Police Academy Recruit

This is entry level law enforcement work for the purpose of training to become a Police Officer.  The primary function of an employee in this classification is to successfully complete the Florida Criminal Justice Academy Police Officer program and the Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission Police Officer State Certification Exam.  Upon successful completion of the Police Academy/Criminal Justice Academy and the State Certification Exam, this employee will be promoted to the position of Police Officer with the Lakeland Police Department.  Performance is reviewed through class work, exams, attendance, participation and observations by superiors.

• Obtain Criminal Justice Standards and pass State Certification Examination.
• Develop knowledge and proficiency in the interpretation of Federal, State and Local laws and ordinances and Police Department policies and regulations.
• Develop skill and proficiency in the use and care of firearms and all other equipment used to perform the duties of a law enforcement officer.
• Attend work on a continuous and regular basis.

 
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Performs related work as required
• Position may be designated as Mission Critical by Department Director.

• Must possess a high school diploma or GED from an accredited school or training facility.
• Must be 21 years of age or turn 21 years of age within six months from the date of your application.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must possess a valid state of Florida driver's license.
• Must maintain a valid telephone number.
• Preference may be given to applicants with an associate’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Applicants will be required to pass an extensive background investigation which includes, but is not limited to, a polygraph exam, physical agility test, drug screening examination, physical exam, psychological testing, credit checks, etc., prior to being offered employment as a Police Academy Recruit. 
• If applicant becomes physically or mentally unable to safely and satisfactorily complete the training Academy, the City will terminate the payment and forgo further expenditures for training.  The City may pursue all means and actions, as authorized by law, to obtain reimbursement from all other funds due from him/her to the City.
• Applicant must be currently attending a Florida CJST Police Academy or scheduled to attend within 30 – 60 days prior to being offered employment as a Police Academy Recruit
• Applicant shall reimburse the City on a pro-rata basis for costs of tuition for basic recruit training, other course expenses and police certification examination if applicant leaves employment within the first two (2) years of becoming a Police Officer with The City of Lakeland.

• Ability to satisfactorily pass Police Academy standards for graduation and qualify for State certification and promotion to Police Officer.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with training instructors, superiors, fellow employees and the general public.
• Ability to become knowledgeable about Federal, State and Local laws and ordinances, and Police Department policies and regulations.
• Ability to understand and fulfill oral and written instructions.
• Ability to react quickly and calmly in emergency situations, objectively analyze the situation, and determine and execute the proper course of action.
• Ability to obtain and properly document relevant and accurate information through interview, interrogation and observation.
• Ability to develop skill in the use and care of firearms and all other equipment used to perform the duties of a law enforcement officer.
• Ability to learn proper methods and techniques of law enforcement employed by qualified Police Officers.
• Ability to learn how to present professional testimony in judicial proceedings
• Ability to handle difficult situations firmly, courteously, tactfully, impartially, and with respect for the rights of others.

 
WORKING ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Requires active work that involves walking, running and standing most of the time, exerting up to 150 pounds of force on a recurring basis and routine keyboard operations. 
• The job risks exposure to pathogens, extreme hot/cold temperatures, diverse weather conditions, heights, violence, dusts, pollens, traffic and electricity.
• The job requires normal visual acuity and field of vision, hearing, speaking, color perception, sense of smell, depth perception and texture perception. 
• Requires the physical capabilities to safely and effectively perform the requirements of a Training Academy Recruit.
• Requires the emotional and mental capabilities to safely and effectively perform the requirements of a Training Academy Recruit.

Required Documents: 
 1. Copy of DD214 – Military Discharge (if applicable).
 
Applicants for the position of POLICE ACADEMY RECRUIT are required to submit a copy of ALL required documents with the employment application. Applicants will not be eligible for employment until ALL required documents have been submitted to CIVIL SERVICE or uploaded with the application. 
 
Elements of the selection process: 
Our system allows you to work on your application and save the application without submitting it. This is done to allow you to save your work and come back to finish the application without having to start over. If you submit your application and do not "complete" it before 4 p.m. on the posted close date (listed on the job opportunities page), your application will be rejected from the system and you will have to start the application over. The application WILL NOT be accepted or reviewed until it is "complete".
 
After submission of the completed application (including ALL required documents) the application will be accepted.   Once the application is accepted, your application will be evaluated to determine if you will continue in the process.   Applicants with the most desirable applications will move to the next phase of the process.  Applicants will be contacted within 60 days of the “accepted” date.
 
 If selected to move forward, you will be invited to complete the following: 

If selected to move to the next phase, the applicant will attend an interview conducted by a panel. The panel will consist of a minimum of three police department members. 

Candidates who have been deemed qualified to continue in the selection process by the interview panel will be scheduled for a Physical Abilities Test (PAT).
 
A thorough background Investigation will be completed on all candidates prior to employment. 

Those applicants that are selected for employment will be given a conditional offer of employment. The job offer is contingent upon the successful completion and approval of a polygraph examination, psychological fitness examination, medical examination, drug screen testing and completed background investigation.
 
The applicant will receive written notice either by mail or electronic mail at each phase of the selection process advising them that they were selected to move forward in the process or that they were not selected. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the e-mail address provided on the application is correct and to provide any updated information to Civil Service during the application process.
 
Once a decision has been reached to offer the applicant employment OR that the applicant will not be offered employment, applicants will be notified within 30 days. The intent of the Lakeland Police Department's General Services Section is that the selection process, from the date of the biographical until the applicant is advised of a decision regarding employment, will not extend beyond 180 days.
 
When an applicant is selected for employment and all elements of the selection process have been passed, the applicant must be currently attending a Florida CJST Police Academy or scheduled to attend within 60 days after final approval of the background investigation and prior to starting employment as a Police Academy Recruit.  Additionally, the applicant will be required to complete and pass an FDLE approved basic abilities test prior to hiring and as a condition of entrance into the Academy.

While attending the Police Academy, the Recruit must successfully graduate from the academy in which they were originally enrolled.  Upon graduation from the police academy, the Recruit must successfully pass the State Examination and become Florida certified as a Police Officer.   Upon successful completion of the state examination, the Recruit must immediately begin the in house "Mini-Academy". The Mini-Academy is a seven-week long training program that provides recruits with the necessary knowledge and skills to begin the Field Training Program. Once the recruit successfully passes the Mini Academy they will begin the 16-week Field Training Program. The recruit will be on probationary status until their one year probationary period is successfully completed. 

Failure of any of these steps or if the recruit, on his/her own initiative, separates from employment with the Lakeland Police Department prior to two (2) years after becoming a police officer will result in the recruit reimbursing the City on a pro-rata basis for costs of tuition for basic recruit training, other course expenses and police certification examination.  
 
Reapplication: 
Reapplication, retesting, and re-evaluation of applicants not hired is permitted after six months as long as nothing in the applicant’s history indicates an unfitness for employment. Conditions that qualify as unfitness for employment include revelations of unacceptable drug use, criminal records, or other factors discovered during the selection process. 

Background Investigation: 
A background investigation of each candidate for all positions is conducted prior to appointment to probationary status. The background investigation may include, but is not limited to:
 a. verification of qualifying credentials
 b. a review of any criminal record
 c. a review of applicants driving record
 d. fingerprint check
 e. warrants check
 f. records check
 g. verification of at least three personal references
 h. a review of prior employment/military history
 i. a review of applicants employment and academy files
 j. review of social site/internet information
 

Be advised that sensitive or confidential aspects of the applicant's personal lives may be explored. 
 

Physical Ability Test: 
This test consists of a standardized obstacle course which was created and recommended by the FDLE Criminal Justice and Standards Training Commission for Police Officers. It simulates activities that may be encountered while working in this position at the Lakeland Police Department. 

Applicants should wear proper clothing and shoes for the test. Test is administered on a pass/fail basis.
 
The course consists of the following tasks (not necessarily in the order you may experience them). The time limit for this test is 6 minutes and 4 seconds:
 
 - Exit from the seated, safety belted driver's position of a parked motor vehicle
 - With opposite hands, remove two flags fastened to a belt with Velcro, from your back
 - Utilizing the vehicles' keys, retrieve from the car trunk a flashlight to be carried during the following stages:
 - 220 yard run (twice)
 - Jump over a four (4) foot wall
 - Run through a series of cones
 - Jump over a series of three (3) hurdles
 - A low crawl under three (3) hurdles
 - Drag a 150 pound dummy for 100 feet
 - Dry fire a service pistol six (6) times with the strong hand and six (6) times with the weak hand
 - Return the flashlight to the vehicle trunk
 - Return to the safety belted driver's position of the vehicle

 
Psychological Fitness Examination: 
An emotional stability and psychological fitness examination of each candidate for a sworn position is conducted and assessed by a qualified professional prior to appointment to probationary status.
 
F.S. 943.13
Officers’ minimum qualifications for employment or appointment.—On or after October 1, 1984, any person employed or appointed as a full-time, part-time, or auxiliary law enforcement officer or correctional officer; on or after October 1, 1986, any person employed as a full-time, part-time, or auxiliary correctional probation officer; and on or after October 1, 1986, any person employed as a full-time, part-time, or auxiliary correctional officer by a private entity under contract to the Department of Corrections, to a county commission, or to the Department of Management Services shall:

(1) Be at least 19 years of age, except that any person employed as a full-time, a part-time, or an auxiliary correctional officer must be at least 18 years of age.

(2) Be a citizen of the United States, notwithstanding any law of the state to the contrary.

(3 )Be a high school graduate or its “equivalent” as the commission has defined the term by rule.

(4) Not have been convicted of any felony or of a misdemeanor involving perjury or a false statement, or have received a dishonorable discharge from any of the Armed Forces of the United States. Any person who, after July 1, 1981, pleads guilty or nolo contendere to or is found guilty of any felony or of a misdemeanor involving perjury or a false statement is not eligible for employment or appointment as an officer, notwithstanding suspension of sentence or withholding of adjudication. Notwithstanding this subsection, any person who has pled nolo contendere to a misdemeanor involving a false statement, prior to December 1, 1985, and has had such record sealed or expunged shall not be deemed ineligible for employment or appointment as an officer.

(5) Have documentation of his or her processed fingerprints on file with the employing agency or, if a private correctional officer, have documentation of his or her processed fingerprints on file with the Department of Corrections or the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. The department shall retain and enter into the statewide automated biometric identification system authorized by s. 943.05 all fingerprints submitted to the department as required by this section. Thereafter, the fingerprints shall be available for all purposes and uses authorized for arrest fingerprints entered in the statewide automated biometric identification system pursuant to s. 943.051. The department shall search all arrest fingerprints received pursuant to s. 943.051 against the fingerprints retained in the statewide automated biometric identification system pursuant to this section and report to the employing agency any arrest records that are identified with the retained employee’s fingerprints. These fingerprints must be forwarded to the department for processing and retention.

(6) Have passed a physical examination by a licensed physician, physician assistant, or licensed advanced practice registered nurse, based on specifications established by the commission. In order to be eligible for the presumption set forth in s. 112.18 while employed with an employing agency, a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or correctional probation officer must have successfully passed the physical examination required by this subsection upon entering into service as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or correctional probation officer with the employing agency, which examination must have failed to reveal any evidence of tuberculosis, heart disease, or hypertension. A law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or correctional probation officer may not use a physical examination from a former employing agency for purposes of claiming the presumption set forth in s. 112.18 against the current employing agency.

(7) Have a good moral character as determined by a background investigation under procedures established by the commission.

(8) Execute and submit to the employing agency or, if a private correctional officer, submit to the appropriate governmental entity an affidavit-of-applicant form, adopted by the commission, attesting to his or her compliance with subsections (1)-(7). The affidavit shall be executed under oath and constitutes an official statement within the purview of s. 837.06. The affidavit shall include conspicuous language that the intentional false execution of the affidavit constitutes a misdemeanor of the second degree. The affidavit shall be retained by the employing agency.

(9) Complete a commission-approved basic recruit training program for the applicable criminal justice discipline, unless exempt under this subsection. An applicant who has:

(a) Completed a comparable basic recruit training program for the applicable criminal justice discipline in another state or for the Federal Government and served as a full-time sworn officer in another state or for the Federal Government for at least 1 year, provided there is no more than an 8-year break in employment, as measured from the separation date of the most recent qualifying employment to the time a complete application for an exemption under this subsection is submitted; or

(b) Served in the special operations forces for a minimum of 5 years, provided there is no more than a 4-year break from the applicant’s special operations forces experience, as measured from the separation date from the special operations forces to the time a complete application for an exemption under this subsection is submitted, is exempt in accordance with s. 943.131(2) from completing the commission-approved basic recruit training program.

(10) Achieve an acceptable score on the officer certification examination for the applicable criminal justice discipline.

(11) Comply with the continuing training or education requirements of s. 943.135.

The City of Lakeland is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and a Drug Free work place.

Salary : $23 - $34