Lansford Borough is moving closer to hiring more full-time officers, as civil service testing takes place next week.

The borough Civil Service Commission will start testing three officer candidates on Tuesday.

The physical agility examination will take place at 8 a.m. at Weston Field in Scranton, and a written exam will be at 6 p.m. at the American Legion in Lansford.

The physical agility testing will be in Scranton, as the commission is using the Lackawanna Police Academy to conduct this portion of the test, commission member Jack Soberick said.

The commission considered having the written testing immediately afterward at the academy, but decided to give candidates sufficient rest time, holding the written exam later in the day, he said.

“Candidates must pass all portions of the physical testing to move on to the written (exam),” Soberick said.

On the written exam, candidates need a 70 or better to move on to the oral examination, he said.

The oral exam is conducted by an independent board of three, Soberick said. The date for the oral exam has not been finalized, he said.

Soberick hopes that the commission will complete testing and have a list of potential officers for council to consider at its July 15 meeting.

Soberick, who is also a borough councilman and a former borough police chief, pointed out that even if the council has a finalized list that does not mean it will hire immediately.

Council needs to consider continuing to pay current full- and part-time officers overtime to cover shifts or hiring a full-time officer or officers to round out the police schedule, he explained.

Soberick, who chairs the public safety committee, said he personally favors hiring officers now, but hasn’t done the financial analysis to see what could work.

“I would cut cost wherever else, in any feasible way, to properly fund the police department,” he said.

Residents have consistently raised issues regarding police coverage at council meetings.

The borough currently has three full-time officers, and four part-time officers. However, only one part-timer is taking active shifts, and the others are taking limited or no shifts each month, Mayor Denise Leibensperger said.

“To operate at full capacity, we require a complement of 12 to 14 officers, a figure determined by our call volume and crime rate,” she said Thursday.

Leibensperger would like to see a team comprised at least of a police chief, a sergeant and six officers, in addition to an administrative assistant; and the current budget has funds for five full-time officers, she said.

Leibensperger understands that council will entertain hiring one full-time officer from the list the civil service commission provides them, she said.

“Ideally, if all three candidates pass, our department would advocate for the hiring of all three,” Leibensperger said. “It is also imperative that we appoint a chief to foster stability within the department.

“For the 2027 budget, I would like to propose the inclusion of a chief, a sergeant, four officers and a part-time administrative assistant,” she said. “It is crucial that public safety remains a priority rather than a target for budget reductions.”