Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff

(Illustrative only)
• Patrols as assigned area on foot, on a motorcycle or in a radio cruising car;
• Checks doors and windows of unoccupied business and residential property;
• Investigates suspicious activities and makes arrests for violations of federal and state laws and local ordinances; •
• Investigates cases involving neglected, abused or delinquent children; • Watches for and makes investigations of wanted and missing persons and stolen cars and property;
• Directs traffic and marks cars for overtime parking; • Maintains order in crowds and attends parades and other public gatherings; • Answers questions for and directs the public;
• Broadcasts radio messages; • Makes criminal and plain clothes investigations as assigned; •

Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency or comparable diploma as described in Section 58 of the Civil Service Law; AND

A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas. Situational Judgment- These questions test for the ability to identify appropriate and effective responses to work-related challenges. You will be presented with scenarios that reflect the types of challenges one could encounter in a work environment. Each scenario will be followed by several responses to the scenario. You must rate the effectiveness of each response. Language Fluency- These questions test for the ability to read, understand, and present a clear and accurate summary of information. For some questions, you will be given a brief reading passage followed by four statements, each summarizing the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given several sentences, one of which contains a spelling, grammatical, or punctuation error. You must then select the line that contains the error. Information Ordering and Language Sequencing- These questions test for the ability to properly identify the sequence or order of events, or to organize information to fit a timeline. You will be given a brief reading passage followed by one or more questions. You must identify the proper sequence of events in order to answer one or more questions. Problem Sensitivity and Reasoning - These questions test for the ability to apply information and to identify a problem or potential problem. For some questions, you will be given information in the form of policies, rules, regulations, or laws, which will be followed by a situation. You must then identify the problem and apply the information to select the best course of action to take. For other questions, you will be given a scenario and mock witness statements. You must use this information to answer one or more questions about the scenario Selective Attention- These questions test for the ability to focus on completing a task and to pay attention to important details while performing repetitive and monotonous tasks. You will be presented with a series of letters, symbols, and/or numbers. You must select the choice that contains the series of letters, symbols, and/or number that matches exactly. Visualization- These questions test for the ability to imagine how something will look when it is moved around or when its parts are changed, moved, or rearranged. You will be presented with an image of a face followed by four images of faces. Each face is disguised or altered in some way. Three of the images have a difference in facial structure or facial features. You must select the choice that contains the image with the identical facial structure and facial features. Spatial Orientation- These questions test for the ability to understand how to navigate within spaces or how to get from one point to another. You will be provided with a map followed by one or more questions. You must imagine yourself at a certain location and orient yourself to the direction in which you would move to get to another location by the shortest (least distance) route.
• Medical emergencies involving a hospital confinement or certification from a physician that the candidate is unable to appear for the examination due to a specific medical problem of the candidate or a member of the immediate family or household.
• The positive result of an agility test shall be good for one (1) year from the date of passing said test. Attach a copy of your proof of birth i.e. Driver’s License OR Birth Certificate to your online application.

Applicants must have been legal residents of RENSSELAER, WASHINGTON, SARATOGA, ALBANY, COLUMBIA, or SCHENECTADY COUNTY for at least four (4) months immediately preceding the date of examination. Preference in appointment may be given to successful candidates who have been legal residents of the appointing jurisdiction for at least four (4) months immediately preceding the date of examination. Appointments made to the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department are required to reside in Rensselaer County and must maintain residency in Rensselaer County throughout employment.