Community Service Officer

THE CITY 
Located in the gateway to the Los Angeles metropolis, the City of Paramount offers secure quality of life to its residents and a business-friendly attitude that has created a growing retail and services sector, with a thriving Downtown.  

Paramount's government is a stable, innovative, and financially conservative organization, and the City has continually invested in its infrastructure and emphasized code enforcement and assistance programs to help residents and businesses upgrade and maintain their properties. For these reasons, the City has a distinctive appearance that appeals to current and potential residents.  

For its employees, Paramount offers a family-friendly organization that places emphasis on lifework balance and flexibility. City leadership highly values the input and impact of each employee. Rather than work from the top-down, Paramount chooses collaboration, fostering a professional, respectful, and fulfilling work environment.  

CITY GOVERNMENT
The City of Paramount is operated by 6 departments: Administrative Services; Planning and Building; Public Safety; Public Works; Community Services, and Finance.  

With an operating budget of $50.4M, City population of 52,000, and covering 4.8 square miles, the City of Paramount is dedicated to providing fiscally responsible services that maintain a vibrant community that is Safe, Healthy, and Attractive! We value respect and ethical behaviors, adaptability, service excellence, and accountability. The City promotes innovation through teamwork, and providing effective, inclusive, and transparent public information and engagement.    

THE POSITION

Under direction, the Community Service Officer will perform technical, non-sworn law enforcement and customer service work; to patrol streets and neighborhoods to identify and enforce parking code violations; to provide traffic and crowd control at various incidents and events. Additionally, the Community Service Officer will provide information and assistance to citizens at the station customer service/reception counter, and assist sworn law enforcement staff as requested with non-emergency tasks and reports; and to perform other related duties as assigned.

Under general supervision, the Community Service Officer will:

• Perform technical, non-sworn law enforcement and customer service work to help address citizen concerns and provide support for sworn law enforcement staff.
• Patrol the city limits looking for parking and code enforcement violations; respond to citizen complaints regarding illegally-parked vehicles; issue citations and tag vehicles for towing in accordance with California vehicle codes; conduct special patrols as requested by citizens to monitor neighborhood safety.
• Perform various office clerical tasks at the police reception desk; receive visitors or callers; take calls and obtain information; receive non-emergency complaints and provide information regarding City code requirements and department policies; receive fines, sign off on correctable citations and release vehicles; issue special permits. 
• Respond to non-emergency calls for assistance from the County Sheriff’s Department; assist sworn staff by gathering information and preparing “no suspect” or other types of routine police reports; assist with traffic control at accidents, street closures, malfunctioning signal lights or other incidents; assist at DUI checkpoints; assist with crowd control at community events.
• Enter, modify, update and retrieve computer data; develop, compile and analyze statistical data; prepare, process, index and file documents required for prosecution and court appearances, as well as any related documents; perform fingerprinting and gather DNA swabs as authorized.
• Attend neighborhood and community meetings; provide guidance and information to residents regarding Neighborhood Watch programs.
• Enroll juveniles in diversion programs as authorized; pull citations and assist parents in completing the enrollment process.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Experience:

Two (2) years of public safety-related work including customer contact.

Training:

High School graduation or equivalent is required.   College coursework in criminal justice, paralegal studies, business administration, public administration, or a related field is desired and may substitute for all or part of the required experience. 

License or Certificate:

• Possession of Valid Class C California Driver License and acceptable driving record.
• Possession of a valid P.C 832 Certificate. 
• Possession of a valid CPR/First Aid Certificate.

Knowledge of:

• Basic principles, practices, terminology and techniques of non-sworn law enforcement, including vehicle code violations.
• Principles and practices of public relations and customer service.
• Laws, regulations, standards and requirements applicable to assigned programs and functions.
• Methods and limitations of non-sworn law enforcement activities in an office or field environment.
• Methods and techniques of researching California codes and City ordinances.
• Record-keeping and report preparation techniques.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Methods of effectively managing time and organizing work.

Skill to:

• Effectively utilize modern office equipment, including personal computers and standard business software such as the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Operate a variety of office equipment including a calculator, copier, fax machine, computer and assigned software.
• Operate a two-way radio using appropriate terminology, codes and language.
• Gather accurate information through interviews and inquiries.
• Safely operate one or more types of vehicles if required by assignments. 
• Adjust to rapidly shifting priorities and timelines. 
• Interact with the public using tact, patience and courtesy.

 Ability to:

• Perform a variety of non-sworn law enforcement duties, including parking enforcement, crowd control, routine patrolling and incident documentation.
• Learn, interpret and explain applicable laws, codes, rules, ordinances and regulations, including various criminal codes, vehicle codes and City ordinances.
• Adjust to rapidly shifting priorities and timelines. 
• Maintain records and prepare reports.
• Maintain required confidentiality of documents and records.
• Determine appropriate action within clearly defined guidelines.
• Meet schedules and timelines.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.

Essential duties require the following physical skills and work environment:

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work is primarily performed in an outdoor setting and requires:  physical ability to travel to different sites; vision to see and conduct self safely around power tools and machinery; hearing and speech to communicate in person and over telephone; frequent bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, pushing and pulling while performing duties; ability to lift, carry, push and pull materials and objects weighing up to 30 pounds.

Environmental Elements

Primary duties require working from heights, below ground or in cramped or restrictive locations; some exposure to general hazards associated with maintenance activities, including chemicals, fumes, gases and odors; may require interaction with upset staff and/or public and private representatives and contractors in interpreting and enforcing departmental and City policies and procedures.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Completed application and resume must be submitted by the filing deadline listed above. Application packets will be screened in relation to the criteria outlined in the job announcement. Possession of the minimum qualifications does not ensure an invitation to the recruitment process. The selection process will include an oral interview and may include other testing processes designed to predict successful job performance.

Candidates must be specific and complete in describing their qualifications for this position. Failure to state all pertinent information may lead to elimination from consideration. Stating "See Resume" is not an acceptable substitute for a completed application.

Communication regarding your application and/or status will be sent to the email address listed on your application. Please check your email regularly throughout the recruitment process as you will not receive communications by any other method.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The City of Paramount is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

If you require reasonable accommodation during the examination components due to a qualified disability, you must inform the Human Resources Division at (562) 220-2155 at least 5 days in advance of testing date.