Step 1. Employment Application Police Officer Recruit Applications may be picked up in person during an open enrollment period at the Nicholasville Police Department or downloaded above. Step 2. Invitation for Testing Notifications will be sent to the email listed on the candidate’s Police Officer Recruit Application with further instructions for testing after the application is received and processed. Step 3. Basic Skills & Reading Exam Prospective candidates will be required to complete a basic skills and reading exam. Candidates have one attempt to successfully pass the written exam, if the applicant fails, they must reapply. Tested subjects will include mathematics, grammar, and reading. Step 4. Oral Board All prospective candidates for the Nicholasville Police Officer Recruit position will be required to complete an oral board interview with the Chief of Police and a panel of other command officers and city officials. All applicant personnel files are sent through the chain of command for final approval or rejection. Applicants who are offered employment are hired with a tentative police academy class date through the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT). Applicants who are not offered employment are allowed to reapply. Step 5. Physical Fitness & Agility Test Prospective candidates will be required to complete the Physical Agility Test, all candidates that successfully passed the Basic Skills and Reading Exam, will have three attempts to pass the Physical Fitness and Agility Test. The physical agility test confirms that prospective police recruits are performing physically at the 30th percentile. The test standards are listed below: 18 Sit-ups (within 1 minute) 300-meter run in 65 seconds 21 Push-Ups 1.5-mile run in 17.12 minutes Step 6. Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ) & Suitability Screener Prior to beginning the background investigation, candidates must complete an in-depth background questionnaire called the "PHQ." Every aspect of the candidate’s previous history is to be recorded on this document. The PHQ form is included with the Police Recruit Application. Because it is so comprehensive, candidates are given the questionnaire and instructed to take it home, conduct the necessary research to complete it, and then return it to the Nicholasville Police Department. It is critical that this questionnaire be completed truthfully and in its entirety. Any falsehoods are grounds for immediate rejection. Further, candidates will be required to complete a Suitability Screener which is used for psychological screening. Step 7. Background Investigation & Investigator Interview We seek candidates with the highest moral and ethical standards for our agency. The background investigation must indicate that you have the necessary morality, honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity to join our department. During the investigation stage, a background investigator will initiate contact with individuals listed in the PHQ; employers, family, friends, associates, and neighbors. In addition to contacting these principles, investigators will review your work history, speak to coworkers, teachers, and anyone else who can offer insights into your character and fitness for police work. If a candidate is found to have met the expectations of the department, the assigned investigator will then invite the candidate for an in-person interview. Our efforts are designed to gain an understanding of the kind of person you are and to exclude candidates who have demonstrated character traits that are inconsistent with the highest values of the profession. Step 8. Polygraph Examination The required polygraph examination is administered by an outside agency that consists of known certified polygraphists and interrogation experts. The test consists of questions designed to verify the truthfulness of the candidate and the information that he/she places in their Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ). This test is at least two hours long and will be monitored by your assigned background investigator. Step 9. Medical Evaluation & Drug Screen The medical evaluation consists of a complete physical examination. Candidates will provide a medical history and complete an examination consistent with a thorough physical examination. A drug screening test will also be required during this examination. The physical examination is given to all candidates as part of their pre-employment screening requirements. Step 10. Police Academy Training Program (DOCJT) If you have satisfactorily completed the process and are offered employment to attend the Department of Criminal Justice Training police academy in Richmond, KY, you will undergo twenty (20) weeks of intensive training designed to produce the best police officers in the country. The police training academy is a "live-in" academy, recruits will be released each Friday afternoon and expected to report back to campus on Sunday evening. Step 11. On-The-Job Probation & Field Training Program Upon graduation from the Department of Criminal Justice & Training program, probationary officers are assigned to the patrol division and will be required to complete sixteen (16) weeks of FTO training. The date of academy graduation marks the beginning of a one-year probationary evaluation period. During this period, the conduct of probationary officers will be under close scrutiny. The Field Training Program consists of three phases and a "shadow" period. A probationary officer will be paired with a Field Training Officer during the FTO course and will undergo further training and daily assessments. At the conclusion of FTO training period, probationary officers will be released as solo officers to serve the City of Nicholasville.