COURT HOUSE – Middle Township Police Department is one of about 250 municipal police departments in the state that are civil service, meaning the department hires new officers off a list based on civil service examination scoring. The test is given periodically.
Police Chief Christopher Leusner told Middle Township Committee Aug. 16 that by the time a department is working with a list that is 2 to 3 years old, findingqualified candidates is difficult. Leusner needs those candidates since Middle has had officers put in their retirement papers.
Leusner said that the relatively new Alternative Route Program “is a real lifesaver.” The program allows a civilian to enter the police academy, at their own expense, without first being hired by a police agency. The candidate trains alongside the regular police recruits. The candidate is then available to be hired by any police department without going through the civil service process.
The governing body passed a resolution at the meeting, authorizing the police department to use the new program, as a hiring option.
