Police Officer I
Salary: $49,738.00 – $74,607.00 Annually
Closing Date: 2/28/2025
Position Summary:
An employee in this class performs a full range of law enforcement duties as a patrol officer, detective, school resource officer, traffic officer, canine officer, or other assignment of the city’s police department. Work includes routine patrol, traffic accident investigations, criminal investigation, processing crime scenes, collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, victim and suspects, police vehicle maintenance, serving criminal papers, traffic law enforcement, responding to domestic disputes, developing, and maintaining of rapport with citizens, students, teachers, parents, and community leaders. This employee must have the ability to develop a positive public image. Tact and firmness, sound judgment, and a positive attitude are required. Employees are subject to the usual hazards of law enforcement work including the potential for physical harm. Work is performed under the immediate supervision of a Police Sergeant or other senior law enforcement officer and is evaluated for effectiveness, visibility, compliance with standards, public support, and attainment of performance objectives.
Essential Functions:
- Participates in patrol functions such as responding to calls for service; enforce criminal and traffic laws; secure warrants and make arrests; serve criminal papers; locates people under indictment; serves warrants, orders for arrest, and criminal summons; perform or assist with traffic control; Assists victims of and witnesses to crimes.
- Investigates misdemeanors and felonies by gathering information, processing crime scenes, and interviewing victims, witnesses, and suspects; follows up on leads for additional information; gather, collect, analyze, and process evidence to comply with chain of custody procedures; Assist in the prosecution of offenders by providing reports, evidence, and testimony.
- Completes all reports, records and files as may be needed to meet all departmental requirements and assignments.
- Performs surveillance; obtains search warrants; responds to requests for additional police assistance.
- Maintains readiness of assigned police vehicle with fuel and air pressure; make sure vehicle is properly serviced.
- Depending on assignment, may patrol high and low crime areas; checks security of buildings and residences; attempt to resolve conflict by recommending solutions; Investigates traffic accidents; uses measurement devices and eyewitness accounts to determine violators; assists motorists in filling out or exchanging insurance information; Observes and follows people violating traffic laws, vehicle registrations and inspections laws, and other traffic offenses; enforces speed limits.
- Depending on assignment, may investigate criminal acts such as homicides, sexual assaults, armed robberies, home invasions, larcenies, burglaries/breaking or entering, and other misdemeanors and felonies; prepares sketches and diagrams of crime scenes; processes crime scenes; collects evidence at crime scenes such as fingerprints, clothing, footprints, bullets and spent casings, hair, blood, and DNA samples, and other evidence; ensures evidence is collected, documented, and stored based on defined protocols; Sends specimens to laboratory to obtain DNA; may attend autopsies and make notes; Exchanges information and coordinates activities with other departments and other law enforcement agencies
- Depending on assignment, may patrol an assigned school, maintaining a highly visible presence before during or after school hours, as well as during school-sponsored events in an effort to deter crime and disturbances; serve as a liaison between school, students, families and community agencies to find and facilitate the use of resources to meet physical, social and emotional needs of students; attend school staff meetings when necessary, providing input as appropriate based on expertise and observations; Confers with school officials, guidance counselors, teachers, support staff, etc., as appropriate, to develop and maintain knowledge of school activities or to make early identification of delinquent behavior; Coordinates security needs and assigns officers to work all after school and sports activities; Refers violations of school rules to appropriate authorities, but is not responsible for the enforcement of school rules; Coordinates and assists with parking needs for school-related activities.
- Performs related work as required.
Requirements:
- Graduation from high school or GED equivalency; preference may be given to individuals possessing a college degree in criminal justice, criminology, or related field.
- Valid North Carolina Driver’s License
- Basic Law Enforcement Certificate (BLET) awarded by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission (required to be continuously employed.
- Ability to obtain and maintain DCI Module 1 Certification within (1) year of employment.