GENESEE COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES

COUNTY BUILDING I, BATAVIA, NEW YORK

ANNOUNCES

AN OPEN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR:

PROBATION OFFICER/PROBATION OFFICER TRAINEE, O.C. #66-284

SALARY:  Probation Officer - $20.33 - $23.90 per hour (2015), Genesee County.

      Probation Officer Trainee - $18.22 - $21.85 per hour (2015), Genesee County.

VACANCY: This examination is being held to establish an eligible list to fill future vacancies as they occur.  An eligible may receive only one permanent appointment from this list. Once appointed, there will be a Probationary Period of 8-52 weeks based on performance of duties. During this probationary period the Department Head has the ability to terminate employment, without cause.

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF GENESEE COUNTY, OR OF A COUNTY CONTIGUOUS TO GENESEE COUNTY, FOR A PERIOD OF TWO (2) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION, AND MUST HAVE CONTINUED THEIR RESIDENCY THROUGH THE PERIOD LEADING TO THEIR INITIAL APPOINTMENT.  THE NAMES OF ELIGIBLES WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF GENESEE COUNTY MAY BE GIVEN PREFERENCE ON CERTIFICATION LISTS, FOR THE FILLING OF VACANCIES.

             LAST FILING DATE---------- MARCH 25, 2015

                                    EXAMINATION DATE---------- MAY 2, 2015

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

Probation Officer:  Graduation from high school or possession of an appropriate equivalency diploma recognized by the NYS Department of Education, AND EITHER:

A.        Possession of a Graduate degree in social work, education, administration,
            law, sociology, psychology, criminology, or a related field, [IF CLAIMED,
            PLEASE INCLUDE A COPY OF YOUR OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WITH
            YOUR APPLICATION];

OR:

B.        Possession of a Bachelor’s degree AND two (2) years of full-time, paid
           experience as a counselor or caseworker in a recognized agency adhering
           to acceptable standards in probation, parole, social services, psychiatric or
           medical social work, or related work, [IF CLAIMED, PLEASE INCLUDE A
           COPY OF YOUR OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS AND SPECIFY THE
           RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE ON YOUR APPLICATION].

Probation Officer Trainee: Graduation from high school or possession of an appropriate equivalency diploma recognized by the NYS Dept. of Education, AND,

A.        Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or
           university, or one recognized by the New York State Education
           Department, with at least thirty (30) credit hours in the social or behavioral
           sciences, [IF CLAIMED, PLEASE INCLUDE A COPY OF YOUR
           OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WITH YOUR APPLICATION].

NOTE: You may file for this examination if you expect to complete the educational requirement by June 30, 2015.  If successful on the examination, however, you will not be certified for appointment until you have submitted proof of completion of the educational requirements to Genesee County Human Resources.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:  As a condition of employment, all candidates hired must successfully complete the following Peace Officer Training components within one (1) year of date of appointment:

1.  89.5 hours in the Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives (OCPA) Fundamentals of Probation Practice program within the first year of employment;       

2.  47 hours of Firearms/Weapons training as approved by DCJS provided by the employer within one (1) year of date of appointment, whether or not the new officer is authorized to carry or use a weapon on the job.

Applicants will be subject to an extensive background investigation, psychological evaluation & pre-employment drug test to determine their suitability for employment with the Department.

If you are offered employment, you must be willing to submit to criminal history checks by both the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and.  Those checks will be subject to a fee determined by each respective agency, and that fee must be paid by you at the time the fingerprints are taken.  Conviction of a felony will bar, and conviction of a misdemeanor or other offense may bar appointment.

CANDIDATES, PLEASE NOTE: It is vital that you submit, with your application, all information necessary to show your qualification for examination.  APPLICATIONS WHICH DO NOT SHOW TRAINING AND/OR EXPERIENCE TO MEET MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE DISAPPROVED, AND WE WILL NOT REFER TO OTHER APPLICATIONS ON FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

NOTE:  PHOTO ID WILL BE REQUIRED ON THE DAY OF THE EXAMINATION.

NOTE – FILING FEES: (The acceptance of your application is dependent upon your following these instructions accurately):

A fee of $25.00 is required for each separately-numbered examination for which you apply.  The required fee must accompany your application.  The fee may be submitted in the form of either CASH (if delivered in person), PERSONAL CHECK or MONEY ORDER, (if by mail).  Personal Checks and Money Orders must be payable to the GENESEE COUNTY TREASURER.  Please write the examination number(s) on your personal check or money order. YOUR APPLICATION FEE WILL NOT BE REFUNDED if you do not meet the requirements for admission to the examination. Compare your qualifications carefully to the requirements stated on the announcement and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified. A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are receiving unemployment and primarily responsible for the support of a household.  In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible for Medicaid, or receiving   Supplemental Security Income payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Family assistance or Safety Net Assistance), or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency.  All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification.  In order for us to verify your eligibility for an application fee waiver, you must complete a “Request for Fee Waiver” form and submit it with your application by the close of business on the Last Filing Date as indicated on the Examination Announcement. The “Request for Fee Waiver” form can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020 or from our website, www.co.genesee.ny.us.

PROBATION OFFICER - TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

May be assigned to an intake unit to evaluate matters for adjustment at the intake level or to perform supervision of persons in lieu of court action;

Obtains and analyzes social and legal data and prepares reports in relation to matters pending in the courts concerning persons awaiting disposition by the courts;

Enters and retrieves data as necessary by accessing the department's data base;

Interprets conditions of sentence to persons placed under probation supervision, supervises such individuals by ascertaining compliance with conditions of probation (occasionally entering high crime areas at night), and counsels and assists them in problems related to compliance and to the maintenance of lawful behavior in the community;

Performs drug and alcohol testing of probationers;

May work with criminals who have histories of committing violent crimes and/or people who may have open, hostile attitudes towards you;

Prepares progress reports on persons under supervision and periodically reviews case histories to determine degree of adjustment;

Prepares violation reports and testifies at delinquency hearings;

Establishes and maintains contact with other social and law enforcement agencies and cooperates with them in matters of mutual interest;

Helps to maintain a variety of records utilized by the probation office;

Shall be required to utilize Peace Officer powers when performing certain functions of the Probation Officer's job;

Makes personal visits to the Probationer's home, place of employment or other community agencies as required, occasionally working irregular hours, evenings, weekends and holidays;

Assists in supervision of probation officer trainees, probation assistants, and volunteers.

The above examples of duties are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

PROBATION OFFICER TRAINEE - TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

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

Assists in entering and retrieving data as necessary by accessing the department's data base;

Helps to supervise probationers by counseling and otherwise assisting them to maintain 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;

May be required to perform, or assist with, drug and alcohol testing of probationers;

Helps to establish and maintain contact with persons and organizations in the community that may provide necessary resources for individuals serviced by the agency;

May assist in counseling of 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 or profession;

Shall be required to utilize Peace Officer powers when performing certain functions of the Probation Officer's job.

Eligible List Certification:  A single eligible list will be established as a result of this examination. Candidates who are successful in this examination and possess the minimum qualifications for Probation Officer will be certified for appointment as a Probation Officer.  Those eligible for Probation Officer Trainee will be certified at the trainee level.  Persons appointed at the trainee level will be advanced to Probation Officer without further examination upon satisfactory completion of the one year traineeship.  Probation Officer eligibles will have their names certified for appointment before those eligible for Probation Officer Trainee.  If candidates originally placed on the eligible list as a Probation Officer Trainee acquire the training or experience necessary to meet the minimum qualifications for Probation Officer during the life of the list, they may submit a new application with a filing fee of $25.00 and may then be certified as a Probation Officer upon approval.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1.         Principles and Practices of Offender Counseling and Supervision;

2.         Preparing Written Material.

CANDIDATES ARE PERMITTED TO USE QUIET, HAND-HELD, SOLAR OR BATTERY POWERED CALCULATORS.  DEVICES WITH TYPEWRITER KEYBOARDS SUCH AS COMPUTERS, SPELL-CHECKERS, PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS, ADDRESS BOOKS, LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS, DICTIONARIES AND ANY SIMILAR DEVICES ARE PROHIBITED.

EXPANDED SUB-TEST DESCRIPTION:

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.

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.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a Test Guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information contained in the publication ‘How to Take a Written Test’ helpful in preparing for this examination. This publication is available online at: www.cs.state.ny.us/testing/localtestguides.cfm.

CROSS-FILING: If you have applied for other local government or state examinations, call or write to each civil service agency to make arrangements no later than two weeks before the date of the examinations.  You must notify all local government civil service agencies with whom you have filed an application of the test site at which you wish to take your examinations.  The “Cross-filer Form” for Genesee County can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main St., Batavia, NY 14020 or from our website, www.co.genesee.ny.us.

NOTE: Religious Accommodations or Persons with Disabilities: If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on your application. An explanation of your need for special testing accommodations must be attached to your application.  If due to disability – medical documentation must be provided.

ACTIVE MILITARY MEMBERS: Any member of the armed forces of the United States who has duly filed an application to compete in a scheduled competitive examination but was deprived of the opportunity to compete in the examination due to active military duty could be provided with a special military make-up examination.

Current members of the Armed Forces may apply for Veteran’s credits by filing an “Application for Veteran’s Credits” (Form VC-1).  The “Application for Veteran’s Credits” can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main St., Batavia, NY 14020 or from our website at, www.co.genesee.ny.us. Proof of military status must also be presented and verified in order for consideration of granting of “conditional” Veteran’s credit.  Acceptable proof may include a military I.D. card, military orders, or other official military document that substantiates active military service at time of exam.This documentation and VC-1 Form must be received prior to the establishment of the Eligible List for this examination.  The “conditional” status of the additional credits will remain until proof is provided indicating that the service was in time of war and that the veteran received an honorable discharge, or was released under honorable circumstances.

VETERANS: Additional credits are available to veterans who meet certain established requirements.  Veterans who have not exhausted their credits should make application for their use, if desired. A COMPLETED APPLICATION FOR VETERANS CREDITS (FORM VC-1) AND a COPY OF SEPARATION PAPERS (FORM DD-214) MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE THE ELIGIBLE LIST FOR THIS EXAMINATION IS ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO UTILIZE ADDITIONAL CREDITS.  DISABLED VETERANS MUST SUBMIT, IN ADDITION, A COPY OF FORM VC-3 (AUTHORIZATION FOR DISABILITY RECORD). The “Application for Veteran’s Credits” can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main St., Batavia, NY 14020 or from our website at, www.co.genesee.ny.us.