Police Officer (Recruit Level)

Join The SDPD Team Today!

Please read through the entire bulletin for important information. Veteran friendly employer! You served our country and worked hard to earn your GI Bill benefits; it's time to let them work for you. The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) honors your service and sacrifice. In addition to great pay and benefits, SDPD is certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to train veterans and eligible persons under 38 U.S.C. 3675. For which SDPD can certify candidates who are eligible to receive VA education benefits under the on-the job-training (OJT) program while employed by SDPD to attend a paid California POST approved Police Academy and up to a year after graduation while completing the field training program and SDPD probation period.

Do you have a strong dedication to public service? If you do, a career with the San Diego Police Department may be for you! A career with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) offers excitement, rapid growth opportunities, work-life-balance, and the chance to make a positive impact in your community. As one of the nation's leaders in Community Oriented Policing, we strongly value the partnerships we have built with the diverse communities of San Diego and are looking for Officers that will uphold that tradition. Throughout your career with SDPD, you'll have the chance to follow many paths in over 70 different positions, including: Detective, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), New Technologies, Canine (K9) Handler, Beach Patrol and Motor Officer, among others.

SDPD offers a competitive base salary, great benefits, and many additional pay opportunities. The following skills and desirable attributes exemplify what we look for in a Police Officer (Recruit Level): integrity; leadership skills; excellent judgment under pressure; ability to maintain sufficient level of fitness to safely perform as a law enforcement professional; the ability to be aware of, control, and express emotions appropriately, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically; ability to maintain confidence in uncertain situations; excellent judgment and ability to act under pressure; ability to thrive in diverse populations.

A San Diego Police Officer:

• Contributes to the team effort of maintaining a presence in the community that helps to deter crime and provide support to citizens.
• Collaborates in building strong relationships with community members, upholding best practices of Community Oriented Policing.
• Acts as a police presence at major public events to ensure public safety.
• Identifies potential criminal activity or other hazardous situations and takes proper actions to protect citizens and property.
• Helps to secure crime scenes and process evidence.
• Responds to calls for service; Observes violations; makes arrests and citations when necessary.
• Conducts criminal investigations by gathering evidence and interviewing victims and witnesses.
• Documents observations and actions by radioing information; completing reports.
• Fulfills court orders by testifying in court regarding criminal investigations and citations.
• Maintains safe traffic conditions by monitoring and directing traffic; enforces laws and ordinances; investigates collisions; reports unsafe streets and facilities.

Police Officer (Recruit Level) employees attend the Police Academy classroom lectures on subjects including criminal law, laws of arrest, traffic laws, juvenile law, principles of law enforcement, rules of evidence, rules of search and seizure, patrol theory and methods, and report writing; observe demonstrations on arrest and control methods and the care and use of firearms; participate in physical conditioning and self-defense exercises; practice the use of firearms; and take examinations.

Eligible benefitted employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS). Police Officer (Recruit Level) employees must complete the Regional Academy Training and receive a Basic P.O.S.T. Certificate within ONE year of hire. After completing the Police Academy, Police Officer (Recruit Level) employees are promoted to Police Officer I and assigned to the Field Training Unit for a minimum of four months. Police Officer I employees may work a 4 day/10-hour, rotating shift work schedule, depending on assignment. After one year, Police Officer I employees receive a $900 annual uniform allowance. Bilingual pay (3.5% of base pay) is provided to qualified officers, if skills are required. Additional add on pays may be available if you meet the requirements.

Minimum Requirements

You must meet the following requirement on the date you apply, unless otherwise indicated.

AGE: 20 years of age on the date you apply; 21 years by date of Academy graduation.

CITIZENSHIP: Be legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law. Candidates screened by the San Diego Police Department must present proof of legal right to work in the United States when they submit their Background Investigation Questionnaire.

EDUCATION: You must meet ONE of the following options:

1. Graduation from a public high school located within the United States.
2. Graduation from an accredited nonpublic high school located within the United States.
3. Graduation from a United States Department of Defense high school.
4. Passage of the General Education Development (G.E.D.) test or passage of the California High School Proficiency Examination.
5. Possession of a two-year, four-year or advanced degree from an accredited college or university located within the United States.
6. Possession of a two-year, four-year, or advanced degree earned OUTSIDE the United States, with an NACES or AICE equivalency report.

NOTES:

• Candidates screened by the San Diego Police Department must present proof of education when they submit their Background Investigation Questionnaire.
• Education earned OUTSIDE the United States must include an equivalency report to qualify. For public safety positions, acceptable equivalency reports must be issued by a credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES – or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE –

LICENSE: A valid California Class C Driver License is required at the time of hire.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (Must be included with your application): To request a waiver of the written examination, you must submit proof of ONE of the following:

Education:

• Associate degree or higher diploma
• Official or unofficial transcripts showing degree conferral

POST certification:

• California POST–approved Police Academy Peace Officer Course Certificate
• California POST Basic Peace Officer Certificate

Written Test Documentation:

• Letter from the agency that administered the California POST entry-level law enforcement test battery (PELLET-B). The letter must include the candidate's name, exam date, and T-scores for reading, writing, and overall performance.
• Official National Testing Network (NTN) Law Enforcement Individual Score Report

To request a waiver for the Physical Abilities Test (PAT), you must submit proof of:

• Official California POST Work Sample Test Battery (WSTB) score verification report

Required documents should be attached electronically to your application. If you are unable to attach at the time of application submittal, you must submit them as soon as possible via fax: View phone number on click.appcast.io; or to the Employment Information Center: City of San Diego Personnel Department, 1200 Third Avenue - Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101. Include your name and the title of the position for which you are applying.

Screening Process

The screening process will consist of the following components:

1. APPLICATION REVIEW: Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questions will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in this initial screening process, your application will be reviewed for applicable education, experience, and/or training to ensure all minimum requirements have been met.
2. WRITTEN TEST: IF YOU MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND YOUR APPLICATION IS APPROVED, you will be scheduled for the written examination date you select on the supplemental questions of your application. The email confirmation notice that you will receive a day or two after your application is approved will grant you admission to the examination date you select. The written test consists of multiple-choice questions that measure general aptitudes needed to be a Police Officer. A Study Guide with test taking tips and sample questions is available in the following link: STUDY GUIDE (Download PDF reader). NOTE: