Police Officer (Lateral/Academy Graduate)

Police Officer

Under general supervision of a Police Sergeant, performs a variety of duties related to the protection of public health, safety, and welfare and the enforcement of applicable federal, state, and local laws; provides traffic enforcement and control; carries out special assignments as necessary; and performs related work as required.

The Police Officer is the working level class with enforcement powers requiring sworn peace officer status. This classification is distinguished from the Senior Police Officer in that the latter is responsible for performing training, supervisory, and other increasingly responsible duties, which require a higher level of skill and experience in the position.

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

1. Patrols assigned areas of the city including streets, parks, commercial, and residential areas to preserve the peace and enforce the law; controls vehicular traffic; prevents or detects and investigates misconduct involving misdemeanors, felonies and other law violations and to otherwise serve and protect; carries out duties in conformance with Federal, State, County and City laws and ordinances.
2. Responds to emergency radio calls and investigates accidents, robberies, civil disturbances, domestic disputes, fights, drunkenness, missing children, prowlers, abuse of drugs, etc.; takes appropriate law enforcement action.
3. Investigates and renders assistance at scene of vehicular accidents; summons ambulances and other law enforcement vehicles; takes measurements and draws diagrams of scene.
4. Conducts follow-up investigations of crimes committed during assigned shift; seeks out and questions victim, witnesses and suspects; develops leads and tips; searches scene of crimes for clues; analyzes and evaluates evidence and arrests offenders; prepares cases for giving testimony and testifies in court proceedings.
5. Participates in investigating criminal law violations occurring within the city limits, obtaining evidence and compiling information regarding these crimes, preparing cases for filing of charges, testifying in court, and related activities.
6. Investigates all crimes involving property, violence, narcotics, burglary, grand theft, automobiles, stolen or counterfeit checks or credit cards, felony identity and forgery crimes, embezzlements, and any fraud resulting in economic loss; conducts initial crime investigations, interviews victims, witnesses and persons suspected of committing criminal acts; arrests violators as necessary.
7. Prepares a variety of reports, including reports of investigation, field interview reports, arrest reports and related paperwork.
8. Works on rotating shifts performing security patrols, traffic control, investigation and first aid at accidents, detection, investigation and arrest of persons involved in crimes or misconduct; uses own judgment in deciding course of action being expected to handle difficult and emergency situations without assistance.
9. Maintains normal availability by radio or telephone for consultation on major emergencies or precedent.
10. Undertakes community-oriented police work, crime prevention, drug abuse resistance education (DARE), tobacco stings, traffic safety, etc.
11. Conducts patrol activities including directing traffic, investigation of reported or observed violations of law, and conducting patrol activities.
12. Coordinates activities with other officers or other city departments as needed; exchanges information with officers in other law enforcement agencies, regarding cases, policies, and procedures, as needed and assigned.
13. Maintains contact with police supervisory personnel to coordinate investigation activities; provides mutual assistance during emergency situations and provides general information about department activities.
14. Responds to questions, concerns, and requests for service from the general public; answers questions from the public concerning local and state laws, procedures, and activities of the department; provides information as appropriate and resolves complaints.
15. Performs related duties as assigned.

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:

• Operations and standard operating procedures of a Police Department.
• Modern law enforcement principles, procedures, techniques, and equipment.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, ordinances, and department rules and regulations which are interpreted, applied and enforced in daily work assignments.
• General characteristics of the city, including its geography, layout, major community organizations and emergency response resources/agencies.
• Care, maintenance, and operation of firearms and other modern police equipment.
• Principles and practices of data collection and analysis.
• Methods and techniques of report preparation and writing.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Principles and practices used in the identification, preservation, and presentation of evidence.
• Techniques and applications of self-defense and proper use of force.
• Methods and techniques used in interviewing witnesses, victims, or suspects.
• Investigative techniques, procedures, and sources of information.
• Principles and applications of public relations.
• Standard broadcasting procedures of a police radio system.
• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Occupational hazards and standard safety practices.

Ability to:

• Use of a variety of law enforcement equipment to include driving a police car and operating a police radio, radar gun, hand gun, breathalyzer, first aid equipment, handcuffs, etc.
• Perform law enforcement work to preserve public peace, to protect lives, property and rights of the public, and to enforce statutory law and municipal ordinances.
• Understand, apply, interpret, and enforce applicable federal, state, and local policies, laws, regulations, and ordinances.
• Respond to requests for assistance and/or emergency situations.
• Provide a law enforcement presence throughout the community.
• Function with a significant degree of independence.
• Gather, analyze, and evaluate facts and evidence and reach sound conclusions.
• Act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.
• Judge situations/people accurately.
• Think clearly and act quickly in a variety of situations.
• Conduct a variety of criminal and special investigations.
• Gather, assemble, analyze, evaluate, and use facts and evidence.
• Interview victims, complainants, witnesses, and suspects.
• Accurately observe and remember names, faces, numbers, incidents, and places.
• Maintain contact and preserve good relations with the public; respond to requests and inquiries from the general public.
• Perform work requiring good physical condition including ability to meet department's physical standards, as determined by required medical examination including normal/corrected vision, hearing and have normal color perception.
• Prepare required documentation of shift activities, incident reports, evidence records, crime scene information, etc.
• Work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, holidays, and varied shifts.
• Exercise sound judgment in evaluating situations and in making decisions.
• Understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Apply principles of rational systems.
• Interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.
• Exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.
• Exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.
• Operate office equipment including computers and supporting word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education/Training Requirements:

• Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade.
• Successful completion of an approved law enforcement academy, such as Police Officers Standards and Training (POST).

License or Certificate:

• Possession of a valid California driver's license and satisfactory driving record.

Other Requirements:

• Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of employment.
• Must not have any felony convictions and disqualifying criminal histories.

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential job functions.

Tasks may risk exposure to violence, traffic hazards, temperature and noise extremes, and noise.

Tasks involve the regular and, at times, sustained performance of moderately physically demanding work, typically involving some combination of climbing and balancing,