Probation Officer

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED WITH THE ONONDAGA COUNTY PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: https://employment.ongov.net/default/show_accountment/3291

Published 04/21/2025

Application Deadline 05/13/2025

Exam Date 06/28/2025

$15.00 Non-Refundable Application Fee

You are, therefore, urged to carefully compare your qualifications with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified. Payable by check or money order to: “Chief Fiscal Officer,” or by VISA, MC or Discover. Cash will be accepted only if paying in person.

(Onondaga County CSEA Members only: $10 promotional application fee.)

SALARY AND VACANCIES: Changing conditions may make it necessary to certify vacancies at higher or lower salaries than those announced.

THE TITLE CURRENTLY EXISTS IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS:

Onondaga County-Probation Department: $64,961-$71,698.

The resulting open competitive eligible list will be used to fill vacancies in any jurisdiction where the title exists.

DUTIES:

This is the entry-level professional position in a probation department responsible for the control, supervision and care of adults and juveniles subject to probation supervision or intake services which requires them to meet certain standards of conduct. The incumbent uses sound professional judgment and applies investigative techniques to evaluate the conduct of those subject to court ordered investigation, analyze data and make recommendations regarding court dispositions. The incumbent will perform all related duties as required.

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT: OPEN COMPETITIVE examination candidates must have resided in the United States of America or one of its territories for not less than one (1) month immediately preceding the date of exam. Preference in appointment may be given to local residents. Appointments to positions in some municipalities are subject to residence requirements pursuant to local laws.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

On the date of examination, candidates must meet the following requirements:

OPEN COMPETITIVE QUALIFICATIONS:

(A) Satisfactory completion of a Probation Officer 1 traineeship, or

(B) Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with a graduate degree in social work, social sciences, education, administration, law, criminal justice, or a related field; or

(C) Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees, with a Bachelor’s degree or higher with at least thirty (30) credit hours in the social or behavioral sciences and two (2) years of experience in counseling, law enforcement, juvenile or criminal justice, education, or casework in a probation, law enforcement, juvenile or criminal justice, corrections, community corrections, parole, social services, mental health, social work or other public or private human services agency.

Note: Course work at the graduate degree level in social work, social sciences, education, administration, law, criminal justice, or a related field may be substituted for work experience for a maximum of one (1) year of experience.

Special Requirement: Where required, possession of a current driver’s license or the ability to otherwise meet the transportation requirements of the position.

Note:

Counseling Experience involves interviewing individuals and/or families, discussing and evaluating their problems (e.g. drug and alcohol abuse, family conflicts, disabilities) and developing and carrying out plans to resolve problems. Those who perform counseling duties work directly with individuals and/or families on an ongoing basis in order to assist them and monitor and evaluate their progress.

Law Enforcement Experience involves providing for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws and promoting good community relations as a member of a regional state park police or a police force, police department or other organization of a county, city, town, village, housing authority, transit authority or police district.

Education Experience involves teaching a curriculum to students or supervising/administering such a curriculum and those teaching it or experience as a guidance counselor, school or educational counselor or instructional coordinator/curriculum coordinator in a criminal justice or juvenile justice setting.

Casework Experience involves activities directed toward enhancing a client’s ability to cope with and solve problems and the referral of clients to supporting resources and services. Functions include client assessment, problem identification, development, monitoring and revision of a service plan, motivational support, counseling, crisis intervention, referral to social and support services and coordination of services.

Note: Social science includes areas of study concerned with humans living in relation to other humans in a social environment and such as anthropology, criminal justice, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology.

Behavioral science is a subset of social science characterized by observation of the behavior of living organisms and focused on human social behavior such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling, criminal justice, gerontology, human behavior, social work/social welfare and vocational rehabilitation.

Note: Individuals whose duties and responsibilities include the use of a firearm must also complete training pursuant to Criminal Procedure Law Section 2.30(3).

Note: Individuals hired will be required to complete both the FPP (Fundamentals of Probation Practice) training and the BCPO (Basic Course for Peace Officers). The BCPO curriculum is currently one hundred sixty-two (162) hours or the equivalent of six (6) weeks of training, which involves forty (40) hours of Defense Tactics and twenty-one (21) hours of Crisis Intervention Training. The training is usually located outside of Onondaga County.

Note: The class specifications including the minimum qualifications for positions in Probation Departments are established by rule and regulations of the Division of Criminal Justice Services. These class specifications are found in Title 9 NYCRR Part 347, Appendix H-10, Standard specifications for Professional Probation Positions.

Note: This position is allocated to the competitive class pursuant to Executive Law Section 257(1).

*Note: Per the amendment to Civil Service Law Section 54, which became effective September 4, 2024, applicants who are within 12 months of meeting the minimum age or attaining the minimum educational requirements following the date of examination, may take the civil service exam, but will be restricted from certification until such a time that the minimum age or educational requirements are met.

COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS AS QUALIFYING PROOF: If you are trying to qualify for this examination on the basis of your college training, you will need to submit either a verifiable, student copy or official transcript of college level studies you have completed to verify course work required for this examination. In lieu of a transcript, you will need to list all courses successfully completed in the curricula listed above, the names of the courses, number of hours earned, grades awarded, approximate dates of completion, and name(s) of college(s) where you took the course.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Volunteer experience will be allowed to substitute for paid work experience as long as the volunteer experience is equivalent in nature to the paid work experience required for the position.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: There will be a written test, which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test will be designed to test for knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the following areas:

Advising and interacting with others

These questions test for the ability to interact with other people in order to gather and present information and to provide assistance and advice in a courteous and professional manner.

Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to write the kinds of reports and correspondence required in criminal justice settings such as probation and parole. Some questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately. Others test for the ability to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly.

Evaluating conclusions in light of known facts

These questions will consist of a set of facts and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field.

Applying written information

These questions evaluate a candidate's 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 in various settings. All information needed to answer the questions is contained in the rules, regulations, etc. which are cited.

Test guide: Guide for the Written Test for Probation 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.

CALCULATORS: Use of calculators is recommended for this exam. Candidates should bring quiet, hand-held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, `Spell Checkers,' `Personal Digital Assistants,' `Address Books,' `Language Translators,' `Dictionaries,' or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials. You may not bring cellular phones, beepers, pagers, or headphones.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applications and credit card payment forms may be obtained in person from the Onondaga County Department of Personnel, by mail (include a self-addressed, stamped envelope) or downloaded at www.ongov.net/employment/document_center

https://employment.ongov.net/default/show_accountment/3291

Onondaga County is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $64,961.00 - $71,698.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Loan forgiveness
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance
• Wellness program

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Overtime
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: In person

Salary : $64,961 - $71,698