Certified Police Officer

Police Officer

A police officer is tasked with protecting life and property and preserving public peace and order: enforcing Federal, State, and local laws; and controlling and directing vehicular traffic. Performs police work in accordance with departmental policies, rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures and receive assignments and instructions from police officers of higher rank. Work may involve an element of personal danger and employees must be able to act without direct supervision and exercise independent judgment in meeting emergencies.

The list is not intended to be all-inclusive nor exclusive but is intended to provide examples of typical duties performed.

• Patrols a designated area of the city on foot or in an automobile to protect human life and to preserve law and order, to prevent and discover the commission of crime, to direct traffic as required, to identify and report potential or existing public safety hazards and to enforce traffic and parking regulations.
• Answers calls and complaints involving fire, automobile accidents, felonies, and misdemeanors.
• At the scene of a crime or motor vehicle accident, preserves human life, protects property, controls access to the scene, conducts preliminary investigations, gathers evidence, locates witnesses, obtains statements, makes arrests, composes and writes detailed incident/offense reports, prepares detailed accident investigation reports and testifies as a witness in court.
• Interview persons with complaints and attempts to make proper disposition or direct them to proper authorities.
• Gives general advice on traffic and criminal laws and ordinances and gives general information to the public.
• Employees may be assigned to work on special assignments which call upon specialized abilities and knowledge usually attained through experience as a uniformed Police Officer. Police Officers assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division or specialized units are subject to call 24 hours a day.
• Police Officers may be assigned to work in uniform or plain clothes. Shift schedules and job assignments may be changed periodically to assure the maximum delivery of effective police service.
• Perform law enforcement patrol functions while working rotating shifts and unanticipated overtime.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationship with others.

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner.
• Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to customer needs.
• Teamwork - Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Contributes to building a positive team spirit.
• Leadership - Inspires respect and trust.
• Ethics - Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.
• Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures.
• Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions.
• Professionalism - Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position.
• Quality - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Have no felony or serious misdemeanor criminal convictions.
• Must possess a high school diploma or GED certificate.
• Completion of some college or university course work in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Police Science, Criminology, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.

• Must meet the minimum standards for law enforcement officers as established by Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC) and Alabama Law and maintain annual APOSTC continuing education requirements.
• Within 30 days of employment, a valid driver's license as issued by the Alabama Department of Public Safety must be obtained and maintained.
• Within six (6) months of the date of hire, the employee must establish primary residence within a 35-mile radius of Pelham Police Headquarters to be eligible for a take-home vehicle subject to approval by the Chief of Police.
• To maintain and continue employment as a sworn police officer for the City of Pelham Police Department, an employee must retain the legal right and authority to carry a pistol and any other firearm normally used by police officers. Conviction of any crime that results in the loss of an employee's rights to carry firearms will immediately disqualify said employee from continued employment as a sworn police officer for the City of Pelham.
• To maintain and continue employment as a sworn police officer for the City of Pelham Police Department, an employee must retain the legal right and authority to access information from and through the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer systems. Conviction of any felony, or any other crime that results in the loss of an employee's right to access said computer systems, or a sustained allegation of breach of the rules governing operation and access to said computer systems which results in a decision by either ACJIC or NCIC to terminate an employee's right and/or authority to access, operate, or receive information through said computer systems will immediately disqualify said employee from continued employment for the City of Pelham.

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public.
• Communicate effectively over law enforcement radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications, often under adverse conditions such as siren usage and high-speed vehicle operations.
• Communicate verbally and effectively by listening to people and by giving information, directions, and commands. Manage interpersonal conflicts to maintain order.
• Prepare investigative and other reports, including sketches, using appropriate symbols and mathematical computations.
• Read and comprehend rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and the law for purposes of ensuring appropriate police officer behavior/response and performing enforcement activities involving the public.
• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with subordinates and superiors.
• Read, comprehend, and maintain a good working knowledge of state criminal laws, motor vehicle laws, municipal codes, civil service law, and the Police Department's General Orders.

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract variables.
• Exercise judgement within legal guidelines, to determine when there is reasonable suspicion to detain, when probable cause exists to search and arrest and when force may be used and to what degree.
• Gather information in criminal investigations by interviewing and obtaining the statements of victims, witnesses, suspects, and confidential informants.
• Perform other essential tasks as may be identified by job-task analysis.

Proficiency in relevant technology and software applications required for the role.

This job has no supervisory responsibilities. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; work in high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; risk of electrical shock and work with explosives. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100+ pounds. Employee must be able to affect an arrest, forcibly if necessary, using handcuffs and other restraints. Perform tasks which require lifting, carrying, or dragging people or heavy objects while performing arrest, rescue, or general patrol functions. Use body force to gain entrance through barriers to search, seize, investigate and/or rescue. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Operate an emergency vehicle during both the day and night in emergency and pursuit situations involving speeds in excess of posted limits while exercising due care and caution and in exception to traffic control devices and in congested traffic and in unsafe road conditions and environmental conditions such as fog, smoke,