Police Officer

An island community rich in history and opportunity, Galveston is the ideal place to live, work and raise a family!

Job Description

SUMMARY: Under limited supervision, performs public safety services for the City's Police Department involving the enforcement of Federal, State, and City laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, and codes; maintains a high visibility in the community to deter and prevent criminal activity; assists and educates the public; and performs a variety of technical and administrative tasks in support of law enforcement services and activities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following representative duties, knowledge, and skills. Factors such as regular attendance at the job are not routinely listed in job descriptions but are an essential function. Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Patrols an assigned sector of the City; responds to calls for service; investigates and enforces City codes and ordinances; makes arrests; prepares activity reports.

• Enforces traffic laws; provides security checks of residential or commercial locations.

• Conducts traffic control during traffic congestion hours and during vehicle accident scenes.

• Assists other law enforcement agencies as requested.

• Provides court testimony as needed.

• Reports issues or concerns to command staff on daily or other activities.

• Applies and explains laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances to various individuals.

• Builds and maintains working relationships with other state and federal law enforcement agencies.

• Attend various internal and external meetings to represent the Department.

• May perform the monitoring of drug trafficking activities; analyzes intelligence; conducts surveillance; makes undercover purchases; conducts undercover meetings.

• May perform investigations regarding murder, assault, illegal gambling, bookmaking, pornography, prostitution, and human trafficking; conducts surveillance; conducts interviews; monitors social media sites to gather intelligence; prepares various reports.

• Processes crime scenes, gathers and transports evidence; attends briefings and conferences.

• May serve as the Department's records custodian; maintains information and data generated and acquired by other units and divisions; reviews reports, attachments, and videos and provides to various staff; prepares files for expunction.

• May provide monitoring and tracking of gang activities; prepare various reports.

• May serve on inter-jurisdictional task forces and committees.

• Participates in the conduct of City special events.

• Performs various projects as necessary.

• Supports the relationship between the City of Galveston and the general public by demonstrating courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with citizens, visitors, and City staff; maintains confidentiality of work-related issues and City information; performs other duties as required or assigned.

• Employees may at any time be required to work in order to provide for the safety and well-being of the general public, including the delivery and restoration of vital services, in the event of an emergency.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Knowledge:

• City organization, operations, policies, and procedures.

• Modern police administration principles, practices, and techniques.

• Law enforcement best practices.

• Practices and principles of community policing within a multi-ethnic community structure.

• Criminal laws, codes and ordinances and court interpretations including rights of citizens, apprehension, arrest, search and seizure, and rules of evidence.

• Traffic laws.

• City geography.

• Principles and practices of investigation.

• Interviewing and interrogation methods and techniques.

• Laws, court decisions, and rules regarding invasion of privacy.

• State and federal laws regarding controlled substances.

• Principles and practices of statistics and data collection and analysis.

• Principles and practices of recordkeeping and reporting.

• Principles and practices of project management.

• Texas local government codes.

• Business and personal computers, and spreadsheet software applications.

Skill in:

• Handling situations requires diplomacy, fairness, firmness, and sound judgment.

• Understanding and applying City policies and procedures, and applicable federal and state regulations.

• Handling highly confidential information securely.

• Performing critical and analytical intelligence thinking.

• Protecting and preserving physical evidence.

• Explaining City policies and procedures.

• Handling various handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

• Establishing and maintaining cooperative working relationships with all levels within the City.

• Communicating effectively verbally and in writing.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

High School diploma or equivalent; minimum 21 years of age and able to pass a comprehensive background check; must be able to meet TCOLE standards for certification; able to read, write, and understand the English language; able to successfully complete the Galveston Police Department physical agility test.

LICENSE AND CERTIFICATION:

• Texas Basic Peace Officer License.
• Possession of a valid Texas Driver's License.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed both in an indoor and outdoor work environment. May have exposure to dangerous machinery, extreme weather conditions, potential physical harm, and hazardous chemicals. May be required to lift and carry items weighing over 100 pounds. Additional physical demands may include balancing, stooping, pushing, pulling, crouching, standing, sitting, walking, running, grasping, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions. Non-traditional work hours may be required; may be assigned to shift work.


Compensation Range

DOQ

The City of Galveston is an equal opportunity employer and will consider only the qualifications of the applicants. The City does not tolerate any form of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or physical/mental disability in employment or provision services.