Police Officer

Salary: $63,532.69 Annually

Position Summary:

The Police Officer position is an operational position that encompasses the day-to-day law enforcement duties of the Police Department. The Police Officer’s primary objective is the protection of life and property of the citizens of the City of Longwood. He/She is responsible for enforcing federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances of the State of Florida and the City of Longwood. The Police Officer’s primary duty shall be the prevention and detection of crimes, offenses and civil infractions at the street level. Once a criminal act, offense or infraction has been committed, the Police Officer initiates an investigation and continues such until directed otherwise by a supervisor or the investigation is completed, and all necessary action has been rendered.

Essential Functions:

• Make arrests, forcibly if necessary, using handcuffs and other restraints, subdue resisting suspects, utilizing maneuvers, weapons, hands, feet and other approved tactics in self-defense.
  
• Prepares investigative and other types of reports, including diagrams and sketches, utilizing appropriate grammar, symbols and mathematical computations.
  
• Exercises independent judgment in determining when reasonable suspicion exists that justifies a detention, when probable cause exists justifying a search and arrest of a person and when reasonable force may be utilized on a person and to what extent such force is justified.
  
• Operates a law enforcement vehicle during both day and night in emergency and non-emergency situations that may involve speeds in excess of the posted speed limits, in congested traffic conditions and in unsafe roadway conditions caused by various factors such as fog, smoke and/or inclement weather.
  
• Communicates effectively, efficiently and coherently over law enforcement radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications and directives and also through various other media with the public, co-workers and supervisors.
  
• Gathers information during criminal and civil investigations by interviewing victims, witnesses, suspects and confidential informants and obtaining oral and written statements from the aforementioned individuals.
  
• Pursues fleeing suspects and performs rescue operations that may involve the Police Officer quickly entering and exiting law enforcement vehicles. Police officers are required to lift, carry and drag heavy objects, climb and negotiate over or through obstacles, jumping onto and from elevated surfaces and using body force to gain entrance/exit through barriers.
  
• Proficiently loads, unloads, aims and fires weapons and firearms (handguns, shotguns, rifles, etc.) from various body positions. Police Officers must be capable of performing the aforementioned under a myriad of stressful conditions that may or may not justify the use of deadly force.
  
• Performs searches of persons, vehicles, buildings and other areas that may involve feeling and detecting various objects. A Police Officer must be capable of walking, standing, kneeling, crawling and ground-fighting for long periods of time to detain and apprehend persons and vehicles.
  
• Conducts visual and audio surveillance for extended periods of time.
  
• Engages in law enforcement patrol functions that include such things as: working rotating shifts, walking a beat on foot patrol, riding a bicycle on patrol, riding a police motorcycle on patrol, operating a police vehicle on patrol and physically checking the doors, windows and perimeters of private residences, business properties and large industrial and commercial complexes to ensure that they are secure and to deter criminal and mischievous activities.
  
• Responds to calls for service; including well being checks on the elderly and on banking establishments.
  
• Communicates effectively with people (adults and juveniles) by giving information and directions, mediating disputes by taking a neutral approach and advising those parties involved of the rights and processes available to them that are applicable to their situation.
  
• Detects and collects evidence and substances that provide the basis for criminal and civil cases and also those substances and evidence that indicate the presence of a dangerous or questionable environment.
  
• Performs rescue efforts at criminal incidents, emergency and disaster incidents and crash scenes to include directing traffic for extended periods of time, rendering emergency medical care (within his/her scope of training), extricating, evacuating, lifting and carrying individuals away from dangerous situations and elements and securing the scene until the appropriate safe operation can be further conducted by those emergency workers with the appropriate equipment.
  
• Sets work priorities and coordinates them to meet specific deadlines in order to ensure an efficient and effective communication and work process with other Police Department members.
• Processes and transports prisoners and mental health patients while utilizing handcuffs and other approved restraints and techniques.
  
• Inspects and searches prisoners with exposure to body fluids, wastes and hazardous materials/devices and he/she will also be exposed to deceased persons.
  
• May be called upon to extinguish fires while utilizing a fire extinguisher and other appropriate means.
  
• Reads and thoroughly comprehends legal and non-legal documents, including the preparation and processing of such documents which may include: traffic citations, city code citations, affidavits and warrants.
  
• Arrests suspects that includes taking the defendant’s photograph and obtaining legible sets of fingerprint impressions.
  
• Investigates suspicious persons believed to be engaged in illegal activities, suspicious circumstances and places where criminal activity may occur.
  
• Develops preventative patrol methods and techniques in order to successfully detect and deter criminal activities.
  
• Keeps the supervisor informed of patrol activities to ensure the proper and effective transfer of information to other members of the Police Department.
  
• Provides courtroom testimony, deposed testimony and administrative testimony regarding the prosecution of both criminal and civil cases and also prepares appropriate paperwork assisting in the goal of a successful prosecution of the case.
  
• Maintains a professional demeanor and conduct during all contacts with the public and other professionals.
  
• May be required to perform any and all of these essential functions without the immediate assistance of other law enforcement officers and may be grossly outnumbered and/or physically undersized by those individuals involved in the situation. Proper training and communication skills will be of great importance and invaluable in the aforementioned types of incidents.
  
• Embraces the Police Department’s philosophy, willingly participates and strives to achieve the goals, objectives, visions and missions of the Police Department.

Requirements:

• Must possess a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• The Police Officer is required to have and maintain a valid Florida driver’s license.
• He/she must be in compliance with the State of Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Basic Law Enforcement Certification Standards.
• Must complete and maintain physical fitness standards as required to perform the job as a Police Officer and as prescribed by the Police Department.
• He/she must have no arrests or uncompleted sanctions within the last two (2) years and no convictions of incidents involving moral turpitude or perjury.
• He/she must not have illegally possessed or illegally used drugs within the last two (2) years.
• The Police Officer must not have more than two (2) moving citation convictions within the last two (2) years.
• He/she must agree to be and maintain tobacco free starting at the date of employment with the Police Department.
• An Associate or Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice, Public Administration or related coursework and previous law enforcement experience are preferred.