What are the responsibilities and job description for the Police Property Technician position at City of Petaluma?
SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE
SALARY RANGE: $67,412.80 - $81,972.80 ( 3% COLA in July 2025)FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING:
- MEDICAL INSURANCE: Choice of a variety of CalPERS Health Plans. City pays ~95% of the Bay Area Kaiser premium for employee & eligible dependents; or alternative option to receive Medical Cash Back (if you have medical coverage elsewhere). Please see the2025 Health Plan Contribution Memo.
- DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE: Coverage for employees & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
- LIFE INSURANCE: Competitive life insurance & Long-Term Disability benefits. Option to purchase additional life insurance.
- EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Support and benefits, for you & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
- WELLNESS BENEFIT: $500 annual allowance (subject to the annual budget approval process and may change in the future)
FOR YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:
- CALPERS RETIREMENT PACKAGE
- 2% at 60 for Classic CalPERS members
- 2% at 62 for PEPRA CalPERS members
- DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: voluntary participation in your choice of three plan offerings.
FOR YOUR WORK / LIFE BALANCE (annual amounts):
- Vacation: 80 Hours, increasing with years of service
- Sick Leave: 96 hours
- Holidays: 12 fixed days
- Personal Leave: 8 hours
- Other Benefits:
- Paid Parental Leave – up to 8 weeks of paid time for qualifying family bonding
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Employer
For more information regarding the benefits associated with this position, visit our website and look at the Memorandum of Understanding and Employee Benefits.
#petalumaproud
A City that Works for Everyone
Petaluma Police Department is dedicated to providing the best law enforcement services to the community and it prides itself on community involved programs. Petaluma has a population of approximately 59,000 and encompasses nearly 13 square miles situated 40 miles north of San Francisco Bay Area on U.S. 101, and 30 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. The Police Department staffing includes 84.5 full time employees, including one Chief, one Deputy Chief, four Lieutenants, one Technical Services Manager, ten Sergeants, fifty Officers, and other support staff. In addition, the department has K-9 Officers, Traffic Unit, Motorcycle Patrol, SWAT Team, Investigations Unit, and Reserve Community Service Officer Program (Volunteer). The Petaluma Police Department is proactive in Community Oriented Policing Philosophy.
Hiring Requirements
Candidates being considered for selection will undergo a thorough background investigation, including but not limited to personal history, employment, education, military, State of California Department of Justice fingerprint search of records, DMV driving record, etc. A polygraph examination will be part of the background examination. Prior to appointment, candidates must also successfully complete a Police Chief interview, pre-employment medical examination, and drug screen. All statements made on application materials must be correct and will be subject to investigation and verification.
Summary
Receive, store, transport, release, and/or dispose of property and evidence in the Petaluma Police Department and maintain related records.
Class Characteristics
General supervision is provided by a higher-level supervisor or manager. Responsibilities may include the technical or functional supervision of other staff or volunteers/interns. This is a specialized non-sworn position that is responsible for the maintenance, security, and technical coordination of the property and evidence function. It is distinguished from the other non-sworn positions in the Police Department by the consequence of errors, level of responsibility, and independent decision making applicable to this position.
Receive, store, and maintain all property and evidence including all stored property and evidence related equipment; maintain stocks of required packaging and storage supplies; maintain organized property packaging and storage areas in accordance with state, city, and departmental procedures and regulations.
Notify property owners of releasable property; release or dispose of property recovered, found, or seized in accordance with state, city, and departmental procedures and regulations.
Use property and evidence database system to enter and maintain data about all actions associated with the property; compile data from a variety of database systems to prepare reports; duplicate digital evidence as needed.
Coordinate with various public agencies, private attorneys, and others to arrange and conduct timely viewing of evidence during discovery processes; witness the viewing of evidence during discovery processes in an unobtrusive and impartial manner; transport evidence to various public agencies and other persons legally entitled; and testify in court regarding chain of custody, property records, and equipment maintenance.
Perform research to determine if evidence needs to be retained or destroyed; ensure disposal of evidence is properly handled.
Attend training to keep current with applicable laws and regulations relative to the handling and storage of evidence/property and recommend appropriate changes when necessary.
In a backup capacity, make latent fingerprint comparisons following established procedures.
Perform general office duties including typing, record keeping, filing, and basic report writing.
Use personal protective equipment including but not limited to gloves, safety glasses, face masks, and Tyvek suits, when applicable and required.
Perform related duties as assigned.
Knowledge of:
Basic principles and methods for receiving and handling property and evidence.
Safe firearm handling.
Safe work methods and safety regulations pertaining to the work.
Basic law enforcement organization, activities, terminology, and regulations.
Record keeping principles and practices specific to a law enforcement (or equivalent) organization.
Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
Education and Experience
Any combination equivalent to the education and experience likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to gain such knowledge and abilities would be:
Education:
Equivalent to graduation from high school.
Experience:
Two years of experience in police records, property/evidence management, inventory/supply administration, storage, and records management, or equivalent with a law enforcement agency.
Certifications/Licenses:
As a term of continued employment, incumbents must obtain certification as a Property and Evidence Specialist (CPES) from the International Association of Property and Evidence (IAPE) within 18 months of appointment.
As a term of continued employment, incumbents must successfully complete the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) 38-hour course on latent fingerprint comparison within 18 months of appointment.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use the computer keyboard and mouse, use hands and fingers to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms, talk or hear, stand, walk, and stoop, or crouch. Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Requires the ability to work in an office environment where the noise level is usually moderate.
Salary : $67,413 - $81,973