Exciting New CSS Developments
By Letizia Trovato, Vice-President, TNT Justice Consultants
The pre-certification process to become a police officer/special constable is one that we take great pride in sharing with others. At the beginning of January 2020, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) contracted TNT Justice Consultants (TNT) to deliver on a new and improved Constable Selection System (CSS) process that is fair, equitable, and inclusive. The tests offered to applicants are provided by Sigma Assessments, who has a long-standing history of creating tests that are validated within each sector of employment, in addition to the innovative thought behind them.
The last two years have been filled with much excitement and progress. TNT continues to listen to the needs and requests of the police recruiters and applicants because we are committed to working with police services to identify and assess high-quality recruits – our future police officers!
In our joint effort to continuously build a system that is modern and reflects the diverse policing ecosystem, we are committed to consistently refining the pre-screening system. Some of the many exciting items on the agenda that are slowly being explored are:
- Collaboration with the Ontario Police College (OPC)
- Working closing with the OACP CSS Committee to ensure the CSS meets the changing needs of police services
- Developing partnerships with Ontario colleges and universities to sustain the high importance of fitness for future police officers
Collaborations in Fitness
Fitness remains an incredibly important component of the policing profession. Studies reveal that officers who prioritize fitness and healthy eating habits demonstrate better resilience to managing some of the hardships officers face in the line of duty. The OACP CSS Committee and OPC have been working together to better understand the challenges faced by police recruiters when measuring fitness.
One approach currently being reviewed is the refinement of the fitness stage used to assess applicants during the hiring process. TNT is currently working to build a training course for recruiters to help develop a strong knowledge base that is consistent and one that can support applicants on their path to becoming a police officer. OACP and TNT are in discussions with Ontario colleges and universities to build a strong and a mutually beneficial relationship in an attempt to create a communication channel to circulate information that may be of relevance to program coordinators within the justice and policing education fields.
Building a User-friendly OACP Certificate Website
In an attempt to capture the modernization of policing and provide information to police recruiters and applicants, the CSS website is constantly updated to reflect new and improved information. Any feedback received from police recruiters and police leaders assists in building a strong communication channel for police services and applicants.
Providing potential police recruits with clear, useful information is vital for their success. Applicants are always striving towards optimal performance throughout the hiring process. By listening to applicants and police recruiters, instructional videos are being provided that will assist applicants to visualize some of the more complex requirements and computer-based technical assignments. This has reduced emails and phone calls by tenfold for the Customer Service Team and (more importantly) helped answer common questions that the applicants may have.
Because of the feedback police recruiters provided, we were able to develop a webpage dedicated to Police Physical Preparation. Not only is this page commonly used as a reference for police recruiters, but it provides a wealth of information for applicants who are curious about fitness requirements before embarking on this career. The OACP has also built a new blog page that will provide police recruiters and applicants with up-to-date information on any new initiatives and efforts.
Vision and Hearing Standards
Medical standards are a critical component necessary to ensure police officers can safely perform their duties and maintain public safety. The OACP CSS Committee continues to review research in this area and monitor updates from the medical community to support policing medical standards, including vision and hearing standards. We continue to work with some of the top experts in North America to ensure the health standards are reflective of modern medical research in today’s society.
As we continue to improve the CSS to serve the changing needs of police recruiters and applicants, we constantly pride ourselves on new innovative ideas that can help foster success. If you have any questions or comments please contact support@oacpcertificate.ca or Letizia Trovato, Vice-President, TNT Justice Consultants at vicepresident@tntconsultants.ca.