Police Officer (Academy Graduate)

Testing Dates Physical Agility/PIQ: Saturday, August 15, 2026 Oral Interviews: Monday, August 24, 2026 If you want to join a hardworking team that shares a commitment to provide top-quality municipal services in a prime North County location, consider a career with the City of Escondido. We have an opening for the position of Police Officer (Academy Graduate) in our Police Department. Responsibilities Patrol assigned areas by car, bike, motorcycle, or on foot. Answer calls for assistance, investigate crimes, deaths, accidents, and injuries; conduct initial and follow‑up investigations. Enforce, control, and direct traffic when appropriate. Stop drivers who are operating vehicles in violation of the law and enforce traffic violations; warn drivers against illegal practices. Perform arrests for all criminal violations of law. Testify in court in connection with the prosecution of offenders. Serve warrants and subpoenas. Administer first aid in emergency cases. Answer complaints on such problems as domestic disturbances, obnoxious animals, health code and local ordinance violations. Investigate suspicious circumstances. Takes custody of stolen, lost, or found property and evidence. Perform crowd control, parade or riot work. Take crime‑prevention measures and assist in controlling problems of juvenile delinquency; perform detective work in criminal investigation and identification work. Transport prisoners to be booked at the county jail. Furnish information and directions to the public. Submit complete written reports on all cases investigated. Participate in required training courses and programs. Supervision may be exercised over non‑sworn positions. Provide vacation and temporary relief as assigned. Qualifications Knowledge of: The principles, methods, materials, equipment, and techniques of peace officers. Crime scene procedures. Recent developments, current literature, and sources of information on peace officers. State and federal statutes and case law covering contraband, drugs, and the use of physical evidence in court, the rules of criminal procedures concerning time limits, discovery, evidence, and expert witnesses. Police Department policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and unit functions. Occupational hazards and standard safety precautions. Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications. Customer service principles and techniques. English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Ability to: Prepare clear and concise police reports. Interpret, apply, and make decisions in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations. Analyze emergency situations and adopt quick, reasonable, and effective courses of action. Respond to requests and inquiries from the general public. Lift and move objects of moderate to heavy weight. Maintain a calm and professional demeanor at all times. Participate in a high level of customer service to internal and external customers. Operate office equipment including computers and supporting word‑processing software applications. Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the cultural diversity of the community. Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees, staff, vendors, and the public. Type and/or enter data at 30 net words per minute. General Standards Fingerprinted and a search made of local, state and national fingerprint files to disclose any criminal record. Not convicted of a felony by any State or Federal Government of a crime including imprisonment in a Federal or State prison. Good moral character as determined by a polygraph examination and a thorough background investigation as prescribed in Specification #1, Personal History Statement. Successfully complete requirements of medical and psychological evaluation. Authorized to work in the United States. Must not be less than 21 years of age at time of appointment. Academy Graduate Requirements Education / Experience: High school graduate or equivalent. Must have graduated from a POST Certified California Police Academy within the past three years, or must currently be attending a California POST Certified Standard Length Police Academy. Must be within six months of graduation if attending an extended format academy. Per POST Commission Regulation 1008 (DOC), requalification of Regular Basic Course (RBC) training (POST Requalification Course) is required if: • Not employed in a position that requires the RBC within three years of successful course completion, or • RBC was successfully completed and there subsequently was a three‑year or longer break in service from a position that requires the RBC. License or Certificate: Possession of a valid Class C California driver's license at time of appointment. POST Regulations Specification #1 – Personal History Statement: A personal history investigation must be conducted of each recruit employed pursuant to Part 4 of Title 4, Chapter 1 of the California Penal Code. The purpose of the personal history investigation is to find examples of any character traits in the applicant's life which might prevent the applicant from becoming a successful peace officer. Specification #2 – Physical Examination: The peace officer's safety record and the safety and lives of others may be endangered if the peace officer lacks these qualities. This shall include psychological testing to determine emotional stability. Vision and Hearing Hearing – must pass a hearing test which will consist of a whisper test of each ear. Color vision – must pass a color vision test consisting of an Ishihara color plates test. Visual acuity – must possess visual acuity corrected not to exceed 20/20 in each eye. Waiver The hiring authority may waive visual acuity not to exceed 20/200 correctable to 20/20, based on outstanding achievements and potential to the department, and provided an examination by an ophthalmologist reports the eyes are free from disease with no indication of an accelerated progression toward further decreased visual acuity. Contents of Agility Test Obstacle Course – 25 seconds to complete. Body Drag – Drag a 165‑pound dummy 32 feet in 28 seconds. Wood Fence Climb – Scale a 6‑foot wooden fence in 14 seconds. Chain Fence Climb – Scale a 6‑foot chain‑link fence in 13 seconds. 500 Yard Run – Run 500 yards without stopping in 110 seconds. All appointments are subject to the successful completion of background investigation including LIVE‑SCAN fingerprinting and require verification of the legal right to work in the United States. Qualification by a medical examination will be required at the time of appointment. After appointment, classified employees must satisfactorily complete a probationary period to be eligible for regular status. Selection Procedure Applications will be screened and the most qualified candidates will be invited to appear for testing. All positions require the ability to read, write and speak English. Types of tests may include written and/or oral examination, physical agility, practical exam or other appropriate job‑related selection process. Candidates are ranked on an eligibility list in order of their test score. Selection for appointments is made from names certified on the eligibility list. Equality of Opportunity The City of Escondido does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, disability, sex, age, national origin, or sexual orientation. We will attempt to reasonably accommodate applicants with disabilities upon request. Veterans' Preference Served in the U.S. armed forces Received an honorable discharge Did not retire from military service Seeking employment with the City of Escondido for the first time Guard and Reserve active duty for training purposes does not qualify for veterans' preference. Proof of eligibility (copy of DD‑214) must be submitted at time of application, or later if the promulgation of the eligibility list will not be delayed. Veterans' preference credit will only be applied to eligible applicants who attained a passing grade (total score exclusive of credit) on the final open examination. #J-18808-Ljbffr