POLICE OFFICER Entry Level

Job Summary

Performs general duty police work in the protection of life and property through the enforcement of laws and ordinances;
and does related work as required.

Essential Job Functions

Enforces the law and ordinances of the City and State and all other pertinent laws;
Patrols an assigned area during a specific period and/or responds to calls for service;
Checks doors and windows and examines premises of unoccupied buildings or residences in order to detect any
suspicious conditions;
Investigates suspicious conditions and complaints and makes arrests of persons who violate laws and ordinances;
Accompanies prisoners to headquarters, jail or court and appears and testifies in court as required;
Maintains surveillance and contact with known criminals and their associates;
Directs traffic and enforces traffic laws;
Checks automobile parking in restricted areas and issues citations when appropriate;
Works at desk, answering telephone, dispatching patrol cars, operating radio transmitter, maintaining records, preparing
reports and performing other clerical and administrative duties;
Prepares and gives lectures to school, civic and other groups;
Responds to calls for service involving fires or accidents as directed, gives all possible assistance and prepares necessary
reports;
Maintains order in crowds and attends parades, funerals or other public gatherings and quells rioters or other unruly
disturbances;
Escorts funerals, parades and other public processions;
Watches for stolen cars and wanted or missing persons;
Makes investigations and enforces City and State laws pertaining to juvenile offenders;
Answers criminal complaints and takes necessary corrective action;
Gives advice on laws, ordinances and general information to the public;
Provides emergency first aid as required;
May be assigned to undercover or plainclothes investigative tasks;
Serves as crime laboratory officer, collecting and evaluating evidence, taking and processing photographs, lifting latent
prints, DNA etc.;
Serves as drug custody coordinator;
Interviews applicants for positions and conducts additional interviews of references and others familiar with applicants’
background;
Classifies police incident reports in accordance with uniform crime code;
Operates motorcycle, radio patrol car, patrol wagon or police copter as required;
Writes reports and testifies in court as required;
Acts for Corporal or Sergeant in their absence as required; and
Performs other related job duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience
High School Diploma or an acceptable equivalency diploma (GED) and preferably possession of an associate degree in a
job-related field; with no experience required.

Special Qualifications:
Possession of certificate of satisfactory completion from the Maryland Police Training Commission.
Radar Certification.
Intoximeter Certification (as needed) .
Firearms Certification.
NCIC Training.
Taser Certification.
First Responder Certified (First Aid/CPR).
Possession of a valid Driver’s License.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of Federal, State and City laws;
Knowledge of the City boundaries, geography and streets;
Skill in the use of firearms;
Skill using sound judgment, tact and courtesy;
Ability to understand and carry out complex oral and written instructions;
Ability to drive an automobile or a motorcycle;
Ability to use good powers of observation and memory;
Ability to operate small office equipment, including copy machines or multi-line telephone systems;
Ability to operate computers for data entry, word processing and/or recordkeeping purposes;
Ability to operate highly technical computer applications, such as GIS or Computer Aided Dispatch;
Ability to operate small/light equipment;
Ability to operate small and medium equipment and machinery, such as vehicles

Employment Conditions

The work is medium work which requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force
frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are
required:

Balancing ability: sufficient to maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching on
narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary
locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
Climbing ability: sufficient to ascend or descend ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and
legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.
Crawling ability: sufficient to move about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
Crouching ability: sufficient to bend the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
Feeling ability: sufficient to perceive attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching
with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
Dexterity ability: sufficient to pick, pinch, grasp, type, or otherwise work, primarily with fingers and palm rather than
with the whole hand as in handling.
Handling ability: sufficient to pick, hold, or otherwise work, primarily with the whole hand.
Hearing ability: sufficient to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability
to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
Kneeling ability: sufficient to bend legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.

Lifting ability: sufficient to raise objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-
to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

Mental Acuity: sufficient to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
Pulling ability: sufficient to use upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained
motion.
Pushing ability: sufficient to use upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust
forward, downward or outward.
Reaching ability: sufficient to extend hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
Speaking ability: sufficient to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey
detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
Standing ability: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
Stooping ability: sufficient to bend body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a
considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
Visual ability: sufficient to operate a police vehicle both day and night, to observe criminal actions taking place, to
observe traffic violations taking place, to read and write reports, correspondence, etc.
Walking ability: sufficient to move about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one
work site to another.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is performed in a physically threatening environment that requires the employee to make life and death decisions for
themselves and others.