10/18/2006

Civil Service OKs 5-point residency preference for city jobs

William Kaempffer, Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — The Civil Service Commission has approved a residency preference for city jobs, just in time for the police department to start taking applications for a new academy class. Applicants for the police department — and any other civil service jobs in the city — who are city residents now will received five extra points on the 100-point entry exam. The police department began accepting applications this week for an academy class expected to be seated in January; the deadline for submitting applications is 5 p.m. Oct. 27. Police department staff will be available at police headquarters, 1 Union Ave., to accept forms on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. On Thursdays, staff will remain until 9 p.m. New police officers start at $37,276; the salary increases to $57,198 after three years of service. Application packets can be downloaded online at www.cityofnewhaven.comor picked up at police headquarters, the New Haven Police Training Academy at 710 Sherman Parkway and at New Haven Human Resources, 200 Orange St., during business hours. Applicants must be 21 or older, and there is no age limit. The Civil Service Commission approved the changes to its rules and regulations last week. In addition, military veterans will continue to be eligible for five additional points and disabled veterans can apply for five more. During two public hearings, minority leaders and fraternal groups for police officers and firefighters urged the commission to offer more than five points for city residents. At one of the hearings, Chairman James Segaloff had expressed the importance of providing residents with an advantage in the hiring process without undermining the purpose of civil service and merit-based hiring. Applicants must score at least 70, the lowest passing score, to be eligible for any preference points.

©New Haven Register 2006