Police Lieutenant

City of Moorhead; Moorhead (MN); On-site; USD 107,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Wellness program

EAP (Employee Assistance Program)

Pension plan

Vacation & sick leave

Job summary

The City of Moorhead Police Department seeks an exceptional Police Lieutenant to lead division operations, supervise sergeants and officers, and guide modern policing with integrity and accountability.

You will manage staffing and budgets, deploy resources using data trends, mentor personnel, and serve as incident commander during major events. The role emphasizes community engagement and ongoing professional development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in criminal justice or related field and 3 years in law enforcement with 1 year supervisory.
• Associates degree in criminal justice and 6 years in law enforcement with 2 years supervisory.
• Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training license.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Provide division-level leadership over sergeants and officers, ensuring consistent performance and readiness.
• Hire, transfer, promote, discipline, and assign personnel; manage grievances.
• Coach and develop sergeants and officers; identify training needs and opportunities.
• Plan, organize, and evaluate department operations and budgeting; allocate resources.
• Act as incident commander during major events and investigations until relieved by command staff.
• Coordinate training and ensure POST compliance; support policy/tool/program implementations.
• Oversee investigations and prepare case files; testify in court as required.
• Engage with community groups and the media to support policing initiatives; prepare reports.

Skills

Leadership

Supervisory experience

Budgeting & planning

Incident command

Community engagement

Data-driven decisions

Public safety governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in criminal justice

POST license

Valid driver's license

Job description

The City of Moorhead Police Department is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as Police Lieutenant. As a member of the department's leadership team, this position is responsible for providing operational leadership, developing personnel, and helping guide the organization through the evolving challenges of modern policing. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, sound judgment, and a commitment to servant leadership while fostering a culture of professionalism, accountability, innovation, wellness, and community engagement. This is an opportunity to influence the future of the department, support employee growth, and make a meaningful impact on public safety and community trust.

Salary Range: $51.36 to $$72.34 per hour, ($106,843 - $150,477) annualized.

Plus annual step increase on anniversary date and January 2027 6% COLA increase.

Position Summary

• Provides division-level oversight, including supervisory responsibility over sergeants and officers, ensuring consistent performance, alignment with policy, and operational readiness.
• Performs or effectively recommends the hiring, transfer, suspension, promotion, discharge, assignment, reward, discipline, direction of work, and adjustment of grievances of subordinate personnel.
• Provides coaching, mentoring, and career development guidance to sergeants and officers; identifies training needs and recommends development opportunities.
• Assists with the planning, organizing, coordinating and evaluating of the department operations and budgeting process. Manages division-level workloads, staffing, and resource allocation; identifies operational gaps and recommends improvements to command staff. Uses data, trends, and analytical tools to guide deployment decisions, crime reduction strategies, and resource prioritization.
• Ensures division personnel adhere to department policies, procedures, and training standards; conducts quality-control reviews of reports, cases, and operational documentation.
• Acts as incident commander during major events, critical incidents, and significant investigations until relieved by command staff.
• Coordinates training needs for division staff, ensures compliance with POST requirements, and supports implementation of new policies, tools, and technologies.
• Oversees and participates in investigations of violations; obtains evidence and compiles information; prepares case files of charges; testifies in court.
• Develops and supervises various programs.
• Serves as a liaison with community groups, partner agencies, and city departments to support collaborative policing initiatives. Assists in providing timely information and updates to local media in coordination with the Public Safety Communications Specialist; performs public education and public speaking on police service and crime prevention topics.Prepares and maintains files and reports.
• Conducts administrative investigations or preliminary inquiries at the direction of command staff; prepares investigative findings consistent with policy and procedural standards.
• Performs other duties as requested.
• Attendance at off-site courses/trainings/seminars may be required.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, or related field and three years experience in law enforcement, with one year experience in a supervisory capacity; OR
• Associates degree in criminal justice and six years of experience in law enforcement with two years experience in a supervisory capacity
• Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training license
• Valid driver's license

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Comprehensive knowledge of the laws, rules and court decisions relating to the administration of criminal justice and law enforcement; comprehensive knowledge of policies and procedures surrounding methods of crime detection, criminal identification and radio communication; thorough knowledge of city laws and ordinances; thorough knowledge of the geography of the City; skill in using firearms and operating a motor vehicle; ability to assign, direct and supervise the work of subordinate staff; demonstrated integrity; tact; ability to operate standard office equipment and applicable software packages; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with City officials, law enforcement agencies, associates and the general public.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

This work requires the frequent exertion of up to 10 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting and speaking or hearing, frequently requires standing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, lifting and repetitive motions and occasionally requires walking, climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, tasting or smelling and pushing or pulling; work requires close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, depth perception, color perception, night vision and peripheral vision; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts, using of measuring devices, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires exposure to outdoor weather conditions and occasionally requires working in high, precarious places, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, working with explosives, exposure to vibration, wearing a self contained breathing apparatus and exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

About Our Department

The Moorhead Police Department is made up of 63 sworn officers who are dedicated to high standards, integrity, and strong community partnerships. Our work is guided by our mission: we keep Moorhead safe by serving with integrity, upholding the highest standards, and strengthening the community’s trust. Our vision is to support a community where people feel safe, valued, and respected, and we carry that mindset into everything we do.

Visit our Who We Are page to learn more.

About Moorhead

With a population of almost 46,000, Moorhead is the largest city in northwest Minnesota and part of the vibrant Fargo-Moorhead metro (population 290,000). We offer affordable housing, short commutes, strong community support for law enforcement, and easy access to the Minnesota lakes area - perfect for year-round recreation. Moorhead blends small-town comfort with big-city amenities, making it an excellent place to live, work, and build a career.

Why Join Us

• Strong support from department leadership, city leaders, and the community
• Flexibility to support work-life balance
• On-going training and career development
• Generous paid vacation and sick time accruals
• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits
• 100% paid health insurance premium (single, plus-one, and family depending on plan)
• Dental, vision, life insurance
• Minnesota PERA pension and deferred compensation plans
• Wellness program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Positive, friendly and team-oriented culture
• And more!Visit our benefits page for more information