Police Patrol Officer

Waxahachie, TX
Waxahachie Police Department

Salary: $74,982.00 – $94,876.14 Annually.

Position Summary:

Under general direction of supervising officer, provides fundamental police and law enforcement services for the City of Waxahachie in accordance with State statutes and established departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines. Performs duties in the most ethical, responsive, courteous and professional manner.

Essential Functions:

  • Conducts routine preventive patrol in designated residential and business areas, and initiates contacts with both business operators and residents to establish open communications, gather and dispense information, and establish the presence of law enforcement within the community.
  • Responds to calls for police service and acts upon observing a circumstance or situation requiring police attention, i.e., responding to domestic disputes and disturbances, disputes among neighbors, juveniles, on- going criminal investigations.
  • Interviews and takes statements from witnesses, victims, suspects, arrested persons, and informants to obtain pertinent information concerning accidents/crimes.
  • Provides information to the public, victims, witnesses, and relatives concerning available services in the community.
  • Provides assistance and service to the public, i.e. changing tires, directing traffic, etc.
  • Responds to burglary and fire alarms and robbery in progress calls, and performs initial building searches and protects possible crime scene, apprehends criminals and suspects if necessary.
  • Conducts initial crime scene investigations, i.e., identifies and collects crucial evidence to be secured for processing, labels evidence with data for crime scene reconstruction, packages and stores evidence in a manner to protect chain of custody.
  • Enforces State and local traffic laws to ensure safety, investigates motor vehicle accidents, and protects lives and property at all motor vehicle accident scenes.
  • Identifies and issues municipal citations to violators of misdemeanor offenses.
  • Enforces laws and apprehends misdemeanor and felony violators and fugitives; arrests and transports persons found to have committed a criminal act.
  • Testifies in civil, traffic, and criminal court proceedings, ALR and Evidentiary hearings, parole Board hearings and gives depositions.
  • Performs considerable report and record maintenance duties, i.e., initial investigations, crime reports, felony reports, statements, arrest reports, warrant forms, inventory and search, property receipts and dispositions, misdemeanors.
  • Attends in-service training as directed to maintain current knowledge of changes in laws, new methods of enforcement, and other trends and developments in law enforcement.
  • The ability to operate a city owned vehicle in compliance with state law. Develops and maintains relationships with other City departments.
  • Assists Fire personnel at the scene as directed. Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

  • High school diploma or GED with completion of 12 hours at an institution of higher education with at least a 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
  • At least 21 years of age.
  • Meet all requirement of Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
  • Not be disqualified under the most recent Disqualification Factors.
  • This position is appointed through the Civil Service testing process.
  • Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.
  • A valid State driver’s license is required at the time of appointment and must be maintained throughout employment.
  • Possession of, or ability to obtain and maintain, an appropriate, valid Texas Basic Peace Officer certification.