IDNR seeks applicants for potential Conservation Police officers

CPO trainee exam scheduled for April 1-4

[March 14, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is seeking applicants to be officer trainees with the Conservation Police. While the department is not yet hiring, it is offering this testing to develop an eligibility list of new Illinois Conservation Police recruits for 2013.

Applicant testing is scheduled for April 1-4 through the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Examining and Counseling Division. Interested applicants should submit a CMS100 employment application to CMS. The application is available online at www.work.illinois.gov. Applicants should also review the hiring information available on the IDNR Law Enforcement website at www.dnr.illinois.gov by clicking on "Safety and Rules" and then "Law Enforcement."

Conservation Police Officer Trainee is a state employment position title for which CMS does not test on a regular basis, so those interested in the position are encouraged to apply and participate in the testing scheduled for April 1-4. Reporting instructions for the exam will be provided by the CMS Examining and Counseling Division or can be found on the Illinois Conservation Police website.

Applicants must possess either an associate's degree in any field of study and three years of full-time law enforcement experience with the same agency (or three years as an active-duty, fully sworn military police officer), or possess a bachelor's degree in any field of study. Either degree must be obtained within 90 days of the written examination. Veterans who wish to apply and have questions regarding preference may contact the CMS Veterans Outreach Program for clarification.

Applicants must also successfully complete each of the following steps in the hiring process:

• Written examination

• P.O.W.E.R. test

• Swim test

• Oral interview

• Psychological evaluation

• Medical screening

• Background investigation

A complete description of the hiring process is available on the Illinois Conservation Police website.

Conservation Police officers have full police authority, with an enforcement mission focused on natural resources protection and outdoor recreation safety. Duties include enforcement of criminal and vehicle laws in state parks; patrolling Illinois lakes and rivers and enforcing boat safety laws and regulations; enforcing state and federal fish and wildlife laws and regulations; enforcing timber buyers act, forest protection, endangered species protection, and snowmobile registration and operation laws; enforcing laws and regulations regarding commercial establishments including taxidermists, fur buyers and fish markets; and enforcing IDNR administrative rules and regulations.

For more information on the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement and the hiring process for Conservation Police officers, review the detailed information available on the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov by clicking on "Safety and Rules" and then "Law Enforcement"; or contact Lt. Curt Lewis, IDNR Office of Law Enforcement, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; phone [phone]; email [e-mail].

[Text from Illinois Department of Natural Resources file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]