviction of a felony will bar appointment. Conviction of a misdemeanor or other offenses is subject to evaluation and may bar appointment. At the discretion of the employing law enforcement agency, candidates may be subject to additional screenings as a term and condition of employment, including but not limited to, fingerprinting and psychological testing. Drug testing is included in the required medical exam.
SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:
- Preparing written material: These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
- Understanding and interpreting written material: These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.
- Applying written information in a correctional services setting: These questions test for the ability to read, interpret, and apply rules, regulations, directives, written narratives and other related material. You will be required to read a set of information, and to appropriately apply the information to situations similar to those typically experienced in a correctional services setting. All the information needed to answer the questions asked concerning the situations presented is contained in the rules, regulations, etc., which are cited.
- Observing and recalling facts and information: These questions test for the ability to observe and recall information presented. You will be presented with information describing or depicting prison scenes or other facts. You will have a short time to observe and memorize the information before it is collected by the monitor. You will then be asked to recall specific details about the information presented.
TEST GUIDE: A Guide for the Written Test for Correction Officer is available at the New York State website:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.
CALCULATOR STATEMENT: The use of calculators is allowed
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
APPLICATIONS: Unless otherwise indicated on this announcement, the candidate will complete one “Application for Examination or Employment” for each exam he/she wishes to take. No copies will be accepted. Applicants must answer every question on the application form and make sure that the application is complete in all respects. Incomplete applications will be disapproved. All statements made by candidates are subject to verification. POST-MARKED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
FILING FEE: The fee must accompany the application. Applicants whose forms are not accompanied by the appropriate fee or whose personal checks are returned for insufficient funds will not be considered as candidates. Payment must be in the form of check or money order made payable to the Lewis County Treasurer. Refunds of fees will not be issued to applicants who are disqualified for failure to apply by the last day for filing, not meeting the minimum qualifications, or a candidate’s failure to appear for testing on the scheduled test date.
WORK EXPERIENCE: Unless otherwise noted, experience credited towards meeting the minimum qualifications must be full-time paid work experience. Part-time paid work experience will be accepted based on its full-time equivalent.
APPLICATION FEE WAIVER: A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household. In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible Medicaid, or receiving Supplemental Security Income payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Family Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local Social Service agency. All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification. If you can verify eligibility for application fee waiver, complete a “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with your application by the close of business on the application deadline as listed on the examination announcement. Fee waiver forms are available at the Lewis County Civil Service office or online at www.lewiscounty.org.
TIME AND PLACE OF EXAM: Accepted candidates will be notified when and where to appear for an exam. No one will be admitted to an exam without the official admittance notice.
RESIDENCY: New York State Residence is not required for most positions. However, you must be eligible for employment in the United States. An appointing authority may exercise its rights under Section 23-4a of Civil Service Law to give preference to legal residents of their jurisdiction.
VETERAN CREDITS: If you are a War-Time Veteran, or if you are currently in the United States Armed Forces, you may be eligible to have extra credits added to your passing exam score. However, it is your responsibility to submit the appropriate Veterans’ Credit form(s) on or before the date of the examination. Forms are available in the Civil Service office or online at: www.simplecivic.com. In addition to the Veterans’ Credit Form, you must include a copy of your discharge papers (DD-214). The time periods for which veterans’ credit is permitted are listed on the Veterans’ Credit Application.
ADDITIONAL CREDIT ALLOWED CHILDREN OF FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY: In conformance with Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional 10 points in a competitive exam for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are qualified to participate in this exam and are a child of a firefighter or a police officer killed in the line of duty killed in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for exam. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established.
ELIGIBLE LISTS: Eligible lists will be established in the order of final rating for successful candidates and will be established for a minimum period of one (1) year and a maximum of four (4) years. Appointment from an eligible list must be made from the top 3 candidates willing to accept appointment.
SABBATH OBSERVERS/DISABLED CANDIDATES/MILITARY MEMBERS: Applicants whose religious beliefs or military service prevent their taking exams on the scheduled date and disabled candidates who require special accommodations to take the test should indicate the need for special arrangements on their application.
MULTIPLE EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME DAY: If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as the written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date, so they can make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All examinations for positions in State government will be held at a State examination center. The Cross-Filer form is available at the Lewis County Civil Service or online at www.simplecivic.com.
CALCULATORS: Unless otherwise notified, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, Spellcheckers, Personal Digital Assistants, Address Books, Language Translators, Dictionaries, or any other similar devices are PROHIBITED.
CELL PHONES or ELECTRONIC/COMMUNICATION DEVICES AT THE TEST SITE: Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, it is your responsibility to notify the Civil Service Office of your new address. The Civil Service Office makes no attempt to find candidates who have moved. Failure to notify the Civil Service Office could result in being passed over for appointment.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Appointees from an eligible list are required to undergo a criminal history background investigation, which may include a fingerprint check to determine suitability for appointment. Failure to meet the standards for the background investigation may result in disqualification.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT FOR APPOINTMENT IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Per Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, and by regulations of the Commissioner of Education, to be employed in a position designation by a school district as involving direct contact with students, a clearance for employment from the State Education Department is required.
This examination is prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-3 of the Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations, which deal with the rating of examinations, will apply. Federal and State law prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap or national origin.
APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED AT THE LEWIS COUNTY CIVIL SERVICE OFFICE, 7660 N. STATE STREET, LOWVILLE, NY 13367. PHONE (315) 376-5349.
LEWIS COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.