Lateral Police Officer - 26th Academy Class

About the role

Under general supervision, perform assigned municipal law and ordinance enforcement and crime prevention duties which include maintaining a recognizable community presence to preserve peace and order, protect persons and property, and otherwise provide allied police services requested as well as precisely documenting evidence, circumstances, and actions regarding actual and potential criminal violations or other public safety-related incidents.

Responsibilities

• Participate in and successfully complete the Lateral Police Officer Academy.
  • Attend police academy classroom sessions and designated police command field training.
  • Engage in practice sessions.
  • Read textbooks and instructional manuals.
• Patrol streets, parks, commercial and residential areas on an assigned beat by foot, motorcycle, or car to prevent or detect and investigate felony or misdemeanor law violations and other misconduct, regulate traffic, and respond to calls for police assistance.
• Respond to emergency radio or telephone calls and participate in inquiries into reported or observed events such as vehicular or other accidents, robberies, civil disturbances, domestic violence, fights, drunkenness, missing persons, prowlers, and drug abuse.
• Examine suspicious conditions and conduct primary searches of scenes of attempted or committed crimes for clues.
• Seek out and question victims, witnesses, and suspects to develop leads and tips.
• Independently decide the course of action ordinarily expected in conformance with Federal, State, County, and City laws and ordinances to immediately deal with difficult and emergency situations without assistance as qualified.
• Maintain normal contact with police supervisory personnel by radio or telephone for consultation on major emergencies or precedents, to collaborate on investigations, or to provide mutual assistance during other law enforcement activities.
• Detain or arrest, restrain, search, and advise suspects of their rights, and transport, register, and book prisoners.
• Cooperate and exchange information with other law enforcement agencies as assigned.
• Obtain advice from the City Attorney, Municipal Court, and Prosecutor's Office regarding cases, policies, and procedures, as needed and assigned.
• Direct and enforce traffic and parking regulations, issue tickets to traffic violators, inspect motor vehicles for state registration, serial numbers, and other pertinent information, and operate speed-detecting radar devices.
• Ascertain causes of traffic accidents by taking measurements and drawing diagrams of scenes, inspecting vehicles involved, obtaining and analyzing information incidental to events, and conducting hit-and-run follow-up inquiries.
• Rescue and render first aid to the injured, and summon ambulances and other law enforcement vehicles.
• Serve, as qualified, on specialized law enforcement operations or reaction teams, such as canine patrol, two-wheel motorcycle patrol, special weapons assault, juvenile cases, hostage negotiations, or surveillance, if assigned.
• Engage in community-oriented policing by mediating disputes, providing assistance to the public with such routine matters as locked or stalled vehicles, conducting educational programs on issues such as crime prevention, self-defense techniques, drug abuse resistance, and traffic safety, and furnishing general information about department activities.
• Serve warrants and commitments to fulfill court orders.
• Testify in court.
• Prepare felony and misdemeanor cases for filing of charges, give testimony in court proceedings, or take other proper law enforcement action.
• Compile information, write and submit reports on investigation findings, field interrogations, alcohol or drug influence, accident scenes, and traffic or other hazards that endanger public safety to superior officers.
• Prepare various records, including the officer's daily activity log, arrest register, Breathalyzer checklist, bad check form, and vehicle impoundment form.
• Perform related duties as required.
• Act on behalf of superior officers in their absence, if assigned.
• Maintain normal availability by radio or telephone for consultation on open cases or emergency call-outs.
• Maintain equipment, supplies, and facilities in clean, orderly, and safe condition, which includes preventive servicing and making minor repairs, such as changing tires on assigned service vehicles if needed.
• Participate in in-service training for own professional development.
• Explain and demonstrate police patrol practices to less knowledgeable employees as requested.
• Serve on designated ad hoc committees.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED or higher and twelve (12) semester hours of credit in any field of study from an accredited college or university.
• A minimum of three (3) years of patrol duty (calls for service/street duty) while employed full-time by a state, county, or municipal police department, college or school police department, or sheriff’s department, or county constables and be twenty-one (21) years of age on or before the date of application.
• Must have received or be eligible for an Honorable Discharge (as defined by TCOLE) from all law enforcement agencies of previous employment.
• Hold a current Texas State Peace Officer License from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) or equivalent State-Certified Peace Officer license commissioned by state, county, or municipal police or sheriff’s department by the start of the academy.
• Valid Texas Class "C" Driver's License or equivalent from another state by time of appointment.
• All applicants must be current U.S. citizens***, pass a background investigation and oral interview, and successfully complete a physical agility examination, medical examination, polygraph examination, and psychological and drug exam before starting the Academy.
• Must have received or be eligible for an Honorable Discharge (as defined by TCOLE).

Qualifications

Required education, experience, knowledge and skills must be clearly stated on your application’s employment history. We do not use any information on your resume to review if you meet the minimum qualifications for this position. Failure to fully detail all experience and job duties in the application, or copying/pasting directly from the job specification, or responses referring to your résumé will eliminate you from consideration for the position.