Police Officer - Lateral

HIRING BONUS

$40,000 ($4,000 upon hire; $6,000 upon successful completion of field officer training; $6,000 upon successful completion of second year of employment; $8,000 at the completion of third year of employment; $8,000 at the completion of fourth year of employment; and $8,000 at the completion of fifth year of employment with the City of Scotts Valley.)  This specific portion of the policy is limited to the fiscal year funding availability, as determined by the City Manager.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: (these requirements are in addition to the Entry Level Police Officer position.) (The PELLETB and WSTB tests are not required for a Lateral applicant.)

License / Certificates:

• Possession of a current Basic POST Certificate. 

• Current employment with a law enforcement agency.

If you are presently a California peace officer, you may be eligible for the following benefits: STARTING SALARY: You would not start at a step lower than your present pay step, except that Top Step is the highest step anyone can attain.  

Lateral hires are eligible for a vacation credit adjustment that would include the number of years previously employed as a police officer when calculating our vacation accrual formula.  For example, an officer with more than five but less than ten years’ experience as a POST certified employee at the time of hire is eligible to earn 120 hours of annual vacation. 

BENEFITS

RETIREMENT:  The City of Scotts Valley participates in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS).  State laws have established the following retirement requirements: Candidates currently enrolled in the PERS system (Classic): 3.0% @ 50, with a 9% employee contribution and 3-year average.  Candidates new to the PERS system, or who have had more than a six-month break from PERS (PEPRA): 2.7% @ 57, with a 13.75% employee contribution (subject to change in July) and 3-year average.

HEALTH INSURANCE:    Dental / Vision premiums paid by the City of Scotts Valley.  Medical premiums paid by the City as follows:  $1,000 Employee; $2,000 Employee + 1; $3,000 Employee + 2   

LIFE INSURANCE:  $50,000 double indemnity policy; paid by the City of Scotts Valley.

LONG-TERM DISABILITY:   Premiums paid by the City of Scotts Valley.

UNIFORM ALLOWANCE:  Fully provided by the City of Scotts Valley, including cleaning.

VACATION:   Full-time employees are eligible for 80 hours of vacation per year up to 5 years of service; 120 hours from 5 to 10 years of service; 160 hours for 10  years of service; and 168 hours for 15 or more years of service.

HOLIDAYS:   Full-time employees are required to work holidays; however, are compensated at a rate of 4 additional straight time hours when a holiday falls on their 12 hour working shift.

SICK LEAVE:   Unlimited sick leave accumulation at ninety-six hours per year.  The City has a sick leave buy-back incentive program.

PRE-TAX DEDUCTIONS:  The Flexible Spending Account allows employees to make pre-tax deductions for allowable medical expenses not covered by the medical plan.  The Dependent Care Assistance Program allows employees to make pre-tax deductions for dependent care.

BILINGUAL PAY:  The City shall provide a monthly allowance of $200 for bilingual speaking skills, upon the recommendation of the Chief of Police.

EDUCATION INCENTIVE: Upon completion of FTO, sworn personnel are eligible for the following monthly education incentive compensation:  AA/AS: $150; BA/BS: $250; MA: $300.

OTHER BENEFITS INCLUDE:  Access to credit union, tuition reimbursement for job-related courses approved by the Chief of Police, employee membership in PORAC Union Representation, direct payroll deposit, deferred compensation plan, and retiree medical benefit.

SCHEDULE:  All police patrol personnel currently work a 12 hour / 3-4 day work schedule.

APPOINTMENT:  

Any candidate selected must pass a pre-employment medical, psychological, and polygraph exam administered by City-selected personnel before hire.  Candidates must be fingerprinted and take a loyalty oath as required by the State of California at the time of hire.  Appointments to regular positions are subject to an 18 month probationary period which is considered a part of the selection process.  Probationary employees may be terminated without recourse during this period.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

License / Certificates:

- Valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's License (Class C /Class 3).

- Possession of a current Basic POST Certificate. 

- Current employment with a law enforcement agency. 

- High school graduation or G.E.D. certificate/equivalent.

- Proof at time of application that candidate will be 21 years old by date of hire.

- Must be U.S. citizen or must have applied for citizenship and will obtain citizenship within 3 years.

- Record free of any felony convictions.

- Must reside or be willing to relocate within a 60 minute drive to the police department.

Physical Condition:

- Physical health, strength, and agility necessary to meet the physical demands of police work, as determined by a physical agility test and a medical exam based on current California’s Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) guidelines.

- Applicants that have not had corrective surgery, and do not wear contact lenses or glasses must have 20/40 or better vision.   Applicants wearing glasses must have 20/20 vision in each eye and 20/40 or better in worst eye without glasses.   Applicants wearing hard contact lenses are not allowed unless vision is 20/40 or better in worst eye.  Applicants wearing soft contact lenses must be 20/20 in each eye, 20/200 or better in each eye without lenses, and applicant must have successfully worn soft lenses for one year.  Applicants that have had corrective surgery must have 20/40 vision or better without contact lenses and surgery must have been performed at least one-year prior to date of application.  Depth perception, peripheral vision and color discrimination must be free of significant deficiencies and within guidelines established by POST (refer to vision standards sheet for details).

THE POSITION:

Police officers perform any combination of the following duties, depending on specific assignment; patrol the city in radio dispatched vehicles and on foot; answer calls for protection of life and property; enforcement of City, State and Federal laws; traffic law enforcement; operate radar equipment; suppress crime by interrogation of suspicious persons, observe unusual situations on patrol beat, and settle disputes and arguments.   Perform traffic control, accident investigation, render emergency assistance to citizens in need of immediate help; transport prisoners; serve warrants, participate in investigations of felonies and misdemeanors; interview persons involved in crimes and accidents; document incidents utilizing computers; perform security checks of public, commercial and residential buildings; observe assigned area for suspicious activities and unsafe conditions; provide assistance to other officers and law enforcement agencies.  Participate in community-based policing, familiarization between law enforcement and community residents, and collaborative problem solving.

THE DEPARTMENT:

The Scotts Valley Police Department serves a community of over 11,000 citizens.  During work hours, the population may swell to over 30,000.  There are 22 sworn police officers assigned to such areas as patrol, traffic enforcement, investigations, juvenile, training, and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).  The Scotts Valley Police Department is a service oriented agency. 

APPLICATION AND TESTING PROCESS:

Applicants are required to fill out and complete a City application.   

If you have any questions, telephone or email the Police Department’s Administrative Secretary at (831) 440-5649 or clocke@scottsvalley.gov.

Lateral Level applicants are also required to complete a Personal History Statement (PHS) – Peace Officer at the following link and email it to the police department’s Administrative Secretary at clocke@scottsvalley.gov:

https://post.ca.gov/portals/0/post_docs/publications/2-251-phsPeaceOfficers.pdf                     

Hearing-impaired individuals can access the Department’s TDD machine by calling (831) 440-5670.  Applicants needing special accommodations for testing should submit a request to Personnel at the time of application.  After reading this announcement, if you have further questions, call (831) 440-5649.

Candidates will be required to participate in a pre-screening interview.  Those who pass the pre-screening interview will be placed on an eligibility list until such time as a position is available.  Upon availability, eligibility list candidates will be invited to a selection interview to assess an applicant's experience, education, judgment, oral communication skills and interpersonal skills.

All candidates who receive a score of 80% or more on the selection interview will be placed on a hiring list.  As openings occur, top candidates will be selected for a background investigation in accordance with the POST Commission and Peace Officer Background Investigations Guidelines.  

Candidates will also be required to successfully complete, to the satisfaction of this department, a polygraph test administered by a licensed polygrapher, a psychological exam given by a City selected psychologist and a medical exam by a City selected physician (to include a back X-ray and general physical examination).  In addition to the qualifications noted above, suitability for employment will also be based on the following POST job dimensions: moral character, handling stress and adversity, work habits, interactions with others and intellectually based abilities.

If you are presently a California peace officer, you may be eligible for the following benefits:

STARTING SALARY: You would not start at a step lower than your present pay step, except that Top Step is the highest step anyone can attain.  

Lateral hires are eligible for a vacation credit adjustment that would include the number of years previously employed as a police officer when calculating our vacation accrual formula.  For example, an officer with more than five but less than ten years’ experience as a POST certified employee at the time of hire is eligible to earn 120 hours of annual vacation. 

PRE-EMPLOYMENT POLICY REGARDING ILLEGAL USE

OR POSSESSION OF DRUGS

Note:   For the purposes of this policy, an adult is defined as someone 18 years of age or older.

A.         The following types of illegal drug use or possession will be considered automatic disqualifiers in the pre-employment selection process for sworn police personnel, with no exceptions.

1.         Any adult use or possession of a drug classified as a hallucinogenic within seven (7) years prior to application for employment.

2.         Any adult use or possession of marijuana within two (2) years prior to application for employment.

3.         Any other illegal adult use or possession of a drug not mentioned above, (including cocaine) within three (3) years prior to application for employment.

4.         Any illegal adult use or possession of a drug while employed in the capacity of a police officer, licensed security officer, military police, or as a student enrolled in college accredited courses of/or related to the criminal justice field.

5.         Any adult manufacture or cultivation of a drug.

6.         Failure to divulge to the Police Department during the background investigation any information about personal illegal use or possession of drugs.

B.         The disqualification of a police officer candidate for the following types of illegal drug use or possession will be considered in relationship to the overall background of that individual:

1.         Any illegal juvenile use or possession of a drug.

2.         Any illegal adult use or possession of a drug that does not meet the criteria of the automatic disqualifiers specified above; e.g., marijuana use longer than two (2) years ago or cocaine use longer than three (3) years ago.

C.         All information obtained during a background investigation is confidential and will not be released to candidates or others.