Join The Fall River Police Department

The Fall River Police Department participates in Civil Service as part of our hiring process.  In order to be considered for a position with the department, interested candidates must take this examination. After certification of the results, an eligible list is formed of candidates who have passed the test and are ranked in order from highest to lowest. Fall River has a residency preference and will select candidates who live in Fall River before exploring other candidates.

Registration for the yearly Civil Service exam is typically end of November (current year) through end of January (following year). You must register during that time frame in order to take the Civil Service test sometime in early to mid-March of the following year. 

2025 MA Civil Service Municipal Police Officer Examination


Minimum Qualifications & Requirements to take the exam:

Examples of Essential Duties for Municipal Police Officer: Municipal Police Officers, work under supervision to perform law enforcement duties, protecting life, property, and the civil rights of individuals. Primary duties include patrol; interacting with citizens to provide service and render assistance; and preparing and completing records, reports, and other paperwork documenting incidents for use in prosecution. Municipal Police Officers are dispatched to crime and emergency scenes in response to reported violations, accidents, domestic disputes and abuses, and other incidents; carry out crime scene duties; make arrests and perform searches and seizures; conduct investigations; and interview witnesses, suspects, and complainants.

Education/Experience Requirement
:  As of the date of appointment, candidates must have either a high school diploma or equivalency certificate approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or three years of experience in the armed forces of the United States with last release or discharge under honorable conditions.

Age Requirement: Pursuant to Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.) Chapter 31, § 58, candidates must be 19 years of age on or before the exam date to take the examination for Municipal Police Officer. Candidates are required to be at least 21 years of age by the date of appointment as a Municipal Police Officer.


Once the test results are certified, the Fall River Police will use Civil Service to notify potential candidates via email. It is critical that you check the email that you registered to take the exam with regularly. Once candidates are notified, they have five (5) business days to appear at the Police Department to sign a list, indicating their interest in the position of Police Officer. 
This will begin the FRPD Hiring Process, the steps are outlined below:

  • Background Investigation & Personal History Questionnaire
  • Board Interview with Command Staff
    •    (A Conditional Offer of Employment will be offered upon successful completion of the first two steps in the hiring process). 
  • Medical Evaluation
  • Civil Service Physical Agility Test (PAT) (https://youtu.be/Nbcd9q0hPRU)
  • Psychological Exam
  • Pass (MPTC) Entry Cooper Standards Actual Test (http://mptctraining.com/roclessons/P_H&WPrepGuide.pdf)
  • Attend & Pass a Full-Time MPTC Police Academy (5 months)

 

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Upon graduation of the Police Academy, the candidate will undergo twelve weeks of Field Training and then be assigned to full duty / solo patrol. They will be subject to a one-year probationary period from the day they graduated the Police Academy. 

The City of Fall River is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. The City of Fall River makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.