|
 |
  
|
 olice
recruitment efforts are designed to identify the candidates that
are best able to complete their Academy training and who are most
likely to perform at the highest levels of operational proficiency
in the shortest time. Because of this focus, the Philadelphia
Police Department actively recruits veterans of our armed forces
for service in the Department.
To claim a veteran's preference you must be able to answer yes
to at least one of the following criteria:
 |
I am an honorably discharged veteran
who served in the Armed Forces of the United States on active
duty, except for training, on or after December 7, 1941. |
|
I am the spouse of a disabled veteran.
|
|
I am the spouse of a deceased veteran. |
|
I am currently on active duty in the
United States military and expect to receive an honorable
discharge in the near future. |
|
I served with the National Guard or Reserves
and completed basic training as part of my service. |
The Police Department is structured as a para-military organization.
This means that we employ a culture and protocols that closely
approximate those of the armed forces. Concepts like the chain
of command, organizational hierarchies, military order and discipline,
and others are ideas that are present in all police organizations.
Because of this similarity to the military services, veterans
have demonstrated an ability to quickly assimilate into the police
organizational framework and are, therefore, productive in their
respective duties quicker and at a higher proficiency level than
those who have no experience serving in such organizations.
In addition, veterans are, on the whole, in peak physical condition.
Because of this, veterans are more likely to withstand the rigors
of recruit training and to satisfactorily complete their courses
of study to become police officers. Candidates who lack this degree
of physical conditioning are more likely to fail the physical
component of training and not complete their term of training.
This is more than an inconvenience to the department because such
failures result in the wasting of valuable training dollars and
delay our efforts to add personnel to the patrol force.
Other than issues concerning training completion, physical conditioning
is especially important because policing can, at times, be a very
demanding occupation that requires the strenuous application of
physical effort. Officer candidates who are unfit will clearly
have a more difficult time of adequately responding in these situations,
placing other officers and citizens at increased risk.
Veterans have also received prior training in firearms, a phase
of training that persons not familiar with firearms may have difficulty
with. Again, the idea is to identify the candidates most likely
to succeed and to actively recruit them for inclusion in our ranks.
The principle inducements that we offer veterans to apply with
our department are the addition of ten points to their raw score
on the entrance examination and a waiver of the residency requirement
that requires one year of prior residency in the City of Philadelphia
prior to appointment to Police Officer.
The addition of the ten points is a particularly significant benefit
of veteran status. For example, when I took the entrance examination
in 1982 I was among 20,000 Philadelphia residents who took the
test. Later, I received my results and learned that my raw score
before the addition of the ten points was 94. After doing some
checking, I found that this score, if not modified, would have
placed me somewhere around one thousand on the list. With the
addition of the ten points, however, my score changed to 104 ranking
me number four in the city. It is a powerful asset that veterans
can take advantage of and, in my case, is one of the main reasons
I chose to enlist in the military--to get the ten points.
Another advantage offered to active duty military personnel is
a waiver of the residency requirement. For non-veterans, candidates
must have established and maintained a residence in the City of
Philadelphia for at least one year prior to being appointed
to the department. For veterans, however, that requirement was
recently changed. Instead of having to live in the city for one
year prior to appointment, veterans must relocate to the city
within six months of being hired.
Veteran's Benefit Summary
U.S. Veteran's Preference
Ten points for veteran's preference will be added to the scores
of those who pass the written examination. You are eligible if
you are honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces. Spouses
of disabled or deceased veterans may also be considered. Attach
a legible copy of your DD-214, Member 4, to your application if
you wish your eligibility to be reviewed.
Military personnel who are still on active duty and do not yet
have their DD-214 are ineligible for the ten point benefit at
this time. However, they may apply for the addition of the ten
points to their raw score upon their honorable discharge.
Military Residence Waiver
The requirement that Police Officer Recruits be residents of the
City of Philadelphia for one year prior to appointment has been
waived for military service personnel. Military personnel who
are on active duty or have been discharged from the military no
longer than six months before the examination announcement are
eligible for this waiver. Veterans hired under the provisions
of this waiver must establish and maintain a bona-fide residency
within the City of Philadelphia no later than six months after
their appointment. All Philadelphia police officers must reside
in the City of Philadelphia at all times.
To claim these benefits, veterans should check the appropriate
boxes on the application form and must submit a clear copy of
their DD-214 , Member 4, military record with their application.
Preliminary applications are accepted by the Philadelphia Police
Recruitment Unit year round and can be submitted in one of three
ways:
|
You can apply by phone by calling 215.683-COPS,
Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00
PM Eastern. If you choose this option, you must fax your
DD-214 to the Recruitment Unit at 215.685-3029 within 5
business days of phoning in your application. You may also
mail your DD-214 if you are unable to fax it. |
|
You can download and print the application
form from this web site and submit it by mail with your
DD-214 to the address provided on the form. |
|
You may complete and submit the online
application form that is on this web site. If you choose
this option, you must fax your DD-214 to the Recruitment
Unit at 215.685-3029 within 5 business days of submitting
your electronic application. You may also mail your DD-214
if you are unable to fax it. |
Please do not submit your application multiple times. Duplicate
applications received for the same candidate will be discarded.
We encourage all veterans to take advantage of this opportunity
to join the Philadelphia Police Department; an agency dedicated
to excellence and cutting-edge law enforcement leadership. We
are defining the future of law enforcement in Philadelphia, we
invite you to join us in making that vision a reality.
 |
| Information
listed here is believed to be current at the time of publication.
However, some of the material presented here may have expired
since it was posted. Persons should contact a Philadelphia Police
representative whenever relying on dated material or information
that is subject to change. |
|
| |
|
This page is entitled:
The URL of the page is:
Downloaded at:
|
|
|
