Police Officer - Lateral or POST Academy Graduate Only

Salary range: $94,141 - $120,141 annually plus incentives and an excellent benefits package. Open to lateral or post-academy graduates only.

About the role

Join the City of Morro Bay Police Department and serve a beautiful beachside community on California's central coast. Morro Bay offers stunning Pacific Ocean views, picturesque beaches, and a charming small-town atmosphere. As a member of our close-knit team, you'll protect and serve this idyllic community while expanding your skill set in a variety of law enforcement areas, including patrol, investigations, school resource officer, undercover, and field training.

Responsibilities

• Patrol designated areas in a radio-dispatched vehicle on assigned shifts.
• Respond to calls for protection of life and property, enforcing City, County, and State laws.
• Stop drivers operating vehicles in violation of laws; issue warnings and citations.
• Monitor assigned areas for suspicious acts and unsafe conditions.
• Regulate traffic flow during emergencies or congestion.
• Provide information and directions to the public.
• Prepare and execute arrest and search warrants.
• Administer first aid and perform security checks of buildings.
• Prepare reports of arrests, investigations, and unusual incidents.
• Assist in receiving, searching, booking, fingerprinting, and transporting prisoners.
• Testify in court.
• Conduct preliminary and follow-up investigations at crime and accident scenes.
• Collect and preserve evidence.
• Receive telephone requests for assistance and dispatch officers.
• Maintain logs, take reports, and assist the public with complaints.
• Maintain contact with citizens regarding potential law enforcement issues and foster good public relationships.
• Review and investigate crime reports.
• Conduct interviews with suspects, victims, and witnesses.
• Investigate major crimes as needed.
• Serve as a School Resource Officer, including classroom presentations.

Requirements

• Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade.
• Completion of a Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) accredited Basic Academy or Lateral Officer certification.
• Possession of a First Aid Certificate (issued by the American Red Cross) within one year of appointment; CPR Certificate required.
• Valid and appropriate California driver’s license.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Modern law enforcement principles, procedures, techniques, and equipment.

Ability to:

• Learn laws of arrest and pertinent local and State laws and ordinances.
• Observe accurately and remember names, faces, numbers, incidents, and places.
• Think and act quickly in emergencies and judge situations and people accurately.
• Learn standard broadcasting procedures of a police radio system.
• Use and carry firearms.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Meet standards of adequate physical stature, endurance, and agility.
• Maintain cooperative working relationships.
• Demonstrate vehicle operation skills, including high-speed and emergency driving.

Tools & Equipment

• Police patrol vehicle
• Police radio
• Radar gun
• Handgun and other required weapons
• Side-handle baton
• Handcuffs
• Breathalyzer
• First aid equipment

Physical Demands

• Frequently required to sit and talk or hear.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, use hands to handle objects/tools, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must occasionally lift and/or move more than 100 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

• Frequently works in outside weather conditions.
• Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts, in high or precarious places, and with explosives.
• May be exposed to wet/humid conditions, fumes, airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, extreme cold or heat, and vibration.
• Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Pay

$94,141 - $120,141 annually plus incentives and an excellent benefits package.