CITY/STATE CORRECTION FILING CURRENTLY OPEN: Both Jobs Start At $28G; Have Many Vacancies; College Required For City COs; Written Tests for Both

CITY/STATE CORRECTION

FILING CURRENTLY OPEN:

Both Jobs Start At $28G; Have Many Vacancies; College Required For City COs; Written Tests for Both

Filing is currently open for city Correction Officer jobs, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services said.

Applications must be postmarked by March 21. The city is looking to hire at least 800 officers next year, according to department spokesman Tom Antenen. Candidates who score near the top of the eligible list can expect to be hired within six months of the list being established, he added.

Feb. 20 State Deadline

Filing is also now open for state Correctional Officer jobs, the state Department of Civil Service said. Applications must be submitted by Feb. 20.

The written test for city Correction Officer is scheduled for June 10. Based on the collective-bargaining agreement negotiated in October, the starting salary is $28,900 and top pay is $59,588 after 5-1/2 years on the job.

Candidates for the city post must have completed 39 college credits or two years of full-time U.S. military service, and must have a high school diploma or GED by the time they enter the training academy. Individuals with a high school diploma who have two years of experience as a city, state, or Federal law-enforcement officer may also qualify.

To be appointed, candidates must be at least 21 years old. Applicants must be 17-1/2 by the end of the filing period to take the exam. Appointees need to have a state driver's license and must be residents of New York City, or Nassau, Westchester, Suffolk, Orange, Rockland, or Putnam counties.

The multiple-choice exam will test candidates' abilities in written comprehension and expression, problem identification, basic arithmetic, and deductive and inductive reasoning. It will also gauge candidates' abilities to order information, determine where they are in relation to an object, and visualize how something will look after it is moved or changed.

Other Screening

In addition, candidates must pass a background check, a psychological evaluation, physical exam, and a drug and alcohol screening. A $75 fee for fingerprint screening is required for the background investigation.

Appointees will have probationary status for 24 months and must complete a training course. Correction Officers have to pass an annual firearms test. They are required to work nights, weekends, and holidays.

Further information can be obtained by calling 1-877-NY1-BOLD, online at www.nyc.gov/dcas, or by writing the DCAS Application Center, 18 Washington St., New York, N.Y., 10004. For the state Correctional Officer jobs, the starting salary is $28,444, which rises to $34,742 upon completion of the eight-week training program and one-year probationary period. Those pay levels will rise once a pending contract negotiation is concluded, as will the maximum salary of $43,034. Officers assigned to work in the metropolitan area will receive an annual $1,200 location pay differential.

Appointees must be at least 21 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. The written test is scheduled for April 8. The exam will test candidates' abilities to observe and recall information, apply written information in a correctional services setting, and prepare and understand written material. The passing score is 70 percent.

Individuals can apply online at www.cs.state.ny.us. Further information and copies of the exam notice can also be obtained online.