Police Officer (Entry Level)

Port Orchard Police Department; Port Orchard (WA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

HRA VEBA

Retirement benefits

Holiday leave bank

Clothing allowance

Job summary

Port Orchard Police Department seeks a Patrol Officer to protect lives and property, reduce crime, and engage with the community. The role emphasizes proactive public safety, teamwork, and accountable policing in daily duties across city areas.

The position offers a base pay range from $43.66 to $54.03 per hour, with additional education, bilingual and longevity pay options, and a potential high end up to $61.59 per hour depending on scale and years of service.

Qualifications

• Respond to emergency and routine calls for service.
• Enforce traffic laws and safety ordinances.
• Conduct patrols and maintain visible police presence.
• Read, review, interpret, and serve court orders.
• Prepare affidavits and investigate suspected criminal activities.
• Appear in court to present evidence and testify.

Responsibilities

• Respond to emergency and routine calls for service.
• Apprehend violators as required and use force within policy.
• Tactically de-escalate verbal attacks and manage confrontations.
• Operate patrol vehicles and other conveyances.
• Conduct patrols across city areas to deter crime.
• Monitor traffic and issue infractions as appropriate.
• Investigate incidents and prepare detailed reports.
• Prepare affidavits and interview witnesses.
• Appear in court to present evidence and testimonies.
• Perform searches of people and areas as needed.
• Provide first aid, CPR, or naloxone when needed.

Skills

Emergency response

Traffic enforcement

Public safety

Team collaboration

Court appearances

First aid/CPR

Reading court orders

Investigative reporting

Job description

The base pay range for this position is $43.66 - $54.03 per hour. The starting salary for an entry level officer is $43.66 per hour.

The base pay range for this position is $43.66 - $54.03. It is the City's practice to start employees at the lower end of the salary range. This position is eligible for education pay. The pay range for an employee holding an Associate's is $44.53 - $55.11 and for an employee holding a Bachelor's is $45.41 - $56.19. This position is eligible for bilingual pay for employees certified fluent in Spanish, Tagalog, Korean, or American Sign Language. The pay range for the bilingual premium is $44.53 - $55.11. This position is also eligible for longevity pay, with an increase of 0.25% each year the employee is employed with the City, starting on year 3. An employee completing a 32 year career with the City would expect to make $58.35 in the last year of employment based on 2026 numbers, for a salary range of $43.66 - $58.35. Taking these numbers into account, the salary for this position could ultimately range between $43.66 - $61.59 based on the 2026 pay scale, with the upper pay appropriate for a bilingual employee holding a Bachelor's with 32 years of longevity pay.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. HRA VEBA account is also provided. Retirement benefits are provided through LEOFF and optional Deferred Compensation. Employees receive a holiday leave bank in lieu of holidays, vacation leave and sick leave in accordance with the union contract. In accordance with the Guild CBA, a $750 clothing allowance is also provided.

Major Function and Purpose

A Patrol Officer's primary purpose is to protect the lives, property, and rights of all members of the community. Officers will work to reduce crime, and the fear of crime, while remaining proactive and innovative in their approach to the enforcement of the law. Officers are expected to be team members with the community through transparency, accountability, and engagement.

General Function

Under general supervision from the Sergeant, the Patrol Officer will help to create, nurture, and maintain a community-oriented public safety department in alignment with the department’s mission, vision, and values.

Supervision Responsibilities

This is a non-supervisory position. However, a Patrol Officer may be assigned to serve as a Field Training Officer for a new officer or Police Reserve Officer.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

This job description reflects general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. These listed duties and responsibilities in no way imply these are the only duties to be performed. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including, but not limited to: working in other function areas to cover absences or provide relief, to equalize peak work periods, or to otherwise balance the workload. Accordingly, individuals occupying this position will be required to follow any job-related instructions, tasks, or other duties as assigned by the Director or designee and must be able to proficiently perform all assigned duties.

• Respond to emergency and routine calls for service
• Apprehend violators or offenders of the law; in situations where lawful arrests are resisted, the Officer must be prepared and able at times through training, judgment, and high levels of physical exertion, to use justifiable levels of force to overcome the resistance and protect the suspect, community members, themselves, and fellow officers
• Tactically de-escalate any verbal attacks that may occur while performing work assignments; endure verbal and mental assault when confronted with hostile views and opinions of suspects and others encountered in an antagonistic environment
• Operate a motor vehicle for extended periods of time in all environmental conditions, occasionally at high speeds and in congested traffic situations
• Conduct patrols in a City vehicle, on foot, bicycle, marine vessel, and/or other conveyance on an assigned shift; patrol business and residential areas to provide a visible element of safety
• Monitor and enforce traffic laws and safety ordinances; issue infractions as appropriate
• Look for criminal or potential criminal behavior; identify risks to public safety and order
• Investigate traffic collisions in various weather and traffic conditions; physically direct traffic, place temporary control devices such as portable stop signs, barricades, and other forms of directional signing as needed
• Appropriately provide first aid, CPR, or naloxone as needed
• Read, review, interpret, and serve court orders; serve search and arrest warrants
• Conduct detailed investigations and gather information that pertains to suspected criminal activities; prepare detailed investigative reports
• Prepare affidavits for search warrants, interview witnesses and suspects; develop and use informants and other investigative acts
• Appear in court to present evidence and testify
• Perform searches of people, vehicles, buildings, and large outdoor areas which may involve feeling and detecting objects, working for long periods of time, detaining individuals, and stopping suspicious vehicles and persons
• Record information related to daily patrol activit