Burlington - Entry Level Police Officer

Job Announcement

Currently, the Burlington PD has multiple immediate positions available, and anticipates addition openings in the future. The list of eligible candidates will remain on file for approximately two years or until the list is exhausted, whichever comes first. Candidates looking to become a patrol officer with Burlington Police Department are encouraged to register and participate in the written exam.

Burlington, MA Police Department

ANNOUNCING: Written Exam Date Set for Saturday, April 17, 2021

LATEST UPDATE 3.30.21:

The Burlington PD is pleased to announce they have secured a date and location for their Spring 2021 entry level written exam. The outline below will provide you with important dates, times, and locations for the scheduled steps of the BPD recruitment process.

Written Exam Date: Saturday, April 17, 2021

Exam Location: Burlington High School, 123 Cambridge Street, Burlington

Check-in begins at 7:30am
Exam facilitation & written test begin at 9:00am

Registration Ends: 5:00pm on Weds. April 7th

PPI Component Due: 9:00am on Thurs. April 8th – If your PPI submission is not completed by this time, you are disqualified from the BPD process and should not report to your scheduled PAT. No exceptions will be made.

Physical Abilities Test (PAT): Sat. April 10th & Sun. April 11th – Start time for candidates PAT’s is 9:00am on the grounds of Northern Essex Community College (NECC), 100 Elliott Street, Haverhill, MA. You must select your desired date and time in advance, through your policeapp.com portal.

Military Make-up Time, via the @Home testing process: April 21st @ 1:00pm EST – Only pre-approved military applicants will be participating in this process.

(NEW) Situational / Scenario based interviews: April 30th , May 1st & May 3rd – More details to be provided by the BPD.

(NEW) Additionally, the BPD has recently added a new step to their recruitment process.  

As such, anyone who passes the PAT and written exam, may be called for an interview process. Anyone who passes the interview process, may be required to participate in a short, scenario-based, series of simulator exercises. Below is an outline of the overall process, which includes the latest update:

1. Register for the exam
2. Pass the PAT
3. If you pass the PAT, you must pass the written test
4. If you pass the written test, you may get an invite to the interview
5. If you pass the interview, you may get invited to participate in a short, scenario-based, series of simulator exercises

The dates available for the simulator exercises are April 30, May 1, and May 3, 2021. You must make your desired date selection from within your policeapp.com portal.

UPDATE 3.1.21:

In order to participate in the written exam portion of the process, you are REQUIRED to pass the Physical Abilities Test (PAT). The BPD has scheduled two PAT dates, April 10 th and April 11 th , 2021. Upon registering for the exam, you will be asked to specify your preference of date and time.

Below is the detailed information on the PAT process:

In these unprecedented times, we are being forced to conduct business in unusual ways. Normally, during our past recruitment drives, the written exam was always the first phase of our process.  Because of COVID restrictions, we need to change our procedure and will begin the process with the physical abilities testing (PAT).  All candidates are invited to participate in the PAT and you have the flexibility, on a first-come, first-served basis, to sign up for the date and time you wish to attend the PAT. 

Important things to note:

1. The PAT will be administered over a 2-day period beginning April 10, 2021 at 0900.  You may select which date and time period works best.  You need only to attend one of the sessions.
2. The PAT administration will be conducted on the grounds of Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill.  The address is 100 Elliott Street.  NECC will be the designated academy for the initial hires from this upcoming eligibility list.  Therefore, the advantage of getting to know the physical location and layout of the academy grounds should help facilitate the transition for those candidates that make it through the hiring process.
3. All candidates MUST show up thirty minutes prior to their scheduled PAT.  You must bring a photo ID and have a signed and witnessed waiver with you.  The waiver is attached to this email.  Failure to have the necessary documents may result in immediate disqualification from the entire recruitment process.
4. Wear appropriate athletic attire.  Dress for the weather.  This PAT will occur in any type of weather and will not be postponed unless it becomes absolutely necessary.  Wear running sneakers.  Bring water and a snack, if you prefer.  Dressing in layers should work to your advantage in the event of extreme temperatures.  We have administered the PAT during times when it has been under 10 degrees, and others when it has hit 70.
5. All personal belongings must be left in your vehicle.  Neither NECC nor the Burlington Police Department will be responsible for lost or stolen items.
6. All candidates must pass EVERY phase of the PAT.  Failure on one event will result in immediate disqualification from further processing.  
7. A map of NECC is attached to this email.  The map is keyed with the location of the athletic field area.  Candidates will park in the parking lot opposite the Spurk Building, labeled as "C" on the map.  Park as close as possible to the athletic field.  There will be uniformed BPD personnel on site to assist.  Upon arrival, you will be pre-processed with the rest of your group, based on your assigned PAT time, by officers handling the registration component.
8. No candidate will be allowed to wear earphones/ear pods during the PAT.  Candidates must be able to follow instructions from BPD staff during the administration of the PAT and the academy does not allow any recruit officer to wear them during training - so we are going to get you used to this now.

The PAT has traditionally resulted in an approximate 50% failure rate over the last three recruitment drives.  The PAT is not something that you can fail to prepare for and hope to pass.  It is challenging and we are going to test you at the level necessary to graduate the police academy.  Therefore, you must be prepared! Information on the PAT can be found on our website at www.bpd.org  and on the Municipal Police Training Committee website. Please - prepare now for the PAT.

The written exam date is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, 2021. Please understand that the written exam will only be offered to those candidates that successfully pass the PAT.

Military Deployments:

Those candidates that are currently on active duty and unable to make the PAT will be deferred to a PAT at a later time.  You will be allowed to take the written exam first - with the @Home testing process. Please email me separately so that I can defer you to the PAT after the written exam.

The Burlington Police Department sincerely wishes all of you the best during the PAT and future components of the hiring process.  The Burlington Police Department maintains the highest standards for our police officers and we encourage you to compete at the highest level to show you have what it takes to join our team.

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Thank you for your interest in the Burlington Police Department’s upcoming law enforcement entry exam in the Spring of 2021. Exact date TBD. The in-person written exam will be facilitated by Police Exam Solutions (PES). To help you better understand the process, and the requirements and procedures necessary to participate, below is an outline of the agencies and their involvement in the upcoming exam.

• Military Make-Up Exam:

  In acknowledgment of the sacrifice of our military men and women currently serving out their orders, a military make-up exam accommodation has been scheduled for 1:00pm EST on Weds., April 21^st, 2021, via the PES @Home testing process. To qualify for the military make-up exam, you would need to be on active duty (or military orders) during the original application period or on the original examination date of the exam you are requesting a makeup for.
  
  

Prior to registering for the exam, you must email info@policeexamsolutions.com, with the subject line being “Request for Military Makeup.” Supporting documentation such as a DD214, Commanding Officer Letter, Orders, etc. must accompany the request.

After review of your request and supporting documentation, the BPD and PES will make a determination of your eligibility. If approved, you will be permitted to register.

A limited number of spots are available and are on a first come, first served basis.

The requirements for the @Home testing process include an internet connection, as well as a cell phone, and a PC with Windows 10 or later. The testing platform is not compatible with Mac’s or Google Chromebooks. Additional details will be provided upon your approval to participate.

PLEASE NOTE – Pandemic Contingencies:

The BPD and PES are committed to hosting their 2021 Entrance Exam in an In-Person exam format. However, as you are aware, the challenges we face as a result of the pandemic, are ever-changing and evolving. We will continue to monitor this situation closely. If there are gathering restrictions and/or safety protocols set forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we will be adhering to these mandates to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being to the best of our ability. Additional information about any pandemic protocols and will be provided to you via email, as we get closer to exam day.  

PoliceApp.com:

Policeapp.com provides the exam registration site, where you will enroll and pay your registration fee. In addition to the PES website, you can find all pertinent, detailed information regarding the upcoming exam on the policeapp.com site. Policeapp.com provides a dashboard style user interface between candidates and the hiring agency. Once the exam process has occurred and scores are posted, all communication about the recruitment process will be handled by the hiring agency through this portal. 

Police Exam Solutions, LLC:

PES is the agency working with the Burlington Police Department to sponsor and facilitate the written exam process being held Saturday, April 17, 2021. In order to participate in the written exam, you are REQUIRED to pass the Physical Abilities Test. Registration for the BPD exam ends at 5pm, April 7, 2021.

There are two components to the PES written exam process, as outlined below:

1. YOUR PES CIR & PPI ONLINE PORTAL:

   The first part of the written examination is the Candidate Insight Report (CIR), and the Projected Personality Interpreter (PPI). The CIR will require you to complete a series of questions regarding your demographics, and your skills and qualifications for the job. The PPI consists of 10 essay questions. Utilizing IBM Watson AI technology, the PPI is used to identify the top key personality traits possessed by candidates. The PPI report is not scored and/or ranked. It is designed to provide the department with personality insight for each candidate. A candidate will not be hired or eliminated from consideration for hire, based on this feedback.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT! Upon your successful registration acceptance, the PPI portal will automatically email you a set of access instructions.  DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THE PPI:  9 AM Thurs. APRIL 8th. Failure to complete this portion of the exam before the deadline will result in your disqualification from the process.

Since this email will sometimes get intercepted by ISP firewalls, we advise you search all folders within your email box. The ‘from’ address is admin.ppi-portal.com. Your first-time access must be made through the link contained in the email. Should you have any issues, you must contact PES for assistance. To provide you with the best service, it’s suggested you do not wait until the last minute.

2. THE WRITTEN EXAM:

   The second part of the exam process is the written exam. In order to participate in the written exam, you are REQUIRED to have passed the Physical Abilities Test. You will be participating in a written exam specifically tailored for law enforcement. Your exam was developed to measure the key skills, abilities and other characteristics required for job success. You will be allotted a set amount of time to complete the exam. You should expect the process to take approximately 3.25 hours. Once the process begins and test administration is complete, you will have 2.5 hours to complete your exam.

Transferring of prior PES exam scores: Prior PES exam results are NOT eligible for score transferring to the BPD exam. Anyone who is interested in being considered in the BPD hiring process must sit for this exam.

PES will notify candidates when results are in, via email. Typically, scores are released within (5) business days from the date of the exam. This email will contain a step-by-step set of instructions on how to access your individual score.

All candidates are required to provide their valid photo ID upon exam check-in on the morning of your exam, as well as two (2) No. 2 pencils. Masks are mandatory. Anyone without a mask will not be permitted to enter the testing facility. DO NOT BRING YOUR CELL PHONE AND/OR SMART DEVICE TO THE EXAM! If you are found to have a smart device, you will be asked to leave the exam, and automatically disqualified from the process.

Additional screening processes: Due to the pandemic, the need for additional pre-screening of candidate’s health and wellness measures may be implemented. This can include, but not be limited to, car-side check-in, temperature checks, and a health and wellness questionnaire to determine any high-risk participants. Should we determine these steps are necessary you will be notified in advance. It is also advised that you stay tuned to the travel restrictions on the Mass.gov website. We will be adhering to the requirements set forth by the Commonwealth of MA.

The Police Department: The Burlington Police Department for which you are applying has contracted with PES to provide the best recruitment and pre-screening tools available for recruiting qualified candidates. Therefore, the Burlington PD has requested you contact PES with questions, concerns, or additional information, and not contact their agency.

PES is here to help! Police Exam Solutions is facilitating and hosting the BPD exam. As such, all questions regarding the exam process, as well as general inquiries will be handled by Police Exam Solutions, LLC. To provide you with a timely, informative response, we highly encourage you to submit your inquires to info@policeexamsolutions.com.  You can also call the office at 781.645.6005. Do NOT contact the BPD, or you may be disqualified from the process.

All fees paid are NON-REFUNDABLE under any circumstances. Policeapp.com and PES do not offer make-up exam sessions or returns for exam registration purchases. Your registration purchase is for that particular exam only and cannot be transferred to another exam.

Jobs close at 11:59 PM (Eastern) on the deadline date specified, or when the position capacity has been met, or unless otherwise specified in the announcement. If the deadline date is not specified in the announcement, the agency has sole discretion on setting the deadline and jobs may close without notice. It is the applicant's responsibility to thoroughly read and understand the deadline requirements and capacity limits as outlined by the agency.

Applicants are responsible for checking their email and logging into their PoliceApp, PublicSafetyApp, FireFighterApp or EmployementApp account to monitor for emails, scheduling and process updates.