Security Officer #88298 (Open Competitive)

Security Officer #88298 (Open Competitive)

Final Filing Date: 06/18/2024

Exam Date: 07/13/2024

An incumbent to a position in this class will be responsible for the security of school property, safety of students, school personnel and assist in the maintenance of order.  Patrols school buildings, areas around the school and at school functions in order to bring any problems under control.

 This position differs from that of Guard in that the Security Officer will have the power of arrest.  The incumbent will be semi-uniformed and wear a pocket emblem for identification instead of a shield.  Security Officers will not be trained in the use of firearms or carry weapons.

 They will be called upon to use good judgment and have a high degree of tact in their contacts with students.  Immediate supervision is received from the Director of Security.

Maintains order in and around school buildings including lavatories and cafeterias;

Reports irregularities to the School Principal and/or Director of Security;

Disperses groups of individuals congregating on or at school property;

Assists the principal with the orderly movement of pupils within the building;

Removes unauthorized visitors from school premises;

Assists in the apprehension of violators of laws or school department regulations on school property;

• may seize and secure illegal or unauthorized contraband brought into the building;

Assists in the detection of problems or potential problem areas through effective communication channels with pupils, community residents and businesses;

Keeps the principal constantly advised of means of establishing effective security measures in the building;

Develops methods to prevent intrusion within a school building by outside gangs;

Attempts to resolve less serious acts of misconduct without resorting to arrest;

Investigates incidents within the school and submits reports to School Principal, Director of Security and Police when required;

Makes arrests and appears in court in the prosecution of offenders;

May be required to testify in disciplinary hearings;

May be required to drive department automobile, chauffeuring the Superintendent, School Board members or other officials to meetings/school, etc.;

Performs related work as required.

Graduation from High School, GED or Equivalency Diploma and six months of full time experience as a security guard;

OR

Graduation from High School, GED or Equivalency Diploma including or supplemented by 15 credit hours from a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Education, in Criminal Justice, Police Science or Law Enforcement; (transcript must be presented at time of filing application)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

•  Applicants must possess a valid NYS Driver's License which must be presented at time of appointment and maintained during employment.
  2. Applicants must possess a valid NYS Security Guard Registration Card which must be                presented at time of appointment and maintained during employment. 
  3.Upon appointment, applicants will be required to participate in a 16 hour on-the-job                 training course (or comparable) as prescribed by the NYS Security Guard Act and the             Buffalo School District.
  4.Employees will be required to participate in an 8 hour Annual In-Service Training                    Course and must maintain a valid Security Guard Registration Card throughout                        employment with the Buffalo School District.

Note:  Verifiable part-time experience will be pro-rated to meet full-time experience 

             requirements. Proof of education must be presented at time of appointment.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION - Written Test..........Relative Weight 100%

EXAMINATION WILL TEST FOR KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND/OR ABILITIES IN SUCH AREAS AS:

1. Preparing written material 

2.Applying written information in a safety and security setting 

3. Principles and practices of safety and security

4.Following directions (maps)

NOTE: The use a hand-held, battery- or solar- powered calculator is ALLOWED for this exam.

Devices with typewriter keyboards, spell checkers, personal digital assistants, address books, language translators, dictionaries, cell phones or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference material.  Cell phones and any other electronic devices are also prohibited.

EXPANDED SUBTEST DESCRIPTION:

1.)  Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information.

You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

2.) Applying written information in a safety and security setting

These questions evaluate your ability to read, interpret and apply rules, regulations, directives, written narratives and other related material. You will be required to read a set of information and to appropriately apply the information to situations similar to those typically experienced in a public safety and security service setting. All information needed to answer the questions is contained in the rules, regulations, etc. which are cited.

3.) Principles and practices of safety and security

These questions test for a knowledge of the proper principles and practices in the field of safety and security. The questions will cover such areas as selecting the best course of action to take in a safety or security related situation.

4.) Following directions (maps)

These questions test your ability to follow physical/geographic directions using street maps or building maps. You will have to read and understand a set of directions and then use them on a simple map.

Test Guide:

A guide for the Written Test for Safety and Security is available at the New York State website https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request a copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.

This written exam is being prepared and rated by the N.Y.S. Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of the Civil Service Law, and the provisions of the N.Y.S. Civil service Rules and Regulations dealing with the rating and review of exams apply.

(If not attached, expanded subtest descriptions may be obtained from the Civil Service office, Room 1001 City Hall.)

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 (The eligible list resulting from this exam may be used to fill comparable positions.)

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MULTIPLE EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME DAY:

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date, so they can make arrangements for taking all tests at one site.  All examinations for positions in State government will be held at a State examination center.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXAMS notify each civil service agency to make arrangements no later than two weeks before test date.  You must notify each agency with whom you have filed.  For this information, notify the Department of Human Resources, Division of Civil Service, Room 1001 City Hall, Buffalo, New York  14202 or call or come to the office.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE DAY OF THE EXAMINATION - In the event of severe weather conditions on the day of the examination, please listen to the following tv/radio stations for postponement or delay in the starting time of the administration of the examination:   WBEN 550, WGR 930, WWW145.., WWKB 1520 -AM RADIO; WKSE 98.5, WLKK 102.5, WTSS 107.7 FM RADIO OR WIBT-TV (CH. 4).  If no such announcement is made, you must presume that the examination will be administered as scheduled.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR USE OF VETERAN'S CREDITS

If you are currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, you may apply for veteran's credits.  These veteran's credits shall be granted on a conditional basis at time of establishment of the eligible list.

 You will be restricted from certification using these credits until you have received an honorable discharge or release under honorable conditions.  Your DD214 must be presented as proof of service during war time, before you can be certified for appointment from the eligible list

using these credits.

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Special Requirement for Appointment in School Districts and BOCES

Per Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, and by Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, to be employed in a position designated by a school district or BOCES as involving direct contact with students, a clearance for employment from the State Education Department is required.

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NOTICE TO EXAM PARTICIPANTS: Additional Points Available to Children of Police Officers and Firefighters Killed in the Line of Duty (New Section 85-a, NYS Civil Service Law, effective 9/17/02).

On September 17, 2002, Governor Pataki signed into law a bill adding a new section 85-a to the Civil Service Law granting additional credit on civil service examinations for children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty.  This law is to take effect immediately.

"In conformance with Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served.  If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination.

 A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility.  However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established."

Applicants claiming these points must do so in writing (you may enclose in application), indicating the name, title, relationship and place of employment of the deceased parent.

Eligibility for points will be reviewed and applicants may be required to submit additional information to verify the claim.

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Additional points available to siblings of Firefighters and Police Officers killed in the line of duty as the result of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center Attack (Chapter 500, Laws of New York 2003).

For more information, check with the Department of Human Resources, Civil Service office.