Probation Officer Trainee

Modified: April 18, 2018 10:31am

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Probation Officer Trainee

#64-271 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

Salary: $41,034 - $53,100 Annually
Opening Date: April 18, 2018
Closing Date: May 16, 2018
Application fee: $20.00

Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill future vacancies in the Probation Department.

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

List certification – Candidates who are appointed as a result of this examination will be certified at the trainee level (Job Group IX) . Persons appointed at the trainee level will be advanced to Probation Officer (Job Group XI) without further examination upon satisfactory completion of the applicable traineeship period.

Examples of Duties:

Probation Officer/Trainee performs varied duties related to investigation and supervision in a local probation agency as a participant in a continuous in-service training program;

Assists in the collection and analysis of social and legal history data, and in preparing investigation reports concerning cases pending in the courts;

Helps to supervise probationers by counseling, and by otherwise assisting them in maintaining lawful behavior in the community;

Helps to maintain appropriate case records of persons under probation supervision;

Makes home visits and other community contacts to assist in monitoring and adherence to conditions of probation;

Helps in establishing and maintaining with persons and organizations which may provide necessary resources for individuals serviced by the agency;

May assist in counseling and maintaining persons under court order to pay family support when referred by collection unit;

Attends on-the-job and special training sessions and participates in conferences and regular staff meetings;

Studies and reviews literature and other appropriate materials related to probation, criminal justice, and social work to systematically acquire essential knowledge of the profession.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a bachelor’s degree, and with at least thirty (30) semester credit hours in Education, Criminal Justice, Social Work or in the social or behavioral sciences; or:

B) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Master’s Degree in Education, Correction Treatment, Sociology, Psychology, Law, Criminal Justice or Social Work.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:
Background Investigation/Psychological Evaluation: Applicants will be subject to an extensive pre-employment background investigation and psychological evaluation. CONVICTION OF A FELONY WILL BAR AND CONVICTION OF A MISDEMEANOR OR OTHER OFFENSE MAY BAR PARTICIPATION IN EXAMINATION AND APPOINTMENT. Criminal convictions or other offense are subject to evaluation and may result in disqualification pursuant to Section 50 of the New York State Civil Service Law. The psychological evaluation will consist of a combination of psychological tests and interviews. Candidates must pass the psychological evaluation. In addition, a negative report or failing psychological evaluation may result in disqualification pursuant to Section 50 of New York State Civil Service Law. Candidates must be a United States Citizen, an Erie County Resident, and where applicable a resident of the Town or Village where he or she is appointed per Public Officers Law at time of appointment. (See Erie County Policies and Procedures.)


Notes:

1. Verifiable part/time or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full time experience requirements.

2. For candidates who qualify for Probation Officer Trainee with a Master’s Degree in Education, Correction Treatment, Sociology, Psychology, Law, Criminal Justice or Social Work may substitute one year of the required two year traineeship.

3. Prior to completion of the first year of the traineeship, candidates must successfully complete the basic fundamental course for probation officers, peace officer training course and qualify to carry a firearm. Participation in these courses will be arranged by the Probation Department.

4. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements. 

5. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Examination date:

June 23, 2018

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

May 16, 2018

The New York State Department of Civil Service has prepared A Guide to the Written Test for entry-level positions in the Entry and Upper Level Probation Series test guide for this examination and candidates may also find the information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. These publications are available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

 

Subjects of Examination:

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

1. Principles and practices of offender counseling and supervision

These questions test for the knowledge and application of principles and practices of offender counseling and supervision in a law enforcement setting. Questions present situations typically encountered while establishing and maintaining working relationships with offenders, such as obtaining information from offenders, exploring offenders' social, psychological, or legal problems, and supervising offender rehabilitation. Candidates will be required to choose the best analysis of, solution to, or approach for handling the problem described. Specific knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, or procedures regarding offender counseling and supervision is not required to answer these questions.

2. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to write the kinds of reports and correspondence required in criminal justice settings such as probation and parole. Some questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately. Others test for the ability to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. 

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 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.