Police Officer- Patrol

Job Title: Police Officer - Patrol

Department: Police Department

Reports to: Police Sergeant
Salary: $57,749.02 - $61,283.72/yr DOQ

Benefits Information

The City of Converse offers a competitive compensation and benefit package, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage options for employees and their family
• Paid Holidays (established by City Council)
• Vacation leave accrues from the date of hire
• Sick leave accrues from the date of hire
• Retirement through the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) requires 7% employee contribution with the City of Converse matching 2-to-1 of the employee contribution
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plans
• Voluntary flexible spending account (FSA) for health and dependent care
• Employer-sponsored long-term disability
• Employer-sponsored life insurance for the employee, their spouse, and child(ren)
• Voluntary life insurance for the employee, their spouse, and child(ren)
• Voluntary short-term disability
• Tuition reimbursement
• Certification pay

General Description

The Patrol Officer serves the community by patrolling an assigned district in an effort to prevent crime, enforce all laws, protect lives and property, conduct arrests, respond to calls, conduct preliminary investigations, and encourage a positive community relationship.

Essential Job Duties

The Patrol Officer must be able to perform the following essential job duties, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Know and follow the law, City and Department policies and procedures, and the instructions of my supervisors, and/or those in charge.
• Effectively deal with unpleasant situations, irate or disturbed individuals or victims, or gruesome crime scenes.
• Ability to think quickly, maintain self-control, and adapt quickly and effectively to stressful situations.
• Operate basic police equipment (including but not limited to cameras, recorders, radar, personal computer, and laptop).
• Take command of scenes and restore the peace.
• Respond promptly to the scene of a crime or an accident; respond to radio calls.
• Effectively interview suspects or witnesses.
• Write accurate, detailed reports.
• Monitor, investigate and handle, as appropriate, any suspicious activities or ongoing crimes.
• Coordinate and direct vehicular traffic.
• Visit open businesses such as banks, markets, department stores, service stations, and other establishments to establish rapport with owners.
• Book suspects and evidence and transport prisoners to the appropriate detention facility.
• Respond to questions from citizens and agencies.
• Attend training and other meetings as assigned or required.
• Use good judgment in all decision-making and in carrying out all job duties.
• Meet with Police and other staff members to identify and resolve problems and concerns.
• Be helpful, cooperative and courteous, and demonstrate a good attitude in all dealings with the public, co-workers and others.
• Punctual, regular, on-site attendance is an essential job duty.
• Demonstrate initiative and diligence in the prompt and proper completion of all job duties, whether or not listed in this Job Description.
• Safeguard City property and recognize and report needed repairs.
• Work safely, follow safety rules and training, and maintain a clean, safe and healthful working environment.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to Police and other City business.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Detective Investigator, the Patrol Sergeant, or others in charge.

Education and Basic Requirements:

The Patrol Officer must meet the following minimum requirements.

• United States citizen.
• Must be licensed by and meet all Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) and local ordinance requirements.
• High school graduation or its equivalent.
• Satisfactory results of background and employment screening checks including physical exam, psychological evaluation, and drug screening.
• Have and maintain a clear and valid Texas Class C or higher driver’s license and an acceptable driving record.

Other Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

The Patrol Officer must have significant knowledge, skills and abilities in:

• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor; consistently demonstrate maturity, honesty, and integrity.
• Identify, pursue and arrest suspects of criminal acts.
• Testify in municipal, county and/or federals courts.
• Monitor and enforce traffic laws; direct traffic.
• Effective written and oral communications skills; ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Investigate suspicious situations, crime scenes, and accidents to determine if an offense was committed.
• Maintain chain of custody on property.
• Process and transport prisoners and maintain all booking, property and status records of prisoners.
• Secure crime scenes; identify witnesses and suspects, photograph, fingerprint and obtain statements. Make proper notifications.
• Ability to remember details, organize the sequence of events, and document detailed accounts in writing.
• Learn, understand, and remember information, details, and instructions relating to the job; communicate information about the job to co-workers and others.
• Successfully complete the Department’s Field Training Program.
• Assume responsibility for your actions and for compliance with all City and Department policies and procedures and the instructions of supervisors.
• Consistently demonstrate maturity, honesty, and integrity.
• Ability to function effectively in emergency situations; ability to analyze emergency situations and react quickly, calmly, and correctly to act effectively, giving due regard to hazards and circumstances.
• Ability to respond in-person to emergency events as requested.
• Ability to be punctual and regular in attendance and to work weekends, holidays, rotating shifts and overtime, as required.
• Ability to speak, read and understand the English language and possess good verbal and written skills.
• Establish and maintain effective, cooperative working relationships with co-workers, City employees, officials, and representatives from other local, state and federal agencies and the general public with a courteous, helpful, and friendly demeanor.
• Know or ability to acquire significant working knowledge of department’s coverage area and surrounding areas.
• Know or ability to acquire working knowledge of department-owned equipment; ability to perform inspections and light routine maintenance.
• Ability to understand and follow the department’s City and Department policies and procedures; laws; and written and oral instructions and request clarification when appropriate.
• Ability to prepare and maintain accurate logs, activity reports, and other records.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

In order to successfully achieve the goals of the City, the Patrol Officer must meet the following physical and mental requirements with or without reasonable accommodation. These requirements are representative, but not all inclusive of the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform

this job.

• Must be sufficiently agile to go from an extended seated position to standing or running position with ease.
• Must be able to observe catastrophic events and still perform job duties effectively.
• Must be able to work extended hours, sometimes without breaks.
• Be able to work in extreme weather conditions in assigned required duty attire.
• Vision requirements include good close, distant and peripheral vision, good depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to work effectively under extreme pressure/stress while performing Essential Job Duties.
• The activities and the estimated amounts of time required for each vary from day to day and are shown below. The estimates may not sum to one-hundred (100) percent.
• Sitting - 75%
• Walking - 75%
• Bending - 75%
• Standing - 50%
• Lifting, carrying, or moving objects weighing up to fifty pounds - 10%
• Pushing or pulling heavy objects, including but not limited to persons arrested or detained for crimes or questioning - 10%
• Reaching -50%
• Running - 10%