About Us
How we help Candidates
A brief history of candidate testing
There was a time when in order to become a police officer, firefighter, corrections officer or 911 dispatcher, you had to complete a separate testing process with each agency. It required you to complete application paperwork for each one; take a written exam multiple times; participate in each agency’s physical ability test, and submit separate personal history statements. In short, it was a lot of work.
Add to those burdens the fact that each individual agency usually conducted its exams only once per year — some of them on the same day. If a particular test date didn’t work for you, or if you chose to take one agency’s test over another, then you would have to wait a year for the next testing opportunity.
That was then, this is PST.
Beginning in 2000, PST revolutionized how public safety applicants are tested and, ultimately, hired. As a candidate, you can now complete one online application, take one written exam and one physical ability test, complete one PHS, and have your scores sent to one or many departments. You choose from hundreds of local testing opportunities each year across the United States, so you no longer have to figure out how to be at two places (or more!) at once. You no longer have to deal with the stress and financial costs of missed workdays, travel and other related expenses.
For more than two decades, PST has had the privilege to work with hundreds of public safety agencies, helping them streamline their processes for hiring thousands of candidates throughout the Northwest and beyond. It’s truly an honor for us to help individuals pursue their dreams of giving back to their communities through a career in public safety.
Everyone at PST wishes you every success in the testing and hiring process, and we thank you in advance for your service and dedication.
How we help Agencies
Public Safety Testing (PST) was formed in 2000 to assist local governments ease the burdensome process of establishing and maintaining eligibility lists for positions such as firefighter, police officer, deputy sheriff, corrections officer, 9-1-1 dispatcher and others. It has always been our goal to provide our agency clients a high-quality and diverse candidate pool, while saving them significant time and money that they could direct to other priorities.
Our service offerings have evolved with the needs of our clients, both agencies and candidates.
In addition to written and physical ability testing, our programs include advertising and professional recruiting assistance, application intake processing, as well as Investigations, Promotional Testing, and Executive Services. Our extensive marketing and outreach strategies attract a broad range of qualified and diverse candidates, and our continuous testing schedule ensures that eligibility lists are frequently updated with new candidates—a critical advantage in today’s competitive hiring environment.
Hundreds of public safety agencies in the Pacific Northwest and beyond contract with our firm for their initial pre-employment testing, investigative and promotional services, and we’ve helped them hire and promote thousands of dedicated individuals.
We look forward to working with your department to build a customized package of services and solutions.
Our Mission
Our Mission
To support public safety agencies in their goal to hire and develop great employees and provide candidates with the best path to rewarding careers.
Our Commitment
PST supports public safety agencies in building safe and strong communities. Both in-person and through proprietary technology, we provide essential recruiting, human resource, and investigative services that streamline and enhance agency operations, while providing candidates with the most efficient process and supportive experience to help them achieve their career goals.
Our Values
Being of Service — To our agencies and candidates, our coworkers and community. Serving others is fundamental to leadership.
Acting with Integrity — In our relationships and our actions, both seen and unseen, we are honest, transparent, and fair. Public safety is all about integrity.
Delivering Value — Our services, rooted in our unique perspective and expertise, advance the mission and goals of our customers. Our approach is tested, and our results are proven.
Key Personnel
At PST, we are privileged to work with a team of experienced and dedicated professionals with an extraordinary depth of experience in the civil service, human resources, customer service, law enforcement, fire service and public safety fields.
Jon Walters Co-Founder & President
Jon is the Founder of Public Safety Testing, Inc, a firm that specializes in professional recruitment, pre-employment screening, investigations, and promotional testing. For the past 20 years, PST has helped connect thousands of candidates with hundreds of public safety departments through a streamlined and simplified hiring system. After serving in the US Army, Jon’s decades-long policing career includes serving 7 years as a police chief in the Pacific Northwest. He also served as the Executive Director of a USDOJ Regional Community Policing Institute that operated in a five-state region. In this position, he was responsible for managing programs designed to enhance police-community relations, trust, and partnerships to address crime, fear of crime, and quality of life issues at the local level.
Jon is a graduate of the 171st session of the FBI National Academy, a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, the Washington Association of Fire Chiefs, Association of Washington Cities and the FBI National Academy Associates. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Justice and a Master of Science degree in Organization Development. In his free time, Jon enjoys golf, camping, travel, and boating.
Colleen Wilson Promotional Testing Project Manager
Colleen develops and delivers PST’s promotional testing and executive services. After serving 40 years in uniform (23 years as a police chief), Colleen retired as the Port of Seattle police chief where she served for 9 years. She also served as the Chief of Police for the cities of Monroe and Sumner. Colleen was appointed the first female police chief in the State of Washington, the first female president of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) and chaired the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. Appointed by three governors and a Supreme Court Justice as the law enforcement representative to various task forces, Colleen has helped make legislative and policy changes for Washington state, most recently in the area of ethical response by police officers.
Colleen attended Gonzaga University, the University of Washington’s Cascade Program for Executive Excellence, and the FBI’s National Academy and Executive Leadership programs. Colleen’s experience, reputation and talent brings great value to PST and to those we serve.
Nick & Julie Seibert Promotional Testing Developer & Administrator
Nick has been involved in public safety for more than 36 years with a background in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff, police officer and the last 7 years in police administration. During the last five years of his career, Nick was the hiring manager for a midsize city and participated in many hiring and promotional processes. Nick is a graduate of Northwestern University’s the School of Police Staff and Command.
Julie serves as the Test Administrator on test day and during Assessment Centers. She works with the candidates in the candidate room, provides the briefing, keeps the process on schedule and ensures that all the candidates are on the same level playing field in terms of preparatory information.
Nick and Julie have worked for Public Safety Testing since 2016. To date, Nick and Julie have worked with nearly 80 public safety agencies, to build and deliver over 100 promotional processes.
Dave Bales Promotional Testing Developer & Administrator
Dave has nearly 37 years’ experience in the law enforcement profession, including patrol, investigations, training, supervisory, and over 20 years of command and executive experience. After retiring from active law enforcement in 2013, he served as Deputy Director for the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission until 2017.
Dave is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Class 214), the Delinquency Control Institute at USC and has master’s degrees in Adult Education and Criminal Justice Administration. He has been an adjunct college professor for over 20 years and has extensive experience with designing and assessing adult learning activities.
Dave and his wife Margaret live in NW Washington State and remain active members of the community in which Dave served during his Law Enforcement career.
Ryan Fox Fire Tactical Simulations Developer & Administrator
Battalion Chief Ryan Fox is a 26 year veteran of Lacey Fire District 3. He enjoys outdoor activities, family time, and music. Battalion Chief Fox spent two years in SPSCC's Fire Science Program before onboarding with Fire District 3 in 1995 and has further education in areas of interest such as Psychology, Sociology, and fundamentals of organizational behavior. Chief Fox was one of the initial arrivers to the Amtrak 501 train derailment in 2017 and had the opportunity to work as the Incident Commander in the unified command post that resulted in 90 patients being triaged, treated, and transported in 95 minutes. As a result of that incident, he has presented at Fire Rescue International, State Chiefs, and various training engagements and conferences around the state speaking on incident command, strategy and tactics, and all things leadership. Chief Fox is passionate about internal and external customer service and believes that healthy culture inside an organization spills out to the streets benefiting those we serve.
Pat Walters Co-Founder & Vice President
As Vice President, Pat directs the day to day operations of Public Safety Testing assisting with test scheduling, test proctoring, admin support, recruitment, promotional exam development and more. An Edmonds native, Pat graduated from Edmonds High School and attended Seattle Pacific University.
Greg Wilson Director of Investigations
Greg Wilson serves as the Director of Investigations and brings to PST more than 32-years of diverse and progressive public safety experience serving three different municipalities in the Puget Sound region.
Greg began his public safety career in 1986, with the Renton Police Department and was one of the founding members of the Federal Way Police Department. Greg retired in 2019, after serving more than ten years as the Chief of Police for the City of Mountlake Terrace. Greg has a proven track record and considerable experience in conducting and managing criminal, background, internal affairs, and workplace misconduct investigations.
Greg received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington State University; is a graduate of the 219th Session of the FBI National Academy and the 67th Session of the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar. Greg is a Lifetime Member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and a recipient of the Patriotic Employer Award from the United States Department of Defense. Greg is a certified Leadership/Ethics Instructor for the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission and has conducted leadership, ethics, and management courses across the nation to federal, state, and local public safety agencies.
Jim Nelson Director of Promotional Testing Services
Jim Nelson has 30 years of diverse and progressively responsible law enforcement experience serving the City of Lynnwood to PST. His law enforcement career began as a patrol officer and culminated with his service as the police chief. Jim is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington State University, a Master’s in Public Administration degree from the University of Nebraska, and is a graduate of the 245th Session of the FBI National Academy.
Jim spent 17 years in investigations including assignments as background investigator, internal affairs investigator, lead detective on major crimes, supervisor of a multi-agency narcotics task force and as the Investigations Division commander. He also served as the Detention Division commander, managing the Lynnwood City Jail, where he implemented first level supervisory positions, a jail medical program and formed partnerships with local public health entities to improve the jail environment. This work led to the development and construction of a new community justice facility and his partnership with a WA state legislator to build the region’s first crisis stabilization center set to be completed in 2024.
Jim has the unique experience of being promoted through all the department’s ranks, which included a variety of promotional testing processes. As a commander and deputy chief he served as the agency point of contact for PST promotional processes and as the Chief, he was the recipient of test outcomes and candidate feedback from PST promotional processes for his agency. In addition to those experiences, he has significant experience serving as a rater for other agencies’ promotional tests for positions ranging from sergeant through management. Being able to see, participate and evaluate promotional processes from these very different perspectives enforced his understanding of how important these processes are for your agency’s candidates, managers, the agency head making promotional decisions and the communities that they serve. He looks forward to using this career’s worth of experience to ensure your agency’s promotional processes meets or exceeds your needs and expectations. .
Matthew Walters Interim Director of Pre-Employment Testing Services
Matthew currently serves as the Interim-Director of Pre-Employment Testing Services. He is responsible for scheduling and staffing our pre-employment testing events, including in-person, virtual, and remote written examinations and physical ability tests. He is also involved in business development and supporting a wide range of PST’s business functions, including finance, marketing, and agency outreach..
Matthew grew up in Mukilteo, WA and began working at PST at a young age from the “ground up” before moving to Spokane for college. He graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance and Marketing. After college, he moved to Scottsdale, AZ to work at Vanguard, an investment institution. After two years there, he returned to the Northwest and to PST.
Cindy Walters Test Lead & Promotional Testing Developer
Cindy began her career at Spokane County Fire District 8 where she worked her way up to EMS Division Chief. She served as the Program Director of the Fire Science Technology program at Spokane Community College where she trained students who were interested in becoming career firefighters and coordinated the Fire Officer degree program for first-line supervisors. She taught all aspects of the fire service including classroom and practical skills training. She spent summers serving on incident management teams as a Resource Unit Leader and a Type 2 Planning Section Chief. She has taught FEMA All-Hazard Planning Section courses. She recently retired from Spokane Community College. Cindy received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Washington University. She also served as the Civil Service Examiner for Spokane Valley Fire Department for 13 years.
Currently Cindy works for Public Safety Testing as a lead proctor for entry level police, fire and dispatch exams in the Spokane Area. She is a test developer for written promotional exams and she participates as a Test Administrator in the delivery of assessment centers.
Ken Thomas Deputy Director of Investigations
Ken serves as PST Investigations’ Deputy Director of Investigations, with a focus on administrative misconduct investigations. Before joining PST in 2023, his public safety career included more than 34 years of experience, and he served as Chief of Police in Kent and Des Moines. Ken serves as an expert witness on police management practices in Washington State. He has actively participated and provided expert opinions in eight lawsuits concerning police management practices.
Ken began his public safety career in 1989 with the Kent Police Department. He worked as a patrol officer, Narcotics Detective, and Accreditation Officer. After being promoted to Sergeant, Kent supervised a patrol squad and served as the Major Crimes Detective Sergeant for more than six years. As a Lieutenant, Ken created a newly formed Neighborhood Response Team, was Commander of Valley SWAT, and reformed the Kent School District Security Department. As a Captain, Ken supervised the Detective Division, City Jail, and the Patrol Division. In 2011, Ken was promoted to Chief and served until 2018. Ken was then appointed to Chief of the Des Moines Police Department and served in that capacity until 2023. As Chief, he oversaw all operations and administrative duties of the department including patrol operations, investigations, special operations groups, records, evidence, policy, accreditation, recruiting and hiring. Ken had the final decision-making authority on discipline, policy, and hiring. He has extensive experience working with collective bargaining agreements and civil service rules.
Ken received a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice from Central Washington University in 1999. In 2001, he received a Master of Science in Organization Development from Central Washington University. Ken is a graduate of the 232nd Session of the FBI National Academy. He successfully completed the Senior Management Institute of Policing through the Police Executive Research Forum. As a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Ken represented the Washington State Chiefs of Police on the State Association of Chiefs of Police Committee. Ken was recognized as a Life-Member of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and is a past president of that organization.
Diana Culver Bookkeeping, Payroll & Accounting
Diana has worked for PST since 2004 and currently provides administrative and accounting support. She has over 20 years of customer service experience and is often the first point of contact for applicants and agency representatives. Diana has been responsible for many aspects of PST, including website management, test administrator, bookkeeping, payroll, and accounting.
Diana has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.
Locations
Main Office
Main Office Business Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM PDT
Public Safety Testing
20818 - 44th Avenue West, Suite 160
Lynnwood, WA 98036
Phone: 425.776.9615
Toll-Free: 1.866.HIRE-911 (1.866.447.3911)
Fax: 425.776.0165
CPAT Centers
CPAT Center Business Hours:Only open on CPAT & other test event dates/times.
Please do not mail any correspondence to CPAT Centers.
PST CPAT Testing & Training Center
1033 Industry Dr
Tukwila, WA 98188
COVID-19 UPDATES
5/6/2020 Update:
TESTING IN WASHINGTON STATE CANCELED THROUGH MAY 31, 2020
All pre-employment tests in Washington State have been canceled until May 31, 2020 unless government restrictions are eased. With recent updates, facility closures, and government guidelines, this step is necessary and could be modified at any time. The health and safety of our customers, our staff, and their families is of the highest priority.
We will continue to evaluate developments and make changes to this policy as necessary. When we do resume testing, there will be plenty of events for everyone to test. We are in regular communication with our public safety agency partners, assessing alternatives to the traditional testing model and our testing policies. Any future updates will be posted on the PST website and our Facebook page.
4/1/2020 Update:
If you have tested with PST in the past 12 months, there may be additional positions you are now eligible to add. Several departments have temporarily changed their testing policies due to the suspension in testing that COVID-19 has caused. Please login to your PST account and navigate to the ‘New Positions’ page to see what departments you can add! We will regularly update that page in your account as departments send updates.
FUTURE TEST REGISTRATION
We know that there will be testing in the future - we just don’t know when! We want you to be prepared for when testing begins again so we have created test events on our calendar that you can register for that will place you in a queue to be first notified. These tests are not “real” test events, they are essentially a holding area. You will be able to “reschedule” out of that event to any other event date/location at no cost. Registering now will also give you time to work on your Personal History Statement (PHS) so that your data will be ready and up-to-date to send to your departments once testing resumes.
To sign up for this placeholder event, select the June 15, 2020 test date in your category (police, fire, 911 dispatch, corrections, etc.).
You may also click on the test event of interest below to sign up:
Law Enforcement & Corrections Written and Physical Ability Test
Please check back here frequently and ‘Like’ our Facebook page to stay updated.
PST staff are working remotely and are available by email at contact@publicsafetytesting.com. We anticipate a high email volume and will respond as quickly as possible.
