Police Reserve I

Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto Police Department
Salary: $56,139.20

Occupational Category: Law Enforcement

Description

Level I Reserve Officers are held to the same standards as full-time regular officers. They may work alone and perform the same duties. Level I Reserve Officers must work an average of 16 hours per month.

Position Overview: 
To preserve public peace, protect life and property, prevent crime, enforce all laws and ordinances of which the Department takes cognizance; to be involved in community relations and specialized work.

Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 21 years of age.
  • GED or High School Diploma.
  • Possession of a valid California Driver's License at time of application.
  • Pre-employment: ability to pass drug and alcohol test; candidates must not have been convicted by any state or by the federal government of a crime, the punishment for which could have been imprisonment in a federal penitentiary or a state prison.
  • Weight in proportion to height.
  • Visual rating correctable to 20/30 in both eyes; Possess normal color vision.
  • If military veteran, discharges other than honorable will be evaluated on an individual basis.
  • Satisfactory results on appropriate written, medical, background, polygraph, and psychiatric examinations.
  • Citizenship: must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien or have applied for citizenship and complete within three years of appointment.
  • Passing a WSTB Physical Agility Test with a score of 384 or above and a 14 minute maximum time for the 1.5 mile run.
  • Completion of a California POST Basic Academy or a California POST Level I Reserve Academy (Modular I-III format) within 2.5 years of application date. Current police officers also qualify if they have a California POST Basic Certificate or higher. Requalification certificates received within 2.5 years of application date may also be considered.
  • Some testing and training requirements may be waived for lateral Peace Officers recognized by P.O.S.T.

MINIMUM TRAINING QUALIFICATIONS:

Level I

  1. Regular Basic Course (min. 727 hours)
  2. Field Training Program (min. 400 hours)
  3. Continuous Professional Training (24 hours every two years)

Ideal Candidate:

Note: positions listed as "Open Until Filled" may be closed without notice

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION. YOUR ONLINE INFORMATION (NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE AND E-MAIL) PLUS THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE IS THE FIRST STEP IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS. YOUR INFORMATION WILL BE REVIEWED, AND QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WILL BE MAILED A FULL APPLICATION PACKET. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE CITY OF PALO ALTO POLICE DEPARTMENT

Thank you for your interest in a position with the City of Palo Alto Police Department. You will need to read and agree to a number of conditions before applying for this position.

Many times applicants do not understand or realize the amount of time and level of commitment required to successfully complete the Reserve Police Officer process. The information given is to better help you determine your career path for the future.

It is strongly suggested that you come to Palo Alto and take the time to find out about the City, it's priorities regarding public safety and the type of Police culture you are choosing. Competition is high and each candidate must be prepared and at their best in each level of the process in order to proceed to the next step.

Listed below are the steps following acceptance of your completed Police Department application for the position of Reserve Police Officer. You must pass each step in order to proceed to the next step in the process:

  1. POST PHS Review
  2. Written Skills Examination
  3. Oral Panel Interview
  4. Thorough, detailed background examination will be conducted, which includes an extensive review of financial records and any criminal activity up to and including high school years.
  5. Polygraph testing.
  6. Psychological testing
  7. Medical Examination (POST MHS and Exam)
  8. The process is intense and lengthy and knowing this up front can be helpful in reaching your decision to begin the process.

 Specific Disqualifiers

The City and Police Department have a very strong commitment to equal employment opportunity and prohibitions against unfair employment practices under Title VII (41 U.S. Code 2000e), the Americans With Disabilities Act (42 U.S. Code 12112), the State Unruh Civil Rights Act (Government Code Section 12940) and other applicable fair employment practices as outlined in the California Labor Code.

The dilemma facing the Department is one of developing a job-valid and nondiscriminatory set of policies, which will allow it to lawfully exclude persons who do not meet the City's or State's hiring standards. The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commissions of California and Nevada (P.O.S.T.) have developed a list of guidelines, identified as "15 Job Dimensions", which are used as a professional standard in background investigations. Individual agencies have set their own standards (within applicable law) to interpret these guidelines.

Supplemental Questionnaire:

The standards on the following pages have been adopted by the Palo Alto Police Department as a prima facie disqualification for reserve police officer applicants. You must read and agree to ALL the conditions presented to apply for this position.