Residence Requirements:

THIS EXAMINATION IS OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE ERIE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. At present there is one anticipated vacancy in the Erie County Sheriff's Office. The duration of all promotional eligible lists is four years from date of establishment unless otherwise indicated.

Examples of Duties:

A Detective Deputy performing investigation and law enforcement and crime prevention work for the Erie County Sheriff's Department;

Conducts highly diverse follow-up investigations required by law enforcement activities;

Conducts pre-employment investigations of applicants for employment by the Sheriff's Department only;

Conducts original or follow-up investigations of crimes or incidents which are beyond the normal capacity of the patrol force because of limitations imposed by time, patrol districts, uniform and type and/or amount of training;

Searches out and must recognize pertinent and admissible evidence;

Collects, evaluates and preserves evidence needed for arrest and prosecution;

Prepares reports for superiors, prosecuting officers and the courts;

Maintains liaisons with many law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and judicial personnel for proper dissemination and collection of information directly related to law enforcement activity;

Maintains contact with pawn shops, junk yards, second hand stores, etc., to recover stolen property and to apprehend those criminally responsible;

Establishes and maintains sources of both routine and confidential information;

Utilizes modern and permissible law enforcement tools and methods such as wiretaps, recording machines, electronic surveillance equipment, etc. in the conduct of investigations;

Works closely with crime laboratory personnel in the examination and evaluation of evidence;

Prepares court preparation sheets setting forth all established facts and evidence assembled for a case, and testifies in court concerning these;

Advises and assists both Sheriff's Department personnel and other law enforcement agencies in the conduct of investigations;

Interviews and takes statements from victims, defendants, witnesses and others who can supply pertinent information;

Assists in the preparation and maintenance of a "modus operandi file" and "possible suspect files" categorized by the type of prior offense such as arson, robbery, sex offenses, etc.;

At the scene of a crime, collects all available evidence; takes notes and measurements; makes diagrams and/or sketches; directs police photographers; searches for latent fingerprints or identifying marks;
prepares plastic casts, etc.

Qualifications:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST: Candidates must be permanently employed in the competitive class and must be serving and have served continuously on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class for 24 months as Deputy Sheriff-Criminal. 

Notes:

None.

A Guide for the Written Test for Police Supervisors/Investigators is available at the New York State website:www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm . Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of Examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Evaluating information and evidence

These questions test for the ability to evaluate and draw conclusions from information and evidence. Each question consists of a set of facts and a conclusion based on the facts. The candidate must decide if the conclusion is warranted by the facts.

2. Investigative techniques and criminalistics

These questions test for knowledge of criminal investigation techniques and criminalistics. The questions will deal with, but will not necessarily be restricted to, such concepts as: interviewing; interrogation; evidence gathering and preservation; and surveillance.

3. New York State Laws

These questions test for knowledge of the laws in effect on January 1, 2018 that law enforcement personnel may encounter in the course of their day-to-day work-related activities. The questions are a sampling of job-related sections of the Penal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Vehicle and Traffic Law, Family Court Act and other laws relevant to law enforcement in New York State.

4. Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.

5. Preparing written material in a police setting

These questions test for the ability to prepare the types of reports that police personnel write. Some questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately. They consist of restatements of information given in note form. You must choose the best version from each set of four choices. Other questions test for the ability to organize paragraphs. They consist of paragraphs with their sentences out of order. For each of the paragraphs you must choose, from four suggestions, the best order of the sentences.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  Use of calculators is prohibited for this examination.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", "Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  Cell phones are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

P. E. R. C. Statement

The final rating key for this examination will be established by the State Civil Service Commission prior to the testing date, upon recommendation of a committee of police experts who will review all the questions for appropriateness and accuracy. There will be no review of the questions by candidates. The committee was selected with the assistance and endorsement of the Police Conference of New York, Inc., the New York State Association of PBAs, Inc., and the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc. 

INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES

 Unless otherwise indicated, the eligible list resulting from this examination will have a duration of four years and will not supersede existing promotional lists, if any.

RATINGS REQUIRED:  Test is rated on a scale of 100 with a passing mark at 70.  Test instructions may further divide the tests into parts and set minimum standards for each part.

Points will be added to scores of candidates who achieve a passing mark as follows: Seniority:  For each year of service in the classified service:

Less than 1 year……………………..................…0 points

1 year up to 6 years…………….…........................1 point

Over 6 years up to 11 years.....………......….........2 points

Over 11 years up to 16 years….…........….........…3 points

Over 16 years up to 21 years………..................…4 points

Over 21 years………………………..................…5 points

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $30.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.