SIDNEY — The Sidney Police Department is searching for two new police officers and part-time dispatchers.

“Right now we are accepting applications for Sidney Police Officers. We are looking at hiring at least two officers,” said Chief Will Balling. “They can apply until the end of February.”

The department is authorized to have 38 sworn officers, 11 dispatchers and three support staff members. The department will have 36 officers on staff, after a pending retirement soon, said Balling.

The salary range is $53,979 to $66,648 annually for the job.

The city of Sidney is an equal opportunity employer. Minorities are encouraged to apply.

He is looking for candidates who meet the four core values of the department: professionalism, integrity, courage and compassion.

“This job takes unique skills and we need to have those people who have the good core values,” Balling said when explaining the hiring process. Applicants will also undergo a background check prior to making it to the interview stage.

“We have to be vested in this person, because when we hire and train them, we have a lot of money invested in them, he said.”

Each candidate must meet the minimum qualifications for the position. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28, 2020. Each person must complete and submit the city of Sidney application for employment along with a copy of their high school diploma, copy of DD-214 for veterans credit (if applicable) and copy of Peace Officers certification for the state of Ohio (if applicable).

Candidates must also register for the National Testing Network, complete their application and personal history questionnaire, and take the test by Feb. 28.

Each candidate must register and complete the personnel history questionnaire prior to reporting to the testing facility.

The city of Sidney is offering testing with the National Testing Network (NTN), which began Jan. 6, and will continue through Feb. 28. To fill out an NTN application and schedule a written test, the candidate should go to www.nationaltestingnetwork.com and select Law Enforcement and sign up for the Sidney Police Department.

The candidate can take the test at any authorized NTN testing facility. The closest testing facility to Sidney is Edison Community College in Piqua, but candidates can also take the test at and Rhodes State College in Lima and Sinclair Community College in Dayton.

Rhodes State is offering testing multiple days per week on an ongoing basis. The remaining testing dates offered at Edison State Community college is Feb. 25, 4 p.m.; and at Sinclair Community College is Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.

The cost of the test is $49, which is paid by the applicant. The candidate also has the option of sending the test results to multiple participating cities or agencies for an additional $9.50 fee.

The city of Sidney follows all Ohio Civil Services laws, which means each candidate must pass all three parts of the National Testing Network test with a minimum of 70 percent to move forward in the process. They can receive additional credit for prior military experience and by already holding Ohio Peace Officer certification issue by the OPOTA. The credit will be applied to candidates who pass all portions of the NTN test.

If a candidate does not have the Ohio Peace Officer certification, they will attend the Ohio Highway Patrol Academy for training. The person will be a city of Sidney employee while going through the training.

New hires, said Balling, can potentially join the SWAT team, be a K9 officer, detective or community resource officer after they have been with the department for a few years.

“With our department we rotate around special duties every five years. So we rotate around who’s going to be that detective; who’s going to be that K9 officer,” Balling said. “Officers who get hired her can potentially join the SWAT team or join a specialty position within reason, pretty quick, within three years give or take.”

“But we also desperately need part-time dispatchers. Our dispatchers’ job is one of the most critical jobs for first responders, for both police and fire. Because those are the people that are going to call to a need. (Dispatchers) are the first contact when you call 911; our dispatchers answer the call. They are the ones who tell police and fire what type of emergency and where to go,” said Balling.

The dispatcher salary range is $18.80 to $24.38 per hour for the job.

Dispatchers will undergo a three month full-time training process before being released to work on their own. Applicants must be available to work all three shift in order to help cover full-time dispatchers’ needed days off.

The qualifications to be a public safety telecommunicator (dispatcher) include the following:

• Have a high school diploma or GED equivalent;

• Successfully pass a background, polygraph, drug test and psychological examination;

• Be able to obtain the required CPR and LEADS certifications;

• Demonstrate good verbal skills and remain calm when responding to an emergency;

• Demonstrate ability to process and communication necessary information;

• Reside in Shelby County, or adjacent county, within one year of hire.

The city of Sidney is an equal opportunity employer. Minorities are encouraged to apply.

A city of Sidney application for these positions is available at https://www.sidneyoh.com/Jobs.aspx