Eligibility for Hire

Eligibility for appointment to sworn positions in the Conway Police Department is governed by Ark. Code Ann. § 14-51-301, as that statute may be amended from time to time. All necessary prerequisites to being considered for such positions shall be included in job postings distributed by the HR Department. In addition to the minimum qualifications stated below, applicants must comply with any deadlines for submitting all necessary information in order to be eligible to compete in the hiring process. Deadlines for submitting such necessary information shall be set by the HR Department. Selection of the Police Chief is not governed by these Rules and Regulations.

Qualifications

To be considered for employment as a police officer with the Conway Police Department, applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications, most of which are promulgated by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards ("ACLES"). In the event of additions or modifications adopted by the ACLES, such changes shall be followed, and will be included in this section without need of a public hearing:

1. Citizen of the United States;
2. Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age (by September 1st or 2nd depending on birthday) and less than forty-six (46) years of age on the date of hire. If an applicant turns forty-six (46) at any time prior to being hired by the CPD, he is no longer eligible for hire;
3. No felony convictions;
4. High school graduate or possess GED;
5. Hold a valid driver's license;
6. Be of good character as determined by a thorough background investigation;
7. Have acceptable vision (uncorrected visual acuity must not exceed 20/100 in either eye, correctable to 20/20 or better in each eye);
8. Possess normal hearing and be free of any hearing defect which, in the opinion of the physician administering the required post-offer physical examination, could adversely affect performance of duty; and
9. Successfully complete a physical agility test, psychological examination and post-offer physical examination, including a post-offer of employment drug test.

Hiring Process

1 Written Examination

First, candidates must take and pass a written examination with a score of at least 80%. This exam is video-based and there is not a study guide or test-prep. It will identify candidates who have the observation and analytic ability to assess situations, the confidence and maturity to handle enforcement, the skills to interact with the public in a customer oriented way, the respect to work within a chain of command and the responsibility and ethics to handle the authority of the job.

2 Physical Agility Test

Those candidates whom successfully passed the written examination will be authorized to continue the hiring process by completing our Physical Agility Test. The physical agility course utilized by the Conway Police Department consists of seven (7) individual elements or “stations.” Each station attempts to fairly recreate or simulate a physical activity that a police officer can reasonably expect to perform in the line of duty.

4 Background Investigation

Candidates who pass both the entry level and physical agility test will undergo a complete background investigation including a Truth Verification test. Candidates receiving conditional offers of employment will undergo a physical and psychological exam, visual acuity test, hearing exam and drug screen.

The City of Conway is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital or veteran status, political status, disability status or other legally protected status. Females and minorities are encouraged to apply.