Special Officers may be required to work various shifts including nights, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays and to work rotating tours, change tours or work overtime when ordered, as permitted by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Some of the physical activities performed by Special Officers and environmental conditions experienced are: working outdoors in all kinds of weather; walking and/or standing in an assigned area during a tour; driving or sitting in a patrol car during a tour while remaining alert; running after a fleeing suspect; climbing upstairs; may assist in carrying an injured adult; gripping persons to prevent escape; restraining a suspect by use of handcuffs; may be required to detect odors such as those caused by smoke or gas leaks; engaging in hand to hand struggles to subdue a suspect resisting arrest; being physically active for prolonged periods of time; understanding verbal communication over a radio with background noise; reading and writing under low light conditions; carrying or wearing heavy equipment and wearing a bullet resistant vest. Special Officers may be required to wear and operate a body worn camera (BWC) and employ the computer software that goes along with it.

By the date of appointment, you must possess a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization.

If you were educated outside the United States, you must have your foreign education evaluated to determine its equivalence to education obtained in the United States. The services that are approved to make this evaluation are listed on the Foreign Education Evaluation Guide located on the DCAS website at at https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dcas/downloads/pdf/employment/nyc-dcas-foreign-education-evaluation-guide.pdf. When you contact the evaluation service, ask for a "document-by-document" (general) evaluation of your foreign education. You must have one of these services submit its evaluation of your foreign education directly to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services before the pre-employment investigation interview.

The high school diploma or its educational equivalent must be approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization.

You must have reached your 20th birthday by the date of appointment.

Character and Background:

Pursuant to Criminal Procedure Law Section 2.10, the position of Special Officer is designated as a Peace Officer position. Accordingly, proof of good character is an absolute prerequisite to appointment. Therefore, you must reveal ALL arrests, convictions and pending charges that have occurred in your lifetime. This includes any material sealed, expunged, or set aside under Federal or State law, or youthful offender adjudications. The following are among the factors which may be cause for disqualification: (a) arrest record or conviction of an offense, the nature of which indicates lack of good moral character or disposition toward violence or disorder, (b) repeated arrests or convictions of an offense,where such arrests or convictions indicate disrespect for the law; (c) discharge from employment, where such discharge indicates poor behavior or inability to adjust to discipline; (d) dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces.

Peace Officer Training Certification Requirement:
You must satisfy the training requirements established by the State of New York for Peace Officers. Once obtained, this certification must be maintained for the duration of your employment. Attendance at annual recertification training is mandatory and a continuing condition of employment.

Medical and Psychological Requirement:
Medical and psychological guidelines have been established for the position of Special Officer. You will be examined to determine whether you can perform the essential functions of a Special Officer. Additionally, you will be expected to continue to perform the essential functions of a Special Officer throughout your career, and may, therefore, be medically and psychologically tested periodically throughout your career. Where appropriate, a reasonable accommodation will be provided for a person with a disability to enable him or her to take these medical and psychological examinations, and/or to perform the essential functions of the job.

Firearms Qualifications: Certain assignments require the carrying of firearms. Appointees to those assignments must qualify and remain qualified for firearms usage and possession.

Drug Screening Requirement: You may be required to pass a drug screening in order to be appointed.

Drivers License Requirement: By the time of appointment, a motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York is required for appointment to positions in certain agencies. If required, this license must be maintained for the duration of employment.

Pursuant to New York State Public Officers Law, you must be a resident of the City of New York at the time of appointment, and you must thereafter maintain City residency as a continuing condition of employment. However, if you have two years of employment with the City of New York, you may be a resident of Nassau, Westchester, Suffolk, Orange, Rockland or Putnam counties.

Pursuant to New York State Public Officers Law, United States citizenship is required at the time of appointment.

Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, you must be able to prove your identity and your right to obtain employment in the United States prior to employment with an agency under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner, Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

If you are currently provisionally employed by the City of New York, consult your agency's Personnel Office/Human Resources to determine the procedures for filing a late application if you meet one or more of the following conditions:

• You are provisionally employed in the title for which the examination is administered and were absent from work for at least one-half of the application period and cannot apply for reasons such as vacation, sick leave, or military duty; or
• You were appointed provisionally to the title for which the examination is administered after the application period closed but before the date on which testing is expected to begin.

You may apply for a make-up test if you cannot take the test on the regular test date(s) for any of the following reasons:

1. being ordered to military duty; or
2. compulsory attendance before a court or other public body or official having the power to compel attendance; or
3. on-the-job injury or illness caused by municipal employment where you are an officer or employee of the City; or
4. absence from the test within one week after the death of a spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, sibling, child or child of a domestic partner where you are an officer or employee of the City; or
5. a clear error for which the Department of Citywide Administrative Services or the examining agency is responsible; or
6. a temporary disability; or
7. pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition.

To request a make-up test, contact Administration, Customer, and Exam Support (ACES) by email at testingaccommodations@dcas.nyc.gov, as soon as possible, and include documentation of the special circumstances that caused you to miss your test.

Section 424-a of the New York Social Services Law requires an authorized agency to inquire whether a candidate for employment with child-care responsibilities or who will have the potential for regular and substantial contact with children is or has been the subject of an indicated child abuse and maltreatment report on file with the statewide Central Register for Child Abuse and Maltreatment. State Central Register screening will be obtained prior to considering a candidate for employment as a Special Officer. Candidates who have been the subject of an indicated child abuse and maltreatment report will not be considered for any position which requires child care responsibilities or has the potential for regular and substantial contact with children.

Article 20 of the Executive Law and Article 11 of the Social Services Law, requires an authorized agency to check whether a candidate for employment to work in residential care facilities regulated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, including child welfare and juvenile justice facilities operated by the authorized agency, appears on the Vulnerable Persons Central Register. This screening will be conducted prior to considering a candidate for employment. Candidates who have substantiated/indicated cases of serious abuse and neglect will not be considered for any position which requires work in residential care facilities regulated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, including child welfare and juvenile justice facilities operated by an authorized agency.

You will be required to complete a minimum probationary period of one year, during which time you will be required to successfully complete all components of the prescribed Peace Officer training course, to which reference is made in the “How to Qualify” section above.

This examination is for positions with City Agencies only and not for NYC Health + Hospitals. If you would like to apply for Special Officer (NYC H+H), you must submit a separate application and fee for Exam No. 7329 from September 2, 2026 through October 27, 2026.

This document is provided in English. Solely for convenience, Google Translate is offered to provide machine-generated translations to other languages. The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any machine-generated translation and shall not be liable for any errors or omissions arising from the use of such translations. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the translated version and the English version, the English version will control and prevail.