# Civil Service Residency



## MTA2010

I lived in Mass for 23 years. After I graduated from college I moved out of state for work. I want to take the civil service exam in April 2011 but I am still out of state. I am in the process of moving back to Boston. Say I end up living in Mass for 8 out of the 12 months before the exam, will they still let me take the test? Are there any exceptions to the rule?


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## 263FPD

You can take the test but you will get no residency prefference. you need a full year in the town you live in prior to the test.


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## MTA2010

So I can take the test but I pretty much have no shot of getting on with any city/town because I havent lived in that city/town for 1 year? For whatever reason, say a city/town accepts me, can they legally do that even though I havent physically lived in Mass for a year? I'm just really anxious to take the exam in 2011 and not in 2013.


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## 263FPD

MTA2010 said:


> So I can take the test but I pretty much have no shot of getting on with any city/town because I havent lived in that city/town for 1 year? For whatever reason, say a city/town accepts me, can they legally do that even though I havent physically lived in Mass for a year? I'm just really anxious to take the exam in 2011 and not in 2013.


You could still get called of the non-resident list, but your score had better be near perfect so that you are at the top of a non-res. list. I think the test also encompases the Mass State Police these days, so there might be your shot right there, but know that they have delayed the hiring for the MSP for quite some time now.

---------- Post added at 03:13 ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 ----------

If you don't mind, what state are you living in now?


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## MTA2010

I'm currently living in Nashville. I applied down here and I am about to fly out to San Diego next month to take the exam with the San Diego Sheriff's Department. My first choice will always be Mass but I don't have any family connections and I keep hearing it is political and without that you better stand in line like everyone else.


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## 263FPD

MTA2010 said:


> I'm currently living in Nashville. I applied down here and I am about to fly out to San Diego next month to take the exam with the San Diego Sheriff's Department. My first choice will always be Mass but I don't have any family connections and I keep hearing it is political and without that you better stand in line like everyone else.


Politics aside, getting the job here these days is very hard due to the way the State Government had cut the public safety budget. Stick to San Diego, you have a better shot. Try Vegas Metro, or the larger Texas Departments. Seems like South and West takes hiring cops a little more seriously. It does look lica California is cutting a bunch of Police jobs in the LA area though.


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## MTA2010

Your right. A Friend of mine is a police officer in the LA area and they are cutting back. It's unfortunate, you would think the public safety budget would be the last item on the agenda to cut back on. Thanks for answering my questions.


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## 263FPD

Good luck MTA, you have a long road ahead of you. I'd consider Federal Service as well if I were you.


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## Eagle13

I have residency, yet no hiring going on. I am in the 20's on another town's list, they are filling with laterals. So it is all in the towns you select!


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## pahapoika

you could set up a "residency"

have "heard" of this being done , but would never condone it :tounge_smile:

just for conversations sake some people have used a relatives address for a residency requirement.

however departments have been allot more stringent in following up with this and have heard stories of candidates being well into the academy only to get bounced after finding out they don't actually live in the area.

few jobs and lots of applicants in Mass. mean long waits for young people looking at LE careers


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## Inspector

Some departments are now checking with neighbors to determine whether or not "residency" is legitimate. I know this is a fact not only for recruits but laterals and working officers in those towns that require residency.


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## AFCOP

Civil Service...still the best joke going.... it boggles the mind why mass still has a statewide exam rather than let cities and towns hire how they see fit, I say dump the exam but maintain the protection under the CS system once you're on.... and residency what a bunch of crap that is.... for those who don't live in a CS town unless you can afford to and you're young enough to keep hoping around.....forget it.... why not do like the NYPD and just give extra points for residents and vets??? I remember hearing once that the whole civil service system was created so that it would give the average person a shot at getting a city or state job.... going back to the days of the Tammany Hall "Machine" that ran the NYC patronage ring... I don't think it has quite had the results that were intended....how is it that 49 other states of the union can figure it out but Mass cant??? sigh..... MTA good luck, you're better off getting on somewhere else hang out for a few years then try and lateral in to a CS or Non-CS town if you want to come back to the People's Republic of Mass that bad&#8230;.myself I can't wait to finish school (I'm on the 12 year plan  )and get the hell out&#8230;.


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## MTA2010

It's not worth lying about your residency. It is already a difficult process to get on. Imagine how pissed off you would be if you made it all the way to the academy then you get let go for lying about where you live. No thanks. I heard they check your W2's, where your mail gets sent and where your car is registered. When you do take the civil service does it automatically go to the state police and MBTA police? Followed by 3 or 4 towns of your choice?


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## OfficerObie59

It seems that most everyone here has explained the bulk of the issue, so the only thing I could recommend is putting your name on 1) the MBTA list, which as it is (for the purposes of this discussion) a state agency (but counts as a municipality for the purposes of the list) with no municipal preference and from which you can later lateral to a muni dept, and 2) towns whose demographics make it less likely that those from that town would want to either join the military or become cops--basically small, wealthy CS towns were every kid goes right off to college on mommy and daddy's dime.

As far as State Police, they simply used the administration of the 2009 test to compile their list. In effect, it was like you were taking two tests at the same time. MSP took the results and compiled their own list in the manner they choose. It's unknown to me whether they plan on doing the same thing for the 2011 test, but keep in mind the list that was replaced in 2009 was from 2002--and they haven't yet hired a single person from the '09 list.

But like others said, hiring in general is pretty slow as it is, and guys with both vet and residency preference are having tough times as it is. It'd behoove you to heed the advice about going out of state. Add Seattle PD to the suggestions below.

I like ellipses like the next guy, but holy shit.



AFCOP said:


> Civil Service...still the best joke going.... it boggles the mind why mass still has a statewide exam rather than let cities and towns hire how they see fit,


While I grant you that cities are locked in to the system, a town can do whatever it wants. Nothing forces a town to accept the provisions of civil service. If a town wants to get rid of it they have the ability to.

Quite frankly, I doubt most cities would want to give up the test anyways. Most of them are crunched for cash as it is, and allowing the state to control hiring saves them money. In addition, I think as a rule, there's much less nepotism by chiefs in cities than by chiefs in small towns when it comes to initial entry hires.



AFCOP said:


> I say dump the exam but maintain the protection under the CS system once you're on....


Why? What's wrong with the exam? Is it biased? Is it bad in some way? Why does it need to be dumped?



AFCOP said:


> and residency what a bunch of crap that is.... for those who don't live in a CS town unless you can afford to and you're young enough to keep hoping around.....forget it....


Then don't take the exam. Get hired by your local non-CS town.

This statement is in direct conflict with your earlier argument of allowing towns to do what they want. If you live in a non-CS town, by not using the exam, they're obviously chosing to hire in a manner they wish (see your first sentence), which happens to include not hiring you.



AFCOP said:


> why not do like the NYPD and just give extra points for residents and vets??? I remember hearing once that the whole civil service system was created so that it would give the average person a shot at getting a city or state job.... going back to the days of the Tammany Hall "Machine" that ran the NYC patronage ring...


It gives the average person *a* shot, and it gives veterans an even better shot. By the way, contrary to popular belief by those who complain about vet preference, it has very little if anything to do with vets making better cops and firefighters.

The government has an interest in making sure those that sacrficed a chunk of their lives don't come back home to complete joblessness while their counterparts had the additional time of the vet's enlistment in which to go to college or gain civilian work expieirence. When the workforce is viewed as a whole, this is one of many veterans benefits that exists to level the playing field for returning servicemembers. I don't respect anyone any less for choosing not to serve, but realize compared to a vet, you had a four to six year headstart in your adult life--vet preference attempts to equal out that balance.



AFCOP said:


> I don't think it has quite had the results that were intended....how is it that 49 other states of the union can figure it out but Mass cant???


That's an overly broad and unsupported statement. We have it figured out--it's just not to your liking.




AFCOP said:


> sigh..... MTA good luck, you're better off getting on somewhere else hang out for a few years then try and lateral in to a CS or Non-CS town if you want to come back to the People's Republic of Mass that bad&#8230;.myself I can't wait to finish school (I'm on the 12 year plan  )and get the hell out&#8230;.


That last paragraph was probably the only thing I agree with.


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## DVET1979

Good luck to all who apply. The lay off list now stands at 67. All of those laid off must get a card before any of you do.


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