Lateral or Exceptional Police Officer

City of Lake Forest Park; Lake Forest Park (WA); On-site; USD 84,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation leave

Holiday pay

Sick leave

Kelly Time off

Longevity pay

Education pay

Bilingual pay

Retirement benefits

Uniform allowance

Job summary

The City of Lake Forest Park is seeking a Police Officer to join a dedicated team in a community-focused department. Officers patrol, respond to calls, and enforce laws to protect residents and visitors.

With 12-hour shifts (3 on/3 off) and a robust benefits package including vacation, holidays, sick leave, and retirement options, this role offers long-term growth and impact within the Lake Washington area.

Qualifications

• Minimum qualifications include US citizenship or lawful permanent resident status.
• Age at least 21 by certification date.
• Valid WA State driver's license by hire date; clean driving record.
• Background clear of crimes involving moral character; may require background checks.

Responsibilities

• Patrol the city to preserve law and order and enforce laws.
• Provide assistance in critical or emergency situations.
• Preserve and control crime scenes; assist in investigations and interviews.
• Prepare clear, legible reports for investigations and testimony.
• Direct traffic during emergencies and manage public safety at events.
• Respond to a wide range of emergency calls and incidents.
• Provide court testimony as required.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Basic Law Enforcement School Certificate (CJTC)

CJTC equivalency examination (for out-of-state certification)

Job description

The City of Lake Forest Park is currently accepting lateral applications for the position of Police Officer. Lake Forest Park Police employs 20 full time commissioned Officers and 3 support staff members. Located on the Northshore of Lake Washington, Lake Forest Park is a great supportive community. With low crime rates, our police officers have the ability to make a difference for our citizens.

Learn more about the Lake Forest Park Police Department here.

Salary & Benefits:

• Work schedule consists of 12-hour shifts (3 on / 3 off rotation)
• Monthly Salary: $7,529 - $9,409 (2026 rates)
• 96 hours of paid vacation leave annually (w/ progressive increases)
• 104 paid holiday hours per year
• 96 hours of paid sick leave annually
• 110 hours Kelly Time off
• Specialty assignment (Detective/Traffic/SWAT/K9/Drone)
• Longevity pay after 6yrs (2%+)
• Education pay (2% AA/4% BA)
• Bilingual pay ($1,000 annually)
• Retirement:
  1. Commissioned officers work under the LEOFF 2 Retirement System (DRS)
  2. 401(a) Social Security Replacement
  3. Optional 457 Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP) with a Roth option (City match up to $50.00 per month)
• Medical (employer pays 100% for employee and 90% for dependents)
• Dental/Orthodontics, Vision, Disability, Life Insurance, Long-term Disability and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (employer paid at 100%)
• All uniforms and equipment issued by the department, followed by an annual uniform allowance of $850.

Position Summary

Under general direction of a Police Sergeant, while working in an assigned patrol area or specialty unit, performs police protection services including patrol duty or other specialized duties necessary to maintain public peace and order, safeguard the lives and constitutional rights of all citizens; prevents crime; responds to crime and traffic collision scenes, emergency situations and other requests for assistance; detects, apprehends and arrests criminals; enforces federal and state laws and city ordinances under authority of the office of Police Chief.

Essential Functions

The following duties are not intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by all employees in this classification, only a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities.

• Patrols the city to preserve law and order, to prevent and discover the commission of crimes, and to enforce traffic regulations.
• Provides assistance to citizens in critical and/or emergency situations where the security of lives and/or property may be endangered.
• Takes all steps necessary to preserve and control crime scene(s); may assist in the initial investigation including the interview of victim(s) witnesses, and/or suspects.
• Enforces criminal, traffic and parking laws and ordinances; investigates criminal activity and violations; issues citations and notices of infractions; prepares probable cause statements; books offenders into detention facilities.
• Operates a speed measuring devices to discover speed violations; accesses law enforcement databases to determine stolen or wanted status of vehicles or persons.
• Assists drivers and pedestrians in difficulty; resolves or refers such situations to proper authorities.
• Directs traffic during abnormal situations such as: natural disaster emergencies, accidents, fires or periods of congestion; performs crowd control activities at public gatherings as warranted under particular circumstances including dispersal of unruly individuals or groups.
• Responds to any and all emergency calls including: traffic collisions, altercations, robberies, burglaries, thefts, industrial or home injuries, water accidents or deaths and other related emergency calls; takes appropriate reporting or enforcement action.
• Responds to personally sensitive calls such as: family disturbances, missing persons and domestic violence exercising caution relative to personal safety and safety of others at scene; takes appropriate steps to calm the parties as necessary to resolve the immediate situation; takes appropriate reporting or enforcement action.
• Assesses the nature and urgency of the problem upon arrival at the scene of a call; immediately determines the circumstances and persons involved in relation to the nature of the call; determines if the situation warrants routine or emergency response and if other officers or a supervisor should be called to the scene.
• Prepares written, descriptive reports to a sufficient level of legibility and clarity so that others without knowledge of the incident or situation can readily comprehend the facts and assure that the reports can serve as the basis for subsequent investigations, court proceedings, and testimony.
• Provides court testimony about evidence, facts, and details in criminal or civil cases.
• Utilizes and maintains a variety of specialized equipment such as: firearms, police vehicles, radios, baton, handcuffs, flares, breath testing devices, chemical sprays, still and video cameras, fire extinguishers and other authorized equipment according to established policies and procedures.
• Maintains proficiency in driving, the use of firearms, defensive tactics and in arrest control techniques in accordance with departmental policies and procedures.
• Maintains physical abilities as set forth under working conditions (below).
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• United States citizenship or lawful permanent resident.
• At least 21 years of age by certification date of eligibility list.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Satisfactory completion of medical exam and drug screen by a licensed physician to ensure that no physical, emotional, sensory or mental conditions exist which could preclude individuals from performing the essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
• Possession of, or the ability to obtain a valid State of Washington Driver's License by date of hire.
• Driving record free of significant or serious moving violations.
• Personal record free of any crimes or convictions for crimes involving moral character such as theft, dishonesty, or history of regular usage of illegal/illicit drugs, etc. as stated in Civil Service regulations.
• Successful completion of oral, psychological and polygraph tests as prescribed by the Police Civil Service Commission.
• Possession of or ability to obtain a Basic Law Enforcement School Certificate issued by the State of Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission. Out of state candidates, who have previously certified in another state, must pass the CJTC equivalency examination.
• Ability to satisfactorily complete field training in which methods, procedures and techniques of law enforcement work are presented by field training officers.

Lateral Officer Definition:

In addition to the minimum qualifications listed above, the following qualifications must be met in order to be considered a lateral applicant:

• At least two years of service employed as full-time law enforcement officer in a police, sheriff’s, or other state law enforcement agency.
• Successfully completed probation and possess current basic certification upon application from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC), which can be obtained by successfully completing the WSCJTC Basic Law Enforcement Academy.
• Out of state candidates who have been previously certified in another state, must successfully pass the WSCJTC equivalency Academy and Examination within one year of appointment.

If you do not meet the minimum qualifications for a Lateral Police Officer, please visit Public Safety Testing to learn about Entry-Level testing opportunities with our Department.

Closing Date:

Open until filled. Applications screened upon receipt. Recruitment may be closed without notice at any time.

Automatic/Potential Disqualifiers

(refer to our Public Safety Testing Department profile).