By Rob Creenan
Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Niagara County is partaking in another round of hiring corrections officers without the need for candidates to take a Civil Service exam.
Sheriff Michael Filicetti said over the past few years, there have been difficulties statewide in getting people interested in being a corrections officer, whose main role is maintaining custody and security of the incarcerated population. The state started a pilot program last year in order to bring in more candidates.
“Its more based on your training and experience you bring to the job that determines where you end up ranking,” Filicetti said. Candidates must still pass a physical agility test.
Interested candidates have until May 19 to complete an application, which can be found on the Niagara County website. They then have until June 30 to fill out an online questionnaire covering their training, experience and any other skills.
The county hired 12 new officers from the list after the last round of testing, which took place this past winter. It currently has 130 corrections officers with four vacancies. The starting salary for the positions is $24.90 per hour.
“We had many retirements over the last couple of years,” Filicetti said as officers in New York state can retire after 25 years of service. He feels they should have no problem filling up the vacancies.
The turnaround for results has been faster, a month compared to three or four months before.
“The benefits to this method is we attract more qualified candidates, and the quicker turnaround time on Civil Service exams allowed us to hire people much quicker,” Filicetti said.
Niagara County is one of 40 New York counties participating in this pilot program.
Candidates on the list established from this recruitment will not be eligible to be hired until there are fewer than three active candidates on the current list or until Jan. 25, 2024, whichever comes first.
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