Recruit Hiring Process

Physical Assessment

1. The physical agility test will be conducted in accordance with current Hot Springs Police Department policy (General Order 2012.2.5)
2. Oversight of the testing and scoring procedures will be provided by members of the Hot Springs Police Department who have obtained Physical Fitness Specialist certification from the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research (or alternate as approved by the Police Chief)
3. Applicants will be required to sign a hold-harmless wavier prior to participating in the physical fitness assessment process
4. Applicants must complete the agility test in its entirety within five minutes
5. *If an applicant fails the physical agility test, they will be disqualified from the hiring process
6. All applicants who successfully complete (pass) the physical agility test will be eligible to take the written examination

Written Examination

A score of 70% or higher is required to qualify for a personal interview with the City of Hot Springs Civil Service Commission.  

Interview

After the interviews, the Civil Service Commissioners will rate each interviewed applicant based on their qualifications for becoming a police officer.  Those applicants who accumulate enough total points during this process will then be placed on an eligibility list in the order of ranking; i.e., the applicant scoring the highest number of points will be #1, the applicant scoring the second highest number of points will be #2, etc.  

Background Investigation

(Home Interview & Polygraph Exam & Command Staff Interview)

When a vacancy occurs, the Police Chief has the option of selecting from the top three candidates on the eligibility list at that time. Once the Chief has made this selection, a thorough background investigation will be conducted on the selected individual.  

Psychological Examination, Physical Examination and Drug Screen

If the results of the background investigation are satisfactory, a conditional offer of employment will then be extended, subject to the successful completion of psychological and medical examinations, as well as a negative drug test.