Police Officer - Lateral

Police Officer Opportunity

The City of Santa Maria is offering a Police Officer opportunity with continuous closing dates and TBD for interview and second interview dates. Desired start date is also TBD. Lateral incentives are available for qualified candidates who are currently employed as a sworn Peace Officer, have completed a Field Training Program, and possess a Basic POST Certificate. Incentives include a $20,000 hiring incentive, relocation assistance, credit for service with most recent POST recognized agency, PERS retirement benefits, and more. The City of Santa Maria is located on the central coast of Santa Barbara County with a population of over 100,000. This growing department currently has 180 sworn and non-sworn personnel. Join our hard working and innovative team!

The Police Officer position provides safety, security, trust, and comfort to Santa Maria residents. Their role enables the enforcement of laws and promotion of safety so that the Santa Maria community is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

Duties include law enforcement and crime prevention work, controlling traffic flow and enforcing state and local traffic laws, performing security patrols, first aid, detection, investigations, and arrests of persons involved in crimes or misconduct, and more. The position requires good physical condition, safe use of firearms and other weapons, and handling of difficult and emergency situations without assistance.

Qualifications include ideally one year of recent law enforcement experience, preferably in California, graduation from high school, and an equivalent combination of education and experience. Conditions of employment include a valid driver license, satisfactory driving record, completion of a background investigation, and meeting the physical requirements of the job class.

The selection process requires submitting a completed electronic application packet, including the online application, supplemental questions, and a current / valid California POST Basic Certificate or Certificate of Completion of the California POST Basic Course Waiver Process. Technical assistance is available for attaching documents to the application. Complete information for each employment during the past 10 years must be provided. The most qualified candidates will be selected for an oral interview.