Recruitment & Hiring

Selection Process (Police Officer)

The Hanover Park Human Resources Department will accept applications for the Police Officer position on a year-round basis. As positions become available, a review will be conducted of all applications submitted. Qualified applicants that have successfully completed Phase I and Phase II of the process will be notified of the details of the upcoming process.

Phase I

Phase One of the selection process is the Peace Officer Wellness Evaluation, otherwise known as the POWER Test. The standards for the physical agility test have been established by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Candidates must obtain a POWER Test card and it must be valid between the dates outlined in the job application.

Power Test cards may be obtained at the following locations:

• NIPSTA
• Triton College
• Joliet Junior College
• Southwestern Illinois College

Lateral entry candidates with qualifying prior law enforcement experience bypass Phase One and begin the process at Phase Three.

Phase II

Phase Two of the process is an Orientation Session and the Written Examination. Candidates can view the online orientation video below or by clicking here.

After viewing the orientation session, candidates must submit the Village of Hanover Park job application and register for the written examination, which is administered online through the National Testing Network (NTN) Law Enforcement - Frontline National written exam. 

Candidates who successfully pass the written examination will move onto Phase Three of the selection process. 

Lateral entry candidates with qualifying prior law enforcement experience bypass Phase Two and begin the process at Phase Three.

Phase III

Phase Three consists of an Oral Interview conducted by members of the Police Department Command Staff and Human Resources Staff. Upon successful completion of Phase Three, applicants proceed to Phase Four.

Phase IV

Phase Four consists of a thorough Background Screening of the applicant which includes criminal, credit, integrity and employment/professional reference checks. 

Phase V

Applicants that pass the Background Screening will complete a polygraph examination.  Applicants that successfully pass the polygraph examination are placed on an Eligible to Hire List. The Village of Hanover Park does not use a Police Commission and as such, no ranking of applicants occurs. 

Eligibility

When the police department has a need to hire a new police officer, an applicant from the Eligibility List is selected and a Conditional Offer of Employment is made to the applicant, pending the results of psychological, polygraph and medical exams. If it is determined that the applicant is fit for duty as a police officer, the Recruit Police Officer is assigned to attend a Basic Law Enforcement Academy course. 

Lateral Entry Officers with prior experience in Illinois bypass the Basic Academy and begin with in-service training and the Field Training Program. Out of state Lateral Entry Officers may require additional training and certifications to meet Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board guidelines. If it is determined that the applicant is not fit for duty, the Conditional Offer of Employment is rescinded and the applicant is removed from the Eligibility Pool. 

Salary & Benefits

The Village of Hanover Park provides a competitive Salary and Benefit plan to village employees. Currently, police officers reach the top pay rate after seven years of service. Benefits include 10-20 vacation days per year, sick time, nine paid holidays per year, compensatory time, and three personal days per year. Officers also participate in health, dental and disability insurance plans. Hanover Park Police Officers will be enrolled in the Police Pension Fund. Uniforms and equipment are issued to the officers on a quartermaster system.

Lateral Entry Officers may be placed at the contractual step pay level comparable with their full years of experience, for a maximum of three steps. Lateral Entry Officers shall be considered entry-level employees in all other ways including, but not limited to, shift seniority and vacation time selection.