Police Officer (Lateral)

Salary: $36.82 - $51.81 Hourly
Location : Police Department - 12401 W. Cinnabar Ave. El Mirage, AZ
Job Type: Full-time
Job Number: FY27-00001
Department: Police-Operations
Opening Date: 06/18/2026
Closing Date: 7/20/2026 5:00 PM Arizona


Summary
Are you a Sworn Police Officer wanting to Police with Purpose?

The El Mirage Police Department is Hiring!

We're recruiting lateral Police Officers....join our team!
Would you like to relocate, start fresh at a new department, seek new challenges, or increase balance with work and family? The City of El Mirage offers a rare environment, a hidden gem in a career field that's constantly evolving. We are seeking officers who are proactive, community-minded, want to gain experience, and make a difference. El Mirage is located close to activities, sports, and entertainment and has a lower cost of living.
It's been said that you must see it and feel it, not just hear it. Come ride along with one of our officers to see the family environment in our department and feel the support from our community.


We value our relationship with the community and enjoy strong support from the residents, city council and city management. We have a modern police facility, a fleet of new vehicles, on-site gym, up-to-date equipment and the latest in technology. We will provide you with the training, experience, and tools to work efficiently and be the best you can be!
We are a true family of officers and value the talent and contributions of each individual member. Within our department, you are not just a number or a face in the crowd. We will get to know you, support you, and offer you the opportunity to make a real difference in our community.
Growth opportunities and special assignments such as field training officer, motor officer, K-9 handler, detective, school resource officer, and task forces are available, along with opportunities for a variety of skill sets.
Police Officer (lateral) pay starts up to $51.81 per hour ($107,764.80 annually), depending on qualifications.
In addition to the many opportunities and assignments, we offer the following benefits and specialty pays to eligible employees:

• Field Training Officer (FTO) : 5% to the base hourly rate.
• Specialty Assignment Pay : 5% to the base hourly rate for assignments in the gang task force, neighborhood enforcement team, canine unit, traffic motor unit, or special weapons and tactics (SWAT).
• Deferred Compensation : $100.00 employer contribution per pay period.
• Uniform Allowance : $700 at academy graduation or upon start, and up to $1,400 per year.
• Bilingual Pay : $0.75 per hour.
• Shift Pay : $0.50 to $1.00 per hour.
• On-call Pay : $3.00 per hour.
• Call Back : 4 hours at the overtime rate.
• Court Appearance : 2 hours minimum
• Health and Dental Insurance : City pays 100% of employee-only health and dental premiums for base health and dental plans
• Tuition Assistance : 100% reimbursement per credit hour up to $5,250 per calendar year.
• Vacation Leave : Up to 80 hours the first year, and 10 additional hours for each year of service thereafter, up to 180 hours per year
• Sick Leave : Up to 96 hours per year
• Service Award Leave : Up to 40 hours per year
• Holiday Pay : 10 hours holiday pay for 10 holidays
• Sick Leave Conversion at Retirement Eligibility : Employees with a minimum of 1000 hours of accrued and unused sick leave at the time of separation are eligible for pay of an amount of compensation equal to 40%. Employees with a minimum of 1400 hours, eligible for compensation equal to 60%.

Come grow with our organization!

For additional information, please visit the website.
JOB CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY

Job Classification Title: Police Officer

Working Title(s): Police Officer

FLSA Status: NE


Safety Sensitive: Yes


Pay Grade: MOU Police Officer
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Organizational Role: Paraprofessional-Operational

Supervision Exercised: None

Budget Authority: None


Competency Rank(s): N/A
This job classification description is meant to be a general overview and does not include all possible duties, responsibilities, and requirements. The essential duties and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) designation may vary depending on the specific tasks assigned by the City of El Mirage.
This class is the second level in a four-level Sworn Police series. Incumbents ensure the safety and security of municipal streets, buildings, residences, and neighborhoods; enforce ordinances and laws; respond to calls; conduct investigations, and provide other assigned law enforcement and public safety duties.
Essential Functions
The following are intended to describe core work functions of this classification. While the level and broad nature of essential duties may not change, specific work tasks will vary over time depending on the City's needs.

• Responds to service and assistance calls.
• Performs community and problem-oriented policing activities.
• Conducts investigations by locating physical evidence, victims, witnesses and suspects.
• Gathers information and completes interviews.
• Documents facts and elements of a crime.
• Makes arrest when necessary.
• Writes reports.
• Operates a motor vehicle and patrols assigned areas.
• Testifies in court.
• Holds and participates in training sessions, as assigned.
• Serves as a detention/booking officer.
• Serves warrants.
• Provides for traffic control.
• Operates and maintains devices, equipment and weapons associated with law enforcement activities.
• Secures crime scenes.
• Administers first aid.
• Performs related work as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE

• Law enforcement principles, practices and equipment.
• Methods and process of law enforcement investigative work.
• Standard policies, rules and regulations of a law enforcement agency.
• Methods and practices of community and problem-oriented policing.
• Methods and techniques of law enforcement interviews.
• Chain of custody process and preservation of evidence methods and requirements.
• Arizona criminal justice and court systems, procedures and protocols.
• Traffic control methods.
• Radio and communication system operation and protocols.
• Safe driving practices and geography of the city.
• Law enforcement issues in the city.
• Computerized law enforcement information systems.
• First aid principles and practices.
• Occupational hazards and applicable safety principles and practices.
• Uses and properties of law enforcement supplies and equipment.
• Report preparation, including accurate grammar, punctuation.
• Basic math to calculate measurements and perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and percentages.

SKILLS

• Understanding and interpreting laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Applying police methods and procedures, including patrol, crime prevention, traffic control, investigation and identification techniques, equipment, police records and reports, and first aid techniques.
• Interpreting criminal law and criminal procedures with particular reference to the apprehension, arrest and custody of persons committing misdemeanors and felonies, including rules of evidence pertaining to the search and seizure and the preservation of evidence in traffic and criminal cases.
• Interviewing victims and witnesses to obtain facts.
• Accurately remembering faces, numbers, incidents and places.
• Thinking and acting quickly in emergencies and to judge situations and people accurately.
• Rendering credible testimony in a court of law.
• Using standard broadcasting procedures of a police radio system.
• Operating computerized law enforcement information systems.
• Exercising judgment and make decisions as to appropriate action under pressure in accordance with rules, regulations and policies,
• Work cooperatively, courteously, but firmly with the public.
• Properly caring for firearms and related law enforcement equipment.
• Calculating measurements and performing addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and percentages.
• Correctly identifying elements of a crime and accurately recording them in a police report for purposes of prosecution.
• Operating a motor vehicle safely.
• Maintaining morale standards and integrity.

Minimum Qualifications
Minimum Education Requirements (must meet one):

• High school diploma from a state-recognized school, or
• GED certificate, or
• Homeschool diploma/certificate recognized as equivalent to a high school diploma, or
• Arizona private school diploma or completion certificate with administrator verification, or
• Degree from a U.S. Department of Education-accredited college or university.

Must be at least 21 years of age and a United States citizen.
Certifications/Licenses:

• Arizona Class D Driver's License.
• Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) certification. In-state candidates must be AZPOST certified at time of hire. In-state candidates whose certification has expired and out-of-state candidates must be AZPOST certified within three months of hire and must also pass a physical fitness agility assessment.

Safety Sensitive Assignment(s):

• Police Officer.

CONTINUING EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Maintain all certifications/licenses required at job entry and within specified timeframe.

ADA INFORMATION

Type of Work:


Heavy Work: Exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move, lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
Physical Requirements:


The following physical activities are essential to the performance of the job: climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, walking, running, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, talking, hearing, seeing, and repetitive motions.
Work Environment/Conditions:


Inside and outside and operating a vehicle. Environmental conditions include moderate exposure to hazardous materials, extreme temperatures, and disruptive people, imminent danger, or threats. There is infrequent exposure to intense noise.

Supplemental Information
The City reserves the right to consider only the most qualified applicants for the succeeding examination processes. Appointment subject to successful completion of all pre-employment background processes and examinations. Refer to the for additional information.


All communication regarding application status and interview notifications will be sent via email-please monitor your junk/spam email for communication, as it will come from a system-generated source.
When advised, reasonable accommodations will be made in order for a qualified applicant with a disability to participate in any phase of the recruitment process. Please contact Human Resources to request an accommodation.

The City of El Mirage is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The City of El Mirage offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees including:

Holidays
The City provides paid time off to eligible employees on the holidays listed below.

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Presidents' Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veterans' Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Thanksgiving Recess
• Christmas Day

Paid Leave

• Vacation: 80 hours per year (or according to MOU), increases with length of service
• Sick Leave: 96 hours per year (or according to MOU)
• Executive Leave or Service Award Leave Personal Hours: Up to 40 hours per fiscal year (according to policy or MOU)

Health and Wellness

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Telemedicine
• Flexible Spending Plan (Health Care or Dependent Care)
• Wellness program which focuses on early detection, lifestyle modification, and disease management
• Employee Assistance Program: Employees and household members are eligible for 6 free counseling sessions (per presenting issue).

Life Insurance

• Employer Paid Basic Term Life and AD&D Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance Programs

Retirement

• Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) is a mandatory condition of employment for all employees who meet the eligibility and membership criteria defined in statute. Public Safety Retirement System (PSPRS) for sworn Police and Fire employees.
• Deferred Compensation Plans

Supplemental Benefits

• Merit Pay Program (non-MOU employees)
• Step Pay Plan (MOU Fire and Police employees)
• Employee Recognition and Reward Program
• Career Development Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Trip Reduction Program (Police Department Only)
• Uniform Allowance (according to policy or MOU)
• Northwest Valley YMCA membership at reduced rates for El Mirage employees and their families

Additional Information
The City of El Mirage is a member of the Arizona Metropolitan Trust (AzMT), an employee benefits consortium. Additional information is available at:


Benefits are subject to change.


Refer to the Personnel Policy Manual for current policy provisions and/or Memorandum of Understandings for Police and Fire.
01


Please indicate years of full-time experience as a peace officer.

• No experience
• Less than one year
• One to three years
• Four to six years
• Six or more years

02


Have you graduated from a law enforcement academy?

• Yes
• No

03


Which best describes your current standing?

• I am currently AZPOST Certified
• I am currently certified as a police officer in a state other than Arizona
• I am not currently AZPOST Certified but have been previously
• I currently possess an AZPOST Limited Certification
• I am attending an AZPOST approved law enforcement academy and will graduate within six months of application
• I have not ever been certified as a Police Officer

04


If you are an out-of-state applicant, have you been actively working two of the past three years as a full-time, certified peace officer?

• Yes
• No
• N/A

05


Please indicate your highest level of education completed.

• High school diploma/GED
• Some college
• Associate's degree
• Bachelor's degree or higher degree
• None of the above

06


Do you have or are you able to possess a valid Arizona driver license?

• Yes, I currently possess a valid Arizona driver license
• No, but I will be able to obtain a valid Arizona driver license upon hire
• No, I am unable/unwilling to obtain a valid Arizona driver license

07


Please describe what interests you about this position.
08


How did you hear about this position?

• City website
• Governmentjobs.com
• AZLeague.org
• Indeed.com
• Social media
• Referral
• Other

Required Question