General Statement of Duties

Performs a variety of law enforcement and educational work to protect life and property in the City.

Distinguishing Features of the Class

An employee in this class independently performs a full range of law enforcement duties in the areas of community policing, school resources, traffic, investigation, and patrol duties. Work includes patrolling a geographical area or specific location within the City during a shift in a police car or on foot, preventing, detecting and investigating disturbances and crime, investigating traffic accidents, helping victims, and performing traffic control work, apprehending suspects, testifying in court, and executing related assignments. Employees must exercise judgment, initiative, and control when performing duties. Work involves frequent public contact which requires tact, firmness, and decisiveness. The public contact functions include development of rapport with citizens and community leaders. Work is performed in accordance with departmental policy and state and federal law, supplemented with specific directions from superior officers. Work is often performed under stressful emergency conditions and frequently involves personal hazards. The employees are subject to hazards associated with law enforcement including working in both inside and outside environments, in extreme cold weather, and exposure to various hazards such as exposure to atmospheric conditions, noise, vibrations, and physical conditions. Employees are subject to Level III OSHA Standards on bloodborne pathogens. Work is performed under the direct supervision of the Police Sergeant on the assigned shift and is evaluated through observation, review of reports, and discussions concerning how particular incidents or activities were handled.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Tasks

• Independently patrols streets within a geographical region or specific site in a police car or on foot, develops and maintains working rapport with citizens and community leaders, checks doors and windows, examines premises of unoccupied residences or buildings, detects unusual conditions, maintains surveillance and observation for stolen cars, missing persons or suspects, and reports dangerous or defective streets, sidewalks, traffic lights, or other hazardous conditions.
• Responds independently to calls for assistance, complaints, suspicious activity, domestic disputes, loud and disruptive behavior, and other needs, and completes calls by determining true nature of the situation and taking appropriate actions as needed.
• Investigates traffic accidents, issues traffic citations, directs traffic, and participates in other emergency operation activities.
• Performs investigations of accidents and possible crimes through observation, questioning witnesses and others in the community, gather physical evidence, and arrest and processes criminal suspects.
• Advises the public on laws and local ordinances and serves legal papers as needed.
• Regulates and directs vehicular traffic at busy times or when traffic signal malfunction or accidents require and maintains order at public gatherings.
• Operates a radio to receive instructions and information from or to report information to police headquarters.
• Prepares records and reports on activities.
• Follows all applicable safety rules and regulations.

Additional Job Duties

• May coordinate and participate in community meetings, formulating ways that the police department may meet the needs of the community.
• May perform duties of a canine officer.
• May serve in a leadership capacity in the absence of Police Sergeant
• Performs related duties as required.

Recruitment and Selection Guidelines