SANATOGA PA – Recommended changes to rules and regulations of Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township’s Civil Service Commission have been delayed for consideration by the township Board of Commissioners until early February, giving its members more time to study what would be altered.

The proposed changes primarily affect candidates for positions in the police department, and were suggested during the board’s Jan. 19 meeting by Solicitor R. Kurtz Holloway. They are based on recommendations made by now-former police Chief Michael Shade and current Interim Chief Michael Foltz, and coincide in part with other changes at the state level, Holloway said.

Although the changes are lengthy, Holloway noted, most affect the process by which the Civil Service Commission tests and approves prospective police job seekers. They delay in acting on them was requested by Commissioner Stephen Klotz, who wanted more time to read through the proposal. Other commissioners agreed.

The changes would:

• Require candidates for police officer positions to apply for and pass the officer certification course of the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission by the time they are appointed. The rules currently state candidates need only have applied to take the course. Demanding course completion before appointment “raises the bar” in the township for hiring more qualified officers, Holloway said.

• Revise time references under which disciplined officers might be considered for promotion.

• Change the circumstances under which an officer could be promoted to the rank of sergeant. The rules currently demand sergeant candidates must first serve as corporals; Lower Pottsgrove’s department has never had a corporal, according to Holloway. In the future, if approved, prospective sergeants could include patrol officers with 5 or more continuous years of service.

• Give the Civil Service Commission discretion in choosing physical agility tests to be administered to candidates. Testing changes made available from health and medical fields occur far faster than before, Holloway said. Rather than continually update rules to keep abreast of latest developments, he added, commissioners would have authority to make the most current or appropriate selections.

• Postpone undertaking a background investigation of patrol officer candidates until after they are certified by the commission as qualified to fill a vacancy. The rules currently require background checks of all candidates, certified or not. That’s expensive and time-consuming, and is rarely practiced by other commissions. The rule change would simply reflect current practice, he said.

Other, less significant revisions also are being proposed, Holloway said. The changes will be scheduled for approval during the board’s Feb. 6 (2012; Monday) meeting.

Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ Jan. 19 meeing):

• Township Delays Civil Service Rules, Regs Changes
• December Warrants Detail Lower Pottsgrove Spending
• Board Appointments Prompt Questions, Angry Words
• Commissioners Welcome Lower Frederick To CMERT
• Jump Start: Township Wants Early Police Contract Talks