Police Officer (Academy Graduate)

$8,419 to $11,416 per month (up to $13,128 with incentives)

The City of Pleasant Hill is currently seeking applicants for Police Officer Academy Graduate. We offer excellent pay, benefits, opportunities for promotion, as well as the opportunity to serve a great community that values the services we provide.

Police Officers can serve in patrol, traffic, investigations, and K-9 assignments. Other collateral opportunities include instructor positions (Firearms and Force Options Team), Regional SWAT, Mobile Field Force, 10851 Task Force, CSI, Regional Major Accident Investigation Team, Driving Team with firearms and force options team, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), FBI Safe Streets Task Force, SET Team, Drone Team, Social Media Team, Community Resource Officer, School Resource Officer, and Field Training Officers. 

Officers work 12-hour shifts as part of a team concept. Shift schedules include 4-10 and 3-12, which may be changed periodically as job assignments may be rotated among patrol, traffic, and criminal investigation.  Night shifts include 5% additional pay. 

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Patrols assigned areas by car, foot, or motorcycle; performs crime suppression and prevention activities; answers special calls; conducts initial and follow-up investigations including burglaries, robberies, death, suicides, theft, felonies and other law violations; answers complaints including domestic disturbances, health code and local ordinance violations; investigates suspicious circumstances.
• Enforces traffic laws; controls and directs traffic when necessary; performs crowd control, special event or riot duties; assists in crime prevention activities and the control of juvenile delinquency; administers first aid in cases of emergency; books prisoners in the City jail and assists in their custody, care and welfare.
• Obtains and processes evidence; takes written statements; prepares required reports and maintains investigative records, serves warrants and subpoenas; testifies in court in connection with prosecution of offenders. Furnishes information and direction to the public.
• Responds to questions, concerns and requests for service from the general public; provides information as appropriate and resolves complaints.
• Establishes positive working relationships with representatives of community organizations, state/local agencies and associations, City management and staff, and the public.
• Participates in training courses and programs.
  

Knowledge of

• Police methods and procedures including patrol, crime prevention, traffic control, investigation and identification techniques.
• Criminal law and criminal procedure with particular reference to the apprehension, arrest, and custody of persons committing misdemeanors and felonies.
• Rules of evidence pertaining to search and seizure.
• Preservation of evidence in traffic and criminal cases.
• Offensive and defensive weapons nomenclature and theory.
• Self-defense tactics.
• Interviewing and interrogation techniques.

Ability to

• Observe accurately and remember faces, numbers, incidents, and places.
• Use and care for firearms.
• Think and act quickly in emergencies, and judge situations and people accurately.
• Learn, understand, and interpret laws and regulations.
• Prepare accurate and grammatically correct written reports.
• Learn standard broadcasting procedures of a police radio system.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Meet the physical requirements established by the Department.
• Meet the requirements for police officer contained in the California State Government Code.

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

• Experience: Previous experience in law enforcement is desirable.
• Education: Academy Graduate: High school diploma and 45 units of college-level course work in addition to graduation from P.O.S.T. basic academy. Candidates with an honorable discharge may be credited with up to 15 semester units for a minimum of 3 years of active duty in the U.S. Armed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard).

Application & Selection Process:  Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.  Apply early as recruitment may close at any time. Initial screening of applicants will be based on quality of experience, education and training. The most qualified applicants, as evidenced by their application, will be invited for an oral board interview, which is weighted 100%.  To be placed on an eligibility list, an applicant must receive a passing score of 70 or more from each panel member.

A thorough background check, as well as a physical, including a drug screen, psychological evaluation, and polygraph exam will be conducted on the top candidates prior to appointment consideration.  Failure to achieve a qualifying score on any portion of the examination process will eliminate a candidate from further consideration.

All applicants must be at least 21 years of age at time of appointment and meet the physical requirements set in the California P.O.S.T. screening manual.

Immigration Reform & Control Act: To comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, all new employees are required to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or authorization to work in the United States on their first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The City of Pleasant Hill is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), requests for special accommodations during any stage of the examination process should be made in advance to the Human Resources Department.

For more information contact Sgt. Ron Priebe, (925) 288-4644, [email protected].