Police Officer

Police Officer

Police Officers are responsible for maintaining law and order, and protecting life and property, by responding to emergency calls and patrolling the City, enforcing criminal and traffic laws and investigating criminal activity. Employees in this job class are exposed to elements of personal danger, and officers must be able to act without direct supervision and exercise judgment in meeting emergency situations while staying with departmental policies and procedures. Police Officers require substantial knowledge of law enforcement methods and state legal codes in order to perform their primary duties. Police Officers receive work assignments and instructions from a Police Sergeant who reviews work methods and results through reports, inspections, and observation of results.

Examples Of Duties

• Conducts administrative and preparatory activities such as inspecting personal equipment and uniform, inspecting video and audio equipment (e.g., body cam, body mic), maintaining firearm and vehicle, and attending roll call.
• Conducts routine patrol activities such as patrolling high-problem areas to provide a police presence, observing persons and vehicles for unusual or suspicious behavior, monitoring businesses and public places for criminal activity, enforcing state laws and local ordinances, and assisting the public as needed.
• Responds to calls for service by listening to radio transmissions for emergency or non-emergency information, determining the appropriate actions to take to respond to an incident, evaluating the scene en route and upon arrival, and notifying appropriate parties (e.g., back up, investigators, property owners, etc.).
• Manages crime, incident, and accident scenes by ensuring safety of self, others, and property, maintaining the integrity of the scene, relaying information to dispatch, searching the scene for evidence, and determining what additional resources are needed.
• Investigates incidents and occurrences by interviewing appropriate parties (e.g., witnesses, victims, complainants) and compiling facts of incidents using available information and resources.
• Apprehends and arrests suspects by determining probable cause for arrest, providing verbal commands to person(s) engaged in criminal activity, searching suspects, providing suspects with required information (e.g., Miranda Rights, officer's authority), identifying suspects, gaining physical control of suspects, transporting suspects to jail, and completing the booking process.
• Handles hazardous situations by alerting the appropriate emergency response agency(ies), evacuating persons, identifying hazardous materials, notifying dispatcher, and establishing and maintaining a perimeter until the situation has been resolved.
• Enforces and regulates traffic and motor vehicle rules by monitoring for traffic law infractions, pulling over vehicles in violation of laws, verifying driver and vehicle identification, observing driver and passenger behavior, administering field sobriety tests, and issuing warnings and citations to drivers.
• Renders medical assistance by evaluating the scene, assessing the condition of an individual, providing first aid, requesting medical emergency personnel, and transporting individual to hospital or jail if needed.
• Deals with juveniles by placing juvenile under investigating detention or custody, notifying guardians, dispersing congregated juveniles and providing police presence, and transporting juveniles to appropriate locations as needed.
• Handles disputes and conflicts by observing the parties present, separating parties, restraining parties when necessary, interviewing parties, taking written statements and photographs of injuries, and providing parties with information to resolve the conflict.
• Controls crowds by establishing police lines, observing the behavior of participants, ensuring groups have valid permits, maintaining control using verbal commands and physical force as needed, ensuring state laws and local ordinances are adhered to, and requesting backup resources as necessary.
• Completes reports (e.g., incident, evidence, arrest, activities) and written documentation (e.g., summons, notes for other officers) and forwards to chain of command and appropriate parties.
• Performs court-related activities such as keeping track of court dates, reviewing documentation and revisiting incident scene to refresh memory, explaining details of case to attorneys, presenting testimony, and answering questions under oath.
• Cooperates with and makes referrals to other agencies (i.e., federal, state, and local) by submitting information to appropriate authorities, determining the circumstances of incidents, initiating notifications (e.g., stolen car, missing person) to other units and/or jurisdictions, and participating in joint actions with other law enforcement agencies.
• Interacts with the public and performs community relation activities such as contacting friends and/or families of victims, responding to citizen requests for assistance, communicating with business owners in patrol area, interacting with local parties (e.g., officials, school principals, citizen groups, civic associations) to discuss police services and/or criminal activity, and conducting presentations to local groups to promote public safety.
• Works as a team with other officers by informing responding officers of scene information (e.g., location, potential or known hazards), coordinating actions on scene, ensuring self and other officer safety, and reporting incident information so other officers are informed.
• Participates in training activities by completing basic and advanced technical skills trainings, staying abreast on laws, policies, and procedures, maintaining APOST certification, and participating in physical fitness activities.
• Maintains jails and inmates in custody by ensuring inmate safety and well-being, transporting inmates, and searching inmates and jail for weapons and unauthorized objects.

Typical Qualifications

• Must meet all of the following AND Option A, B or C below.
• Must have NO felony convictions.
• Must have no convictions in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year.
• Must NOT be subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of such intimate partner.
• Must NOT be prohibited by state or federal law from owning, possessing, or carrying a firearm.
• Must NOT be required to register as a convicted sex offender.
• Must have an honorable discharge if served in the US Armed Forces.
• Must be a citizen of the United States.
• Must be at least 19 years of age.
• Must have Driver's License.
• Must be in good health and physically fit for the performance of the duties of a law enforcement officer.

Option A:

• Must have been previously APOSTC certified and who are required to complete the Refresher training for reinstatement of their Certification.

Option B:

• Must possess an Associate's degree or higher from an accredited College or University.

Option C:

• Must possess a high school diploma or GED AND take and pass the ACT WorkKeys Assessment for Law Enforcement Officers.

Supplemental Information

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Work is conducted both indoors in office setting as well as periodic field visits to external locations such as roadways, businesses, residences, and government buildings.
• Work involves use of standard office equipment, such as computer, phone, copier, etc.
• Work may involve the use of specialized equipment such as firearms, hand-held weapons, speed detection devices, vehicle/on-person cameras, first aid equipment and materials, investigative equipment/tools, and analytical tools such as breathalyzers and drug testing kits.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Job is primarily sedentary involving sitting for long periods, but occasionally involves moderate to heavy physical exertion required for occasional prolonged periods of lifting, climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, or running.
• May involve occasional lifting of items or objects weighing up to 75 lbs.
• Work involves physical ability necessary to occasionally subdue or restrain a combative individual and exercise necessary self-defense.