SALARY: $47,680 ($48,634 for 2023)

LAST DAY TO FILE IS JANUARY 11, 2023

DATE OF THE EXAMINATION IS FEBRUARY 25, 2023

NOTICE: RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS/HANDICAPPED PERSONS: If special arrangements for testing are

required, indicate this on your application form.

RESIDENTS: Candidates must have been legal residents of New York State for at least FOUR months immediately

preceding the date of the test. Pursuant to subdivision 4a of Sec. 23 of the Civil Service Law, preference may be given to

successful candidates who have been legal residents of the municipality to which the appointment is to be made for at

least FOUR months preceding the date of the written test.

APPLICATION FEE: An examination fee of $10.00 (residents and non-residents) is required for each separately

numbered examination for which you apply. The required fee must accompany your application. Check or money order

only. CASH WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED! $20 returned check fee. Please make checks payable to the Saratoga

County Treasurer’s Office. The $10 fee is non-refundable. You are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with

the requirements for admission stated in the “minimum qualifications” section of the examination announcement and file

for only those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.

APPLICATION FEE WAIVER: A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are unemployed and primarily

responsible for the support of a household. In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined

eligible for Medicaid, or receiving Supplemental Security Income payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance

for Needy Families/Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce

Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency, or if you are an honorably discharged Military

Veteran (DD214). All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification. If you can verify eligibility for

application fee waiver, complete a “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with

your application by the close of business on the Application Deadline as listed on the Examination Announcement.

A copy of this document can be obtained from the Saratoga County Human Resources Office or on our website at

www.saratogacountyny.gov.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: Employees in this class are responsible for staffing the

telecommunications console within the Sheriff’s Department on an assigned shift in receiving, monitoring,

dispatching and coordinating call for emergency services; including but not limited to relaying information to

Law Enforcement, fire, EMS and other emergency management organizations. This is a key position directly

related to the life and safety of the public and the emergency service agencies served. Desk Officers are

required to maintain communications with field units while monitoring numerous telephone liners, alarm

systems, and radio frequencies simultaneously and must exercise sound independent judgement in prioritizing

calls and dispatching appropriate emergency services to situations, which may involve danger to life and/or

damage to property as quickly as possible. Incumbents must be able to function calmly in emergencies, take

appropriate action in an efficient manner, and maintain accurate records of all calls and actions taken. The work

is performed under the general supervision of the Desk Sergeant in accordance with established department

policies, rules, and regulations. Does related work as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from high school or possession of a GED.

THE WRITTEN TEST will be designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in such areas as:

Coding/decoding information. These questions test for the ability to follow a set of coding rules. Some

questions will require you to code information by converting certain information into letters or numbers. Other

questions will require you to decode information by determining if the information that has already been

converted into letters or numbers is correct. Complete directions will be provided; no previous knowledge of or

training in any coding system is required.

Name and number checking. These questions test for the ability to distinguish between sets of words, letters,

and/or numbers that are almost exactly alike. Material is usually presented in two or three columns, and you will

have to determine how the entry in the first column compares with the entry in the second column and possibly

the third. You will be instructed to mark your answers according to a designated code provided in the directions.

Understanding and interpreting written material. These questions test for the ability to understand and

interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about

the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not

on what you may happen to know about the topic.

Following directions (maps). These questions test your ability to follow physical/geographic directions using

street maps or building maps. You will have to read and understand a set of directions and then use them on a

simple map.

Retaining and comprehending spoken information from calls for emergency services. These questions test

for your ability to retain specific information that is heard in calls for emergency service, such as a street

address, or to comprehend spoken information from emergency service calls, such as determining the location

of a site in relation to landmarks. Simulated 911 calls will be played on audio CD. Immediately following each

call, candidates are given audio instructions identifying which questions they are to answer within the test

booklet. The questions that candidates are directed to answer for each simulated call will not be in sequential

order. Candidates will need to retain and comprehend the information and instruction provided in this portion of

the test to respond appropriately to the questions asked and to determine which questions to answer. The time

allotted to answer these questions will be limited. At the end of each answer period, the CD will automatically

play the next call. Note paper will be provided. Candidates will be permitted to take notes and to refer to them

when answering the questions.

Test guide. The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination.

However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in

preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Background Investigation and Additional Screenings: Candidates are subject to a satisfactory completion of

an inclusive background investigation. Applicants may be required to authorize access to educational, financial,

employment, criminal history, mental health records or other records. Family, neighbors, associates and others

may be interviewed. Derogatory information will be evaluated and may result in disqualification under Section

50(4) of the New York State Civil Service Law. At the discretion of the employing law enforcement agency

candidates may be subject to additional screenings as a term and condition of employment, including but not

limited to, fingerprinting, polygraph, medical and psychological testing. Drug testing is included in the required

medical exam.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: “UNLESS OTHERWISE, NOTIFIED, CANDIDATES ARE ALLOWED

TO USE QUIET, HAND-HELD, SOLAR OR BATTERY POWERED CALCULATORS.

Devices with ‘Typewriter Keyboards,’ ‘Spell Checkers,’ ‘Personal Digital Assistants,’ ‘Address Books,’

‘Language Translators,’ ‘Dictionaries,’ or and Similar devices are prohibited.”

ELIGIBLE LIST: A candidate’s eligibility begins when his or her name is placed on the eligible list and

continues for a minimum of one year.

SECTION 243-b Provides that any member of the armed forces of the United States who had duly filed an

application to compete in a scheduled competitive examination, but was deprived of the opportunity to compete

in a scheduled competitive examination due to active military duty be provided with a special military makeup

examination.

SECTION 85a OF THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW: In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil Service

Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an

additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which

his or her parent has served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a

firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter

when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claming such credit has a minimum of two

months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit

eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established

VETERAN CREDITS: For the purpose of claiming veteran credits on a Civil Service examination, an

applicant must have served in the armed forces of the United States at any time during the following periods:

World War II – December 7, 1941 to and including December 31, 1946

Korean War – June 27, 1950 to and including January 31, 1955

Vietnam Conflict – February 28, 1961 until May 7, 1975

Lebanon – June 1, 1983 – December 1, 1987

Grenada – October 23, 1983 – November 21, 1983

Panama – December 20, 1989 – January 31, 1990

Persian Gulf – August 2, 1990 to the end of such hostilities (not yet determined) 

For hostilities in Lebanon, Grenada, and Panama, the individual must have received the Armed Forces,
Navy, or Marine Corps expeditionary medal. 

Beginning January 1, 1998, the NYS Constitution allows members of the US Armed Forces who are on
active duty (other than for training purposes) the right to request extra War Time Veterans Credits on

civil service examinations prior to discharge.

If you are currently on active duty, you may request the addition of veteran’s credits to your examinations score.

You must request the extra credits on your examination application in the space provided. If you pass the

examination, the credits will be added automatically. To use the extra credits at the time of appointment you

must have received an honorable discharge, be a US citizen, and be a resident of New York State. The extra

credits can only be used for one NY local Government permanent appointment.

SECTION 23.2: This entire examination is prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil

Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of the Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil

Service Rules and Regulations which deal with the rating of examinations will apply.

APPLICATIONS: You may get application forms by writing the Saratoga County Human Resources

Department, 40 McMaster St., Ballston Spa, NY 12020, downloading from our website @

www.saratogacountyny.gov, calling 518-885-2225 or in person. Time and place of the examination will be

mailed to approved candidates one week before the date of the examination.

“If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-

employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquires

to Saratoga County Human Resources.

Saratoga County is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment

where diversity is valued and recognized as a source of strength and enrichment. We seek to attract talented

people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, and encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ

individuals, those with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to

apply.”