MANCHESTER — Recent military veterans will have top priority for jobs available in the city’s police department with exams for five entry-level positions coming up.

Funding for the positions comes from the federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program (CHP), which city aldermen voted to approve in July over strong objections by Mayor Ted Gatsas, who warned that the city will be left picking up the tab for the positions in two years when the grant money dries up.

Parties interested in applying for the jobs must do so by Oct. 12. Qualified applicants will be notified of the date and location of the examination.

Applicants must be veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who have served more than 180 consecutive days on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001; been released or discharged honorably; are at least 21 years old; a high school graduate or hold a GED; be a U.S. citizen; possess a valid driver’s license; and be in excellent physical condition.

Under the Justice Department’s COPS program, 629 of 800 newly-hired police jobs funded for the next three years — in departments across the country — must go to veterans who have served at least 180 days’ active duty since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This is the first time that funds associated with the 18-year-old COPS program have been tagged with a requirement that cities and counties seeking grants hire veterans exclusively.

Unemployment among recent veterans jumped to 12.7 percent in May, up from 9.2 percent the previous month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Veterans Affairs blog notes that this number jumps up and down but is trending downward overall.

COPS funding approached 1990s levels at the height of the recession in 2009, though it has fallen off significantly since the end of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In July, Manchester aldermen voted 11-3 to authorize the police department to use the grant money for five new officer positions. Police Chief David Mara said that the money could be used to pay the salaries of two recently hired officers. The grant is expected to provide $620,000 over three years to the city, while the city budget will carry costs of approximately $18,000 in 2013, $50,000 in 2014, $50,000 in 2015 and $233,000 in 2016 associated with the new hires, according to information provided by city Finance Director Bill Sanders prior to the July vote.

The program covers salaries and benefits for officers for two years, while committing the city to cover these costs in the third year. Only after the third year could the city lay off any officers.

The aldermen also voted over the summer to allow the fire department to seek a grant to hire eight firefighters through the SAFER program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The grant would pay for salaries and benefits of the new hires for the next two fiscal years, at an estimated cost of $561,000 and $575,000 in 2013 and 2014. The city is on the hook for the staffing costs (estimated to be around $600,000) in 2015, but is not obligated to keep the firefighter positions beyond that time.

To obtain additional information regarding the upcoming police exams and application instructions, go to www.manchesterpd.com or www.manchesternh.gov.

pfeely@unionleader.com