Police Officer - Academy Enrolled / Academy Graduate / Non-Lateral

Police Officer - Academy Enrolled / Academy Graduate / Non-Lateral

In addition to base salary, employees receive additional specialty pays including : holiday pay, education incentive, uniform pay, and shift differential. Some special assignments, such as K-9, receive additional specialty pays. Interviews for qualified candidates will be scheduled once a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. It is recommended that candidates submit their application as soon as possible. The City of Benicia is recruiting for the position of Police Officer to establish an eligibility list for future vacancies. We seek energetic, enthusiastic, and hard working individuals for our Police Department. The City has 2 separate recruitments for Police Officer : Lateral Candidates & Academy / Non-Lateral Candidates. Please see below for the definition of each. It is the candidate's responsibility to apply for the correct recruitment. If you are not sure which categories applies to you please contact the Human Resources Department at (707) 746-4371. Academy / Non-Lateral Candidates : The City is accepting applications from candidates who are currently enrolled in a recognized police academy or who have graduated from an academy within the last 3 years; or candidates who have previous law enforcement experience but are not currently working as a sworn law enforcement officer, but still have a valid POST certificate. Candidates who meet this criteria will apply through this current recruitment. Lateral Candidates : The City of Benicia is also accepting applications for Lateral Police Officers (sworn police officers currently working for a law enforcement agency in California) can apply through the recruitment entitled Police Officer - Lateral.

The Benicia Police Department is a service-oriented agency whose members take pride in their proactive response to crime, disorder, and quality of life issues. The approach recognizes our community's high expectations for professional police services and has sustained a positive relationship with the community for many years. The Benicia Police Department is staffed with 32 sworn officers, 20 non-sworn employees, and 35 citizen volunteers. The department is led by the Chief of Police and it is organized into two divisions, Operations and Services. A Lieutenant provides general management direction and control for each division. The Operations Division is the most visible division of the department and consists of uniformed patrol, traffic unit, the special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team, canine units, bike patrol and animal control. The Operations Division has the most contact with our community. Of the 32 sworn members of the Benicia Police Department, 26 are in this division and most are uniform patrol officers, the first responders to calls for police service. The Services Division consists of both sworn and non-sworn personnel responsible for investigations, emergency communications center, records, information technology, and police volunteers. The Investigations unit consists of criminal investigations, narcotic investigations and Family and Youth Services Bureau (YSB). Within the YSB there is one Youth Services Officer, one School Resource Officer assigned to Benicia Middle School and one School Resource Officer assigned to Benicia High School. We currently offer 12 hour / 3 day shifts (patrol), 10.5 hour / 4 day shifts (special assignments), and rotating shifts. The City offers competitive pay and benefit packages including educational incentive, shift differential pay, holiday pay, and uniform allowance.

The Benicia Police Department's function is to protect people and property. The department relies on the community as a partner in identifying how the police will deliver their services, how these services will be prioritized, and establishing department goals and objectives. The Benicia Police Department's goal is to concentrate its services through strategic elements, which are the most critical to effective policing within the community. Those elements include : Provide, evaluate, and improve upon all policing services to the community. Focus on training needs of all personnel to ensure the highest quality of service to all citizens. Researching and implementing regional policing concepts such as police training and countywide radio and data interoperability. The members of the Benicia Police Department are committed to being responsive to the community in the delivery of quality service. Recognizing the responsibility to maintain order, while affording dignity and respect to every individual; the objective is to improve the quality of life through a community partnership that promotes a safe, secure community. Under general supervision, to patrol an assigned beat, to protect life and property, to prevent crime, maintenance of order, enforcement of laws and ordinances and constitutional mandates, to do investigation work and detection of crime, to perform public service tasks, while working varying hours and shifts and to do related work as assigned.

The police officer is assigned an area or specific job responsibility to be performed by car, foot or as designed by the Chief of Police.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following :

• Maintains law and order, responds to emergencies as directed by radio, telephone or other type of communication;
• Investigates unusual or suspicious conditions, directs traffic, investigates traffic accidents;
• Administers first aid, gives assistance to the injured;
• Makes arrests, serves subpoenas and warrants, guards prisoners, interviews suspects;
• Notes and reports unsafe conditions, prepares evidence and appears in court to give testimony, searches for stolen property and lost persons;
• Gives information to the public regarding laws, ordinances, traffic safety, directions and available public services;
• Issues citations to traffic violators, writes reports of daily activities and action taken, investigates vice conditions, analyzes facts, clues and evidence and makes investigations to determine law violators and their whereabouts;
• Writes a variety of reports in paper as well as computer form;
• Maintains effective working relationships with other law enforcement agencies, employees and the public;
• Operates radio and other communication equipment;
• Carry and use a firearm and other appropriate defensive and offensive weaponry;
• Protects the life, property, public order and constitutional rights of all citizens. Adheres to the California Peace Officers Standards and Training, police code of ethics;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Ability to :

Knowledge of :

Education and Experience : Any combination of experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge and ability would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and ability would be :

Education : Equivalent to graduation from high school. Enrollment in, or graduated from, a recognized police academy.

Experience : Although no law enforcement experience is required, successful completion of a P.O.S.T. Basic Academy is highly desirable.

Special Requirements :