Guidelines and Criteria Page

All applicants will be accessed on a case-by-case basis.  While no incident in any individual’s past will result in an automatic disqualification, applicants whose background check reveals previous experiences with the criminal justice system will be further examined by the Review Committee comprised of the City’s Personnel Officer, Law Director, and administrator of the Mayor’s Office of Citizen Concerns.  The Committee will consider the complete history of the applicant, including the circumstances of the incident(s) in question, past or ongoing rehabilitation efforts, and any aggravating or mitigating factors involved.  

Any applicant whose submission is approved will still need to satisfy the required medical examinations, which include a screening for illegal substances.  These tests are currently administered by Capital Health in Hamilton, NJ.  Should these tests be returned satisfactorily, the applicant will be eligible for employment with the City.  However, should an applicant’s sample be determined to contain an illegal substance, further action will be required if the individual wishes to continue to pursue employment.  

As attitudes toward cannabis use continue to evolve, so too must the policies that govern its use.  Currently, when a medical screening indicates that an applicant has used an illegal substance, that applicant must wait a full year to reapply.  This restriction will be lessened for marijuana only, and if an applicant’s sample is found to contain cannabis, that individual will be able to submit a second sample within sixty (60) days of the original test.  If the applicant fails a second time, the full-year restriction will be enforced.  There are two distinct types of results that can lead to an unsatisfactory drug screening.  The first type of result that can lead to a failed test is a simple positive.  In this instance, if the result is due to marijuana, the applicant must retest within the allotted sixty (60) days.  The second type is known as a “cold sample,” which occurs when the urine sample presented by the applicant falls below a standard temperature, indicating that the sample has not been recently produced.  In this case, Capital Health policy dictates that the cold sample will be rejected and that the individual must produce a new sample within three hours.  If the applicant cannot or will not comply, the test will be recorded as a failure.