Police Chief

Job Description

The Police Chief is ultimately responsible for every facet in the operation of the Police Department and Law Enforcement action within their jurisdiction. The Chief of Police ensures that the department is adequately manned, staffed, equipped, trained and disciplined for the detection, prevention and suppression of crime and the equitable enforcement of all city, state and federal laws within their jurisdiction while conforming to all applicable rules regulating the operation of the police department and law enforcement activities. Law enforcement procedures, city, state and federal laws, rules and regulations as well as City personnel rules and regulations govern this position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Focus on and promote the strategies of the City by inspiring staff to accomplish departmental strategies and goals.
• Ensure the Department’s adherence to the values that guide the City and the Department.
• Oversee all activities within the Department; collaborates with staff in the development of policies and procedures of the Department; assigns, motivates, counsel and evaluates employee performance; conducts disciplinary conferences when required; ensures proper training for all unit personnel.
• Recruits, selects and oversees the training of civilian and sworn personnel for the department; advises, directs, and consults with subordinate officers on matters of training, work assignments and scheduling, work performance, promotions, and discipline.
• Makes regular meetings with supervisory staff on a regular basis to clarify mission and objectives, build a sense of team within the department, insure that all are informed, and obtain input on decisions and issues.
• Prepares and recommends annual budget in consultation with the Manager; supervises and participates in the application for grants.
• Receives and ensures the appropriate investigation of complaints from the public concerning police activities and services.
• Leads all departmental personnel through the use of effective leadership skills; establishing policy; setting priorities; evaluating the department and its personnel.
• Evaluates organization structure, programs, priorities, staff assignments, current philosophies, resource allocation, policies, procedures and goals and makes improvements; researches and identifies criminal, traffic, and other enforcement and prevention needs and implements remedial action.
• Supervises the preparation of periodic reports of crime and accident activity and police department activities in relationship to this information; analyzes data for trends.
• Works with the public on difficult or unusual crime situations; cooperates with other law enforcement agencies in crime prevention, detection, and investigative activities.
• Promotes the department’s work and goals to the general public through individual contact and addresses to civic groups, school groups, and other organizations. Develops emergency response plans and oversees their implementation during emergency situations.
• Supervises patrol, emergency response, criminal investigations, and administrative functions within the department. Completes mandatory state and federal in-service training.
• Performs the duties of any subordinate in their absence or when immediate action is warranted.

Required Education and/or Experience

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public administration, or other relevant field, and minimum of 10 years of progressive law enforcement experience across functional areas such as patrol, internal affairs, administration, investigations, etc. to include 5-7 years of executive-level experience at the rank of Captain or higher; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must possess current advanced NC LE certification or be eligible to acquire. Executive law enforcement training are preferred.

Special Requirements

• NIMS ICS (100, 200, 700 & 800)
• NIMS ICS-300 Intermediate and NIMS ICS 400 Advanced Preferred

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to perform sedentary work exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects
• Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of balancing, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, fingering, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.
• Must possess the visual acuity to compile data and statistics, operate a computer, proof read materials, and do extensive reading

Working Conditions

• Although work is primarily administrative in nature, the employee is always subject to the usual hazards of law enforcement work. Employee is exposed to both inside and outside working conditions in all types of weather from extremes of cold and heat to rain/snow/ice as well as varying terrain from streets, dense foliage, dark buildings, and water. Employee may be exposed to noise which would cause the worker to shout in order to be heard above the ambient noise level.
• Work place conditions include operating vehicles for extended periods of time, working varied hours and shifts, and confronting violent persons many of whom have criminal records with little to no respect for law enforcement or who may be a threat to themselves or others. Work requires application of safety precautions and wearing of protective clothing, gloves, and body armor designed to minimize exposure to blood-borne pathogens, communicable diseases, and bodily harm.

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance

• The City of Washington provides, at no cost, employee only coverage for Medical (High-Deductible with H.S.A.), Vision and Dental insurance. Coverage is available for all regular status full-time employees scheduled to work 40 hours. Employees may also choose to cover eligible dependents. Benefits begin on the 1st day of the month following 30 days of employment.

Paid Life Insurance

• The City provides $15,000 of term life insurance and $15,000 of accident death insurance to all full-time employees at no cost. Employees may elect additional coverage, including dependent coverage, at their own cost.

Employer Paid Leave

• Paid Vacation: Full-Time employees earn 8 hours of vacation leave per month. Leave accruals increase based on the number of years of City service. (Ex: at 5 years increases to 10 hours per month)
• Paid Holidays: The City of Washington observes 13 paid holidays per calendar year. The approved holidays are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, 2 days at Thanksgiving and 3 days at Christmas.
• Sick: Full-Time employees earn 8 hours of sick leave per month (Fire Personnel earn 14.15 hours). Sick leave hours accumulate without limits and may be used toward credible service upon retirement from the NC Local Government Retirement System.

Retirement

• The City assists our employees in securing their financial future during retirement by participating in the Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System, administered by the State of North Carolina. Regular status employees, scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week, become members in the retirement system upon employment. As a member of this system, employees are required to contribute 6 percent of their gross salary on a tax-deferred basis.

Cafeteria Plan / Supplemental Benefits

• To further assist employees in saving for retirement, the City offers two supplemental retirement savings programs. These programs offer employees an opportunity to save a portion of their salary on a tax-deferred basis to supplement their retirement benefit. The programs offered are 401(k) Supplemental Retirement Income Plan and the 457 Plan through Prudential.