Lateral Police Officer

Police Officer

The City of Mount Vernon has an exciting opportunity for experienced police officers who have a passion for community service and are looking for a new opportunity to serve the City of Mount Vernon.

Our mission is to consistently seek and find ways to affirmatively promote, preserve, and deliver a feeling of security, safety, and productive, quality services to citizens and visitors in our community.

Examples of work performed include patrolling a designated area of the city in a police patrol vehicle and/or on foot to deter and discover crime; enforcing traffic and parking ordinances; operating a radar unit to discover speed violations; routinely checking vehicle identification against current list of stolen vehicles and identification of violator drivers against list of outstanding warrants. Additionally, officers provide traffic control assistance as necessary, issue citations to violators of city ordinances, serve warrants of arrest, arrest persons on misdemeanor and felony charges, and complete necessary reports concerning the alleged crime, circumstances of arrest and available evidence and witnesses.

Required knowledge and abilities include knowledge of federal and state laws and established principles, practices, policies and procedures of police work, modern police methods and procedures, laws of arrest, search and seizure, principles of crime and accident investigation, basic techniques for crime prevention and criminal investigations, identification and preservation of evidence, organization and planning, geography and street locations. Skills include the use and care of a variety of firearms, investigative techniques and procedures, maintaining self-discipline and credibility through honest and ethical behavior, adapting to shift work, analyzing situations quickly and objectively, recognizing actual and potential dangers, and determining a proper course of action, writing clear incident reports, organizing details logically, reading, understanding, and interpreting laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations, learning applicable city ordinances, coping with situations firmly, tactfully, and with respect for individual rights, speaking well and expressing oneself clearly, communicating effectively with a diverse population, including those with social and behavioral problems, establishing and maintaining effective relations with fellow employees and with citizens from all racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds, performing strenuous physical tasks, observing and remembering details.

Qualifications include minimum of 21 years of age, high school diploma or GED, minimum of 90 quarter hours (60 semester) at an accredited college or university, U.S. citizen, valid Washington state driver's license, ability to successfully pass oral civil service examination, physical fitness examination, background investigation, polygraph examination, psychological examination, medical examination, and must have been employed as a full-time law enforcement officer with a civilian law enforcement agency within the last twenty-four (24) months. That employment must have lasted a minimum of one year. Applicants shall have successfully completed probation and possess current basic certification upon application from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC), which can be obtained by successfully completing the WSCJTC Basic Law Enforcement Academy. Out of state candidates who have been previously certified in another state, must pass the WSCJTC equivalency examination. If not currently employed must successfully complete the Public Safety Testing Physical Ability Test.

To apply, please visit Include with your application a cover letter that addresses why you are interested in joining the Mount Vernon Police Department, why you want to serve the Mount Vernon community, and why this career move is right for you. Also include a resume, unofficial transcripts from each accredited college or university you have attended including explanation of credit hour conversion, supplemental questions, and the lateral police officer supplemental questionnaire.