# Lateral Transfer



## Guest (Jan 22, 2004)

I am just looking for some input and opinions on Civil Service Lateral Transfer. I am currently a police officer in a non-civil service Dept and am looking to move on. I have the full time academy and I currently have a offer from a civil service dept. The issue is that this dept is about a 45 minute ride from home. I would love to take the job and lateral to a dept closer to home in about a year or so. My only concern is being denied a transfer. I know the appointing authority has the right to deny the transfer. Do I have any legal course to pursue if denied the transfer? Has anyone heard of any horror stories with regards to the appointing authority (or Chief) denying someone a transfer. The way I look at it is that if I accept the job I am saving the dept money and time because I already am academy trained. Do I bring this up prior to being appointed or will that ruin my chances?

thanks


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## sully161 (May 2, 2002)

You have to already be a civil service appointed police officer to lateral transfer into a civil service police department. You have to take the test, like everyone else and be selected off the civil service list to be appointed. The only edge you have on everyone else is your experience will earn you experience points on the test. Good Luck.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2004)

Maybe I made myself unclear, I have the chance to get hired on a Civil Service Dept. I took the test, interviews, PAT, Medical ect. and passed and I am being offered the job. My concern is I would like to transfer in a year if I do take the job but fear that the transfer will get denied for whatever reason. Am I making any sense? Probably not.


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## Burner1 (Jul 30, 2002)

No, you do not have legal recourse. You have to have both appointing authorities consent, as it is thier right. Be careful, chances are you will be on a probationary period, and any rumors of wanting to lateral, they can bounce you out of the department all together! Chance are that after only a year on a "Civil Service" department, no one would take you anyway ("grass is greener?"). You will have to be in good graces with *both *departments to have any chance. Good luck...


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## tomahawk (May 1, 2002)

Iceman, as Burner said, keep your mouth shut if your plan is to lateral out as soon as possible! The hiring department is not spending money and time to train you just to watch you leave for another department.

Remember, you will have to be replaced if you transfer; your department may not be too keen on having to start the hiring, training, and probationary phases all over again.

Good luck!

-Mike


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## 37-99 (May 7, 2002)

Why bother tranferring if all you plan to do is leave? Your wasting your time and theirs. If your only reason to transfer to this new dept. is to attain civil service status then do it. If you accept the job only to leave a year later it won't reflect too well on you. That other dept ( the one you really want to work for) might not want to bother with you b/c you have already set a track record of leaving.

Out of curiousity how are you going to get on as lateral transfer?


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2004)

37-99, I am getting appointed off the Civil Service List, not a lateral. I would like to lateral in the near future. 

Guys thanks for the insight.


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## quality617 (Oct 14, 2003)

There is no guarantee that you can lateral from one agency to another when the time comes. First there has to be an opening, and any officer who have been laid off from a civil service agency will get hired before you do. 

Some agencys won't take you unless you have attended their particular academy. Boston, for example, has it's own academy, and while you can lateral out, you cannot lateral in. 

If you have the chance to get on civil service, I say jump on it, if only for the job security. But if you see it as a means to an end you may be disappointed.


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## DDowd (Apr 29, 2003)

Take the civil service job. Once you work 250 shifts you can lateral.The economy should continue to improve and civil service lay offs will be back to work in most cases. Most towns/cities aren't going to prevent you from taking a lateral transfer and most just rubber stamp. The fact that you are already academy trained will likely save you from any arguments that they invested so much into you. I would be quiet like others said about wanting to lateral. You still will likely have a background check done by other dept. and you don't want them sand bagging you.


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## mpdcam (May 5, 2002)

I just thought I would throw my 2 cents in. The arguement of job security isn't all that valid. The only way it is more secure is if you are an idiot or a disabled veteran. Then civil service will protect you. People who should be fired, can't be because it is so hard to fire someone. If you are a disabled veteran, you can't be laid off. As far as the rest of us, the areguement of job security is not valid. People are being laid off from civil service departments yearly now. If you are a stand up cop who does his job the correct way, there is no more security than anywhere else.


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## quality617 (Oct 14, 2003)

There is a big difference. From civil service, you get laid off, but you get preference to be hired by any other civil service agency thats looking, so there's at least the probability that you won't be out of work for long. Plus, if your agency starts hiring again, they have to go through you first before going to the list. For a non-civil service agency, you have no such standing.

Just from that standpoint alone, you have better job security. 

That doesn't, however, address trying to dump some shitbird from the job that deserves it. In that aspect, civil service can be a hinderance.


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## Macop (May 2, 2002)

I am tryiung to get into a civil circus dept where i ma at now, so I can lateral back to the brockton area, it makes perfect sence just dont say anything to anyone. When the time comes you explain you want to lat to be closer to your family like I do, there are plenty of ways to go about it without looking bad.


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