Corrections Officer Captain

Recruitment #20-CO0423-01

Nature of Work

The fundamental reason that this job exists is to serve as part of the management team of the Montgomery County Detention Facility.  The captains are responsible for managing inmate services and facility security for the entire detention facility property and are expected to work interchangeably to support and back-up the entire management team.  They serve as an intermediary between the lieutenant classification and the major and colonel as part of the rank structure.  The essential functions include managing inmate services and/or facility security, supervising two or more employees which include correctional and civilian staff, investigating and resolving complaints, coordinating the tasks assigned to the division and division personnel, and ensuring the safety of staff and inmates.  Captains report to the Detention Facility Assistant Director and work products are reviewed via paperwork and inspection.  Errors in judgment on the part of the incumbent could result in law suits brought by employees and/or inmates and their families.

Minimum Qualifications

As of May 15, 2020, all Correction Officer Lieutenants with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office who have completed one year of service within the department as a Corrections Officer Lieutenant dating from the day of their appointment to Lieutenant are eligible to compete in the process.

Kind of Examination

How to apply:

Complete an online application by visiting Montgomery City-County Personnel's Online Employment Center. Paper applications are no longer accepted. Completed applications will be accepted online until 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. If there is no closing date, the announcement may be closed at any time without prior notice.

Purpose of examination:

The purpose of the exam is to establish an employment register to fill any vacancies for the classification that may occur over the life of the register. If there are less than five qualified applicants, an examination will not be administered, and all candidates will be placed on the employment list.

Examination dates:

Qualified candidates who apply to compete in the selection process will be notified in writing of specific dates, times, and locations at which to appear for the selection process.

Examination orientation:

An orientation session will be held to familiarize candidates with the examination in J2 Muster Room on Friday, March 6, 2020; one session at 8 AM and one session at 2 PM.

The orientation session is not mandatory. A candidate orientation guide will be distributed at the meetings. If you do not attend the orientation, you may obtain a guide after the date of the orientation at the front desk of the Montgomery City-County Personnel Department. A copy will also be emailed to candidates with their exam schedule notice approximately one month before the exam date.

Examination description:

The competitive examination process will consist of three types of exercises. These exercises include a structured oral interview exercise, role play exercise and writing sample exercise. Verbal exercises will be recorded. All exercises will be scored by panels of correctional experts at a later date.

Structured Oral Interview Overview:

The structured oral interview will consist of several situational questions or problems.  Each question describes a problem or scenario and asks each candidate to explain how he or she would handle the problem or scenario as a Corrections Officer Captain.  The structured oral interview process will be recorded for rating at a later date. 

Role Play Exercise Overview:

The role play is developed to simulate typical interactions between Corrections Officer Captains and other individuals, particularly subordinate personnel and citizens.  The exercise consists of a work-related, face-to-face situation involving problems encountered by captains.  In the role play, the candidate takes the role of a captain and a role player takes the role of either a subordinate or a citizen.  The candidate is provided with background information explaining the general situation and is asked to handle the situation as he or she thinks a captain should.  The role play exercise will be recorded to be rated at a later date.  

Writing Sample Exercise Overview:

The writing sample exercise is designed to test whether candidates have the ability to write the kinds of reports required at the rank of captain. In this exercise, candidates will be asked to document information in the form of a report, memo and/or summary.

Performance dimensions:

The exam has been designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities which are important for a captain to possess on the first day of the job. Those knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) which were judged by subject matter experts to be important and which are amenable to testing have been grouped together into areas of similarity to form performance dimensions. It is these six dimensions upon which the assessment has been based.

The following information provides a description of these dimensions as well as the test weight of each dimension. More detailed information about the exercises, weights, and KSAs underlying each performance dimension will be provided at the Candidate Orientation and in the Candidate Information Guide which will be distributed at the orientation. If you do not wish to attend the orientation, you may pick up a copy of the Candidate Information Guide from the City-County Personnel Department after the date of the orientation.  

The following dimensions will be assessed in the assessment:  

Supervisory Ability (SUP)-15% The extent to which one uses subordinates and establishes procedures to monitor and regulate activities of subordinates.  

Technical Knowledge (TECH)-15% The extent to which one possesses the knowledge needed to act as a corrections officer captain.

Written Communication (WC)-15% The extent to which one can communicate in writing and review the writing of others to include grammar, punctuation, spelling, logical order, and meeting the needs of the reader.

Human Relations (HR)-17% Perceiving and reacting to the needs of others. Objectivity of perceiving impact of self on others.

Oral Communication (OC)-17% The extent to which one can give an oral presentation and communicate on a one-to-one basis by listening and responding.  

Problem Analysis (PA)-21% The extent to which one possesses the skill of identifying problems, securing relevant information, and identifying possible causes of problems.

Disqualification from competition The Personnel Department and/or expert shall disqualify an applicant or candidate from competition upon determination that:           

1.         The application was not received by the filing deadline.           

2.         The applicant fails to meet the minimum qualifications specified in the announcement.           

3.         The candidate fails to appear at the announced time and place for testing.           

4.         The candidate is found to be cheating.  Cheating involves any attempt by an individual or group to enhance test scores by means other than actual knowledge or ability, including but not limited to, efforts to give or receive information about the test content or correct responses before, after or during a test.  Examples of cheating during a test would be:                        

a)         attempting to gain access to the test under false pretenses               

b)         failing to follow instructions given by the test administrators or proctors               

c)         talking to another candidate during the test               

d)         removing or attempting to remove test materials from the test site               

e)         leaving the testing room, holding room, or other location without permission from the test administrator                        

f)         attempting to use notes, hand held computers or calculators when instructed not to               

g)         looking at another person’s test paper or answer sheet               

h)         working on a test section after time has been called                

i)          giving or receiving test information to or from another person  

The Personnel Department may not exercise discretion in waiving these requirements for qualification except as may be required by law in connection with military personnel called to active duty.   The Personnel Department will provide written notification of the disqualification and the reason for disqualification to the applicant or candidate within five (5) days from the determination of the disqualifying circumstance.  




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