Department of Public Safety STATE POLICE TROOPER CODE:  700100 PAY GRADE:  21     $17.45 – 23.25*hr.* *Salary includes a $0.60 per hour Market Pay Adjustment Value of State-paid Health and Dental Insurance: $322.97 biweekly. Value of State’s share of Employee’s Retirement: 26.56% of pay.

WOMEN AND MINORITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Maine State Police Troopers are responsible for the enforcement of Maine state laws and the maintenance of the public’s safety and security as a sworn officer of the Maine State Police.  Troopers patrol assigned areas; conduct investigations and inspections; enforce motor vehicle, criminal, and other laws; and provide aid and assistance to the public. Troopers work shift work and are scheduled to work 160 hours every twenty-eight (28) day cycle.  Troopers are assigned/reassigned to various locations statewide depending on need.  Troopers will be required to pass a physical fitness assessment annually throughout their career as a Maine State Police Trooper.

A Trooper’s duties include:

• Patrols an assigned geographic area in order to ensure compliance with State laws, define areas of criminal activity, and assist the public.

• Issues warnings, makes arrests, gathers evidence, and testifies in court in order to enforce laws and assist in the prosecution of offenders.

• Investigates complaints and observed incidents of law violations in order to enforce the law and protect the public.

• Responds to emergency messages from dispatchers or other law enforcement personnel in order to take necessary and appropriate action.

• Performs routine criminal investigations in assigned patrol area and writes detailed reports of investigations in order to assist in the apprehension and prosecution of responsible parties.

• Investigates highway accidents in order to determine conditions and causes of accidents.

• Oversees accident scenes in order to assess emergency needs, administer first aid, prevent further injury or damage, and safeguard the scene.

• Performs special duties such as public relations, accident reconstruction, OUI/drug detection, DARE, dog handling, administrative licensing, motor vehicle inspections, and program research and analysis in order to facilitate attainment of State Police and Department goals and objectives.

Note to Currently Certified Law Enforcement Officers:

Candidates selected for initial appointment who are

1. certified, full-time law enforcement officers in Maine (or are able to obtain a waiver of basic law enforcement training from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees), and

2. have attained the 50^th percentile on each component of the MCJA Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test

may be exempted from attending the MCJA's basic course at the discretion of the Chief of the Maine State Police.  All other selected applicants will be required to attend and successfully complete this course of instruction.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

In order to qualify, you must:

1. have a high school diploma or equivalent;

2. be at least twenty-one (21) years of age before the start date of the school;

3. have successfully passed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy's ALERT examination

4. have successfully passed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy's Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test within the past year;

5. have or be able to obtain a valid Maine motor vehicle operator’s license; and

6. be willing to relocate anywhere within the State of Maine.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  You must submit with your completed application form:

1. a copy of your high school diploma or equivalent;

2. proof of age (e.g. a copy of your Passport or Birth Certificate or Driver’s License etc.); and

3. a letter from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy showing your ALERT examination score; and

4. a letter from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy showing your Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test results.

Application Process:

TESTING AND EVALUATION PROCESS:

Because of the responsibilities and authority of a Maine State Police Trooper, the examination and selection process is extensive and thorough.  The testing process is conducted by the Maine State Police and consists of multiple evaluation phases.  Applicants must successfully complete each phase in order to proceed to the next.  THE TESTING PROCESS IS AS FOLLOWS:

1. ALERT EXAMINATION:  Applicants must have already taken and passed the ALERT test prior to applying to The Department of Public Safety for placement on the Employment Register.  This may be done by calling 207-877-8000 (there is a $40.00 fee for this test.)  Testing is normally scheduled for the first and third Wednesday of every month at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro, Maine.  Test questions are multiple choice and fall within the categories of Writing Skills and Reading Comprehension.

2. PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST (PFT): Applicants must have already taken and passed the Pre-Employment PFT within the past year prior to applying to the Department of Public Safety for placement on the Employment Register.  This may be done by calling 207-877-8000 (there is a $25.00 fee for this test.)  Testing is normally scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro, Maine.  The Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is a Pass/Fail test.  It consists of three events: Maximal Effort Push-Up Test; Timed Sit-Up Test (one minute); and 1.5 Mile Run.  Standards for successful completion of the PFT are available upon request.

3. APPLICATION EVALUATION:  Completed applications must include PFT and Alert Exam results, High School Diploma or GED and proof of date of birth.  Applications that are received without the above mentioned documents are disqualified from further consideration. Candidates who do not meet these requirements are disqualified from further consideration. 

4. ORAL BOARD EXAMINATION:  All candidates successfully meeting the Minimum Requirements will be scheduled for an Oral Board Examination.  Oral Boards are usually scheduled monthly and will be held at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro, Maine.  The Oral Board is a structured examination that evaluates applicants’ skills in the areas of Commitment & Independence; Judgment & Logic; Decision Making/Decisiveness; Tact & Diplomacy; Communication Skills and Integrity/Ethics. 

5. HIRING PROCESS:  Candidates will be subject to an intensive background investigation.  The background investigator will gather information about the candidate, including military service, education, motor vehicle record, criminal history record, financial record, work history, and references.

Upon completion of the background investigation, viable candidates will be scheduled for a polygraph examination.  The results of the background investigation and polygraph examination will then be reviewed by a screening committee to determine if the candidate is eligible to continue.  This determination will be reached by weighing all the information received.

Candidates successfully completing the background investigation and polygraph examination will be scheduled for an interview with the Chief of the Maine State Police.  Final selection will be based on the Chief's interview along with the successful completion of a medical and psychological examination.  Approximately one month prior to the start date of the school, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy will again require that every candidate who is attending the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program must successfully pass the Physical Fitness Test.

NOTE:  Each component of the State Police Trooper examination process must be completed successfully.  Failure to successfully complete a component (or portion of a component) will result in disqualification from further consideration.

Applicants who are eliminated from consideration must wait six months from date of elimination before reapplying.

You should be aware before starting the application process that you will automatically be eliminated for any of the following:

AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFIERS:

1. Have been found guilty of murder or any crime classified in Maine law as a Class A, Class B, or Class C crime (any felony) or a conviction for any equivalent crime in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine;

2. Have been found guilty of any crime classified in Maine law as a Class D crime (misdemeanor with a maximum possible term of imprisonment of less than one year) or a conviction for any equivalent crime in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine;

3. Have been found guilty of any of the following provisions of the Maine Criminal Code or a conviction for any equivalent crime in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine:

   1. Chapter 15 (Theft);

   2. Chapter 19 (Falsification in Official Matters);

   3. Chapter 25 (Bribery and Corrupt Practices); or

   4. Chapter 45 (Drugs);

4. Have not engaged in any conduct that is penalized in the State of Maine as Murder, Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D crime, or any provision of the Maine Criminal Code, Chapters 15, 19, 25, or 45; or engaged in such conduct in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine, unless that conduct is not punishable as a crime under the laws of that jurisdiction;

5. Have been found guilty of any crime that is a violation of the domestic abuse provisions of any state or federal statutes;

6. Have been found guilty of operating-under-the-influence (O.U.I.) of intoxicating liquor and/or drugs within the 6 years prior to application;

7. Have been adjudicated to have committed a 0.02 or zero tolerance violation within the six (6) years prior to application;

8. Illegally sold scheduled drugs or drugs which require a prescription;

9. Engaged in illegal drug use beyond what is considered as experimentation;

10. Is currently abusing drugs or alcohol; or

11. Falsify or misrepresent a material fact when interviewed during the Background Investigation, or the Polygraph Examination, or on the Pre-polygraph questionnaire.

Maine State Police Training Unit.................. (207) 877-8004

Human Resources...................................... (207) 623-6739