Detention Officer
If your application is in good standing with all documentation in place, you will be contacted with your testing date/time. DO NOT BE LATE! Applicants who are late for the testing time will NOT be permitted to test. Applicants not meeting the eligibility or failing to complete the application correctly, including required documentation will not be permitted to test. Picture ID will be verified before testing. Applicants should dress in jogging/running attire due to the fact that the physical agility testing will commence immediately after the testing process. This part of the process usually lasts two hours.
Applicants will take the National Corrections Officer Selection Test. There will be 1 hour and 25 minutes to complete the exam which has three sections:
- Reading Comprehension – Tests a candidate’s ability to understand written words, as well as the ideas and concepts associated with them. The tests consists of several paragraphs and the information needed to answer the questions is contained in those paragraphs. In some instances you will need to draw a conclusion based on the information given. There are 23 items in this section.
- Problem Solving – Measures your ability to solve problems and draw conclusions based on the specific information provided. The information will be provided in a paragraph or a chart which you will use to answer the questions. There are 24 items in this section.
- Report Writing – There are two types of Report Writing problems:
- There will be a short descriptive paragraph followed by a blank form. You will be required to fill in the form using the information in the paragraph. Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation are required.
- There will be a fully completed report form and narrative. You will be required to answer a series of questions using the information on the form. Your responses must be in the form of a complete sentence, using correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Physical Agility Course
The physical agility course will be conducted immediately following the National Corrections Officer Selection Test. Please be dressed in running/jogging attire. Shorts are permitted, but not recommended. The physical agility course must be completed. Not completing the physical agility course will result in disqualification.
Interviews
After completing the physical agility course, you will be assigned an interview time. Generally, the interview panel is made up of one Human Resource representative and four Support Services employees from the rank of Captain to Detention Officer. The Myrtle Beach Police Department will attempt to interview out-of-state applicants during the first day(s) of the process; however, we cannot promise that this will happen in all processes. Interview times cannot be scheduled prior to the completion of the testing process; if an applicant fails the test, they will not move forward in the interview process.
Background Investigation
After the interview process, the department will begin the background investigation on the qualified applicants. The Background Investigation process can take up to four weeks, or longer, depending on the number of applicants.
- The background investigation consists of going over your applications and questionnaire to ensure honesty and accuracy. It is important for an applicant to be honest in completing each document. Any attempt to hide or falsely make any statements on the documents may result in being disqualified from the process.
- Employer and social references are contacted and questioned on your qualifications. (It is important that all phone numbers and email addresses are up-to-date on your applications. Failure to have up-to-date information, may result in being disqualified from the process)
- Friends, family, and neighbors are contacted and questioned on your qualifications. It is important to include phone numbers and email addresses for these references and to let them know that you have given their name as a reference
- Criminal History, Drivers History, Complete Credit Report, Military History, High School/GED certification, Police Certification, College Certification are all examined for authenticity
- Once the background is completed, applications will be sent to the Command Staff for review.
- Following the Command Staff review of all process documents, decisions will be made on who will receive a conditional job offer
Conditional Offer
- A conditional offer is made pending the outcome of a medical and psychological exam.
- If an applicant receives a conditional offer for any police department position, he/she must schedule a date to complete
- A physical exam with the medical facility contracted by the City of Myrtle Beach.
- A Psychological Exam with medical staff contracted by the Medical University of South Carolina.
- These two processes will be completed during one visit whenever possible.
- Upon passing the exams, Human Resources will provide a hire date.
The entire process will require two visits to Myrtle Beach:
- Written Exam, Physical Agility Test, and Interview (first visit)
- Physical and Psychological Exam (second visit)
- South Carolina residents will complete their Psychological Exam follow-up in person at MUSC in Charleston.
- Out of state applicants will complete their Psychological Exam follow-up online.
Pre-Service
The Myrtle Beach Police Department works hard to prepare new officers for the Academy. The department immediately places new officers in a pre-service program which lasts several weeks. This program will prepare the new officer on aspects of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA), driving, firearms, city policy, and other essential job functions. Upon completion, officers are scheduled to attend the academy on a pre-set date for three weeks to obtain their certification.
For additional information on the SCCJA, please visit http://www.sccja.org.
For current Police Department job postings, details and application instructions, click below: