CITY CORRECTION JOBS NOW OPEN FOR FILING

Start At $35G And Up in '08; To Hire 1,500; Need College Credits Or Military Duty To Take Test

Filing is open for an exam leading to hundreds of Correction Officer jobs, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services said.

The starting salary is currently $26,667, but that pay would go to $27,734 under a just-announced contract agreement, provided it is ratified by members of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association.

It would rise twice more for those hired prior to Sept. 1, 2008 under that pact: first to $28,843 as of next Aug. 1, and then to $37,577 a month later. Those hired on or after Sept. 1, 2008, however, would start at $35,000, assuming the contract was approved.

1,500 Hirings in '08

The department is currently 265 officers below its headcount, said Stephen Morello, the agency's chief spokesman. The city is looking to hire 1,400 to 1,500 candidates over the next year to fill those positions and others vacated due to attrition.

The top salary is presently $63,309 after 5-1/2 years on the job, but that would jump to $68,475 for officers with five years of service if the contract was ratified.

Candidates 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, Suffolk, Westchester, 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 their 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.

In addition, candidates must pass a background check, a psychological evaluation, a 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.

Officers must qualify and remain certified for firearms usage for the duration of their employment. A firearms qualification test will be administered annually to determine qualification. New hires must complete a 24-month departmental probationary period.

Further information can be obtained by calling 1-877-NY1-BOLD; on-line at www.nyc.gov/dcas, or by writing the DCAS Application Center, 18 Washington St., New York, N.Y., 10004.