Hiring Lateral and Entry Level Police Officers

CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

POLICE OFFICER – LATERAL OR ENTRY LEVEL

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Position: The City is seeking qualified individuals who are interested in becoming Police 

Officers to join our law enforcement team. Located in the northwestern corner of Clackamas County, 

on the banks of the scenic Willamette River and hugging the shore of a 405-acre lake, Lake Oswego 

is a community rich with art, culture, historic resources, quality schools, vibrant business 

districts, and an abundance of activities and events for all ages.

Working out of the newly constructed Police and City Hall facility in downtown Lake Oswego, the 

Department has a number of resources to provide exceptional levels of service while offering a 

number of opportunities to Police Officers such as Detectives, Motorcycle Officers, School Resource 

Officers, K9 Officers, Adult Resource Officer, and the Training Unit. Additionally, the Department 

has its own 911 dispatch center (LOCOM), on site Behavioral Health Specialist, Peer Support Team, 

Chaplain, and fitness facility. Non-sworn Community Service Officers, Evidence, Records and 

Administrative personnel round out the valuable support for the Department and community.

The Department has a philosophy of community-oriented policing and empowering officers to deal with 

problems proactively. Respect, Excellence, Trust, and Service guide our values-driven organization 

in our mission to cultivate an exceptional quality of life for everyone in our community. This 

dedication to service and collaborative City approach has garnered tremendous community and elected 

official support for our team and earned our department a 92% overall satisfaction rating (2023).

As part of their duties, Lake Oswego Police Officers can expect to get to know members of the 

business community and neighborhood residents; patrol assigned areas on foot or in the car; conduct 

routine and detailed investigations into criminal and civil matters; enforce state and local 

traffic laws; and demonstrate a service orientation with an understanding of community-oriented 

policing.

This is a uniformed, police position responsible for general police duties and the enforcement of 

laws and ordinances. An employee in this class is under the direct supervision of a shift sergeant 

and performs law enforcement activities which include, but are not limited to, the protection of 

life and property; conducts routine and detailed investigations into criminal and civil matters; 

locates and preserves physical evidence; enforces city and state traffic laws, and issues verbal 

and written warnings; performs special investigative and undercover assignments when required; 

writes reports and other documents; makes court appearances and gives testimony; may be assigned to 

the detective, traffic, crime prevention, or other related units; and may be given assignments as 

required by the chief of police. Incumbents in this class report to a higher professional police 

classification, such as sergeant, lieutenant, captain or chief of police. This position is 

represented by the Lake Oswego Police Officers Association (LOPOA).

CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

POLICE OFFICER – LATERAL OR ENTRY LEVEL

POLICE DEPARTMENT

To qualify, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, have no felony conviction, be at least 21 years of 

age, have as a minimum a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent, vision correctable to 20/20, a 

valid driver’s license, and the ability to successfully complete a thorough background 

investigation and post- offer psychological and medical examination, including pre-employment drug 

screen. This position is subject to mandatory participation in electronic funds transfer (EFT) for 

payment of net wages (i.e., Direct Deposit or PayCard).

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

BENFITS AVAILABLE:

• Medical Insurance choice between traditional indemnity plan or health maintenance organization 

(HMO)

⮚ Aetna full family medical and dental coverage $120/mo (current cost)

⮚ Kaiser Permanente full family medical and dental coverage $92/mo (current cost)

• Sick Leave Upon Hire: New and lateral hires scheduled to work a forty (40) hour workweek will 

receive the equivalent of six (6) months (48 hours) of sick leave upon hire rather than accruing 

sick leave on a monthly basis. Upon completion of the six (6) months, they will accrue sick leave 

monthly as described in Article 26.1 of the LOPOA labor agreement.

• Education Reimbursement Program INCENTIVE PAY AVAILABLE:

• Education and certifications at the completion of field training and DPSST basic or career 

officer development Academy

⮚ 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate

⮚ 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate

⮚ 10% for a four-year degree or DPSST Advanced Certificate

⮚ 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate

⮚ 15% for an advanced college degree (Master’s or Doctorate Degree)

• Employees who are determined by the City to be fluent in additional languages shall receive an 

additional 5% of their base pay.

• Shift Differential - Employees regularly assigned to work graveyard shift shall receive an 

additional 5% of their base pay for all hours worked in their graveyard shift.

• Premium pay assignments - Motor Officers, Training Officers, K-9 Officers, School Resource 

Officers, Adult Resource Officers, Transit officers, and Detectives shall receive an additional 5% 

of their base pay while so assigned. Those assigned to ancillary duty assignments such as Mobile 

Field Force, Crisis Negotiation, or SWAT shall receive an additional 5% of their base salary when 

working in that capacity.

• Longevity pay for more than six (6), nine (9) and twelve (12) consecutive years of service with 

the Lake Oswego Police Department.

LATERAL POLICE OFFICERS

In recognition of their previous work experience, qualified lateral police officers are eligible 

for the following additional benefits and incentives:

Education and certification pay:

• Qualified lateral police officers will receive additional pay for college course work and/or 

DPSST Certification at the time of hire as described below.

⮚ 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate

⮚ 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate

⮚ 10% for a four-year degree or DPSST Advanced Certificate

⮚ 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate

⮚ 15% for an advanced college degree (Master’s or Doctorate Degree) Language premium:

• Employees who are determined by the City to be fluent in additional languages shall receive an 

additional 5% of their base pay.

Vacation:

• Qualified lateral police officers will be eligible to receive up to sixty (60) hours of banked 

vacation time.

• Qualified lateral police officers may be considered for accelerated vacation accrual rates based 

on their time as a sworn police officer.

Longevity Pay:

• Qualified lateral employees will be eligible for longevity pay as described in Article 8.5 of 

the LOPOA CBA, commensurate with their years of relevant experience in the related field.

• Qualified lateral employees will receive 3% longevity pay if they have more than six (6) years 

relevant experience, 4% for more than nine (9) years relevant experience, and 5% for more than 

twelve (12) years relevant experience. .

• Qualified lateral employees will receive the longevity incentive pay upon hire as described in 

LOPOA CBA Article 9.3

To Qualify as a lateral employee, the candidate must:

⮚ Currently be employed in the equivalent position applied for or hold current certification for 

the position applied for;

⮚ Currently possess any certifications as required by the Oregon Department of Public Safety 

Standards and Training (DPSST);

⮚ Have completed a field training and evaluation program where required;

⮚ Have three (3) or more years of experience in the position applied for; and

⮚ Be in good standing with a State of Oregon Law Enforcement Agency RETIREMENT:

• Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Member contributions are paid on your behalf by 

the City.

⮚ Tier 1 & 2 PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 29.54% 6% pick up

⮚ OPSRP Police and Fire PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 27.34% 6% pick up

• City maintains a 457 deferred compensation plan and contributes 2.5% of base salary into the 

employee deferred compensation account

For more detailed information on medical plans, benefits, incentives, and premiums, please review 

the Benefits tab on the job posting, or the full Lake Oswego Police Officers’ Association Labor 

Agreement: LOPOA

Entry Level and Lateral

Applications must be submitted to https://agency.governmentjobs.com/lakeoswego/default.cfm 

Incomplete applications will not be accepted and resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a 

completed job application. The City application must be submitted to by: 5:00 p.m., April 27, 2025

Pre-Employment Profile:

In order to be considered for employment with the Lake Oswego Police Department, you must complete 

and attach the supplemental questionnaire form called "Sworn Pre- Employment Profile."

You will find the Pre-Employment Profile form at the link below. Please complete the

questionnaire and then attach the document to your on-line application. Any ‘Yes’ answers in the 

Pre-Employment Profile document must have an explanation. Those explanations may be attached on a 

supplemental page in either a WORD or PDF document. You must complete this step before you certify 

and submit your application.

Link to the Sworn Pre-Employment Profile: http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/hr/recruitment- 

support-documents

If you have questions regarding this step of the process, please feel free to contact Human 

Resources at 503-534-4244 or jobs@ci.oswego.or.us.

Entry Level Only (those without a current police office certification)

Preferred NTN Frontline exams: