Police Patrol Officer (Entry Level or Lateral Transfer)

Pueblo Police Department; Pueblo (CO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Pueblo Police Department is seeking an entry-level Police Patrol Officer to work under the supervision of a Police Sergeant. The role involves patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, and a broad range of community services to promote public safety and order.

Officers must exercise judgment, initiative, and the ability to work without direct supervision in high-stress situations. The position emphasizes community partnership, professionalism, and adherence to organizational policies.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of applicable City, County, State, and Federal statutes, regulations, ordinances, and codes.
• Understanding of department policies, practices, and law enforcement methods.
• Ability to apply de-escalation strategies in sensitive situations.
• Strong communication and customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Performs proactive police patrol, responds to calls for service, enforces laws, maintains order, and directs traffic.
• Investigates crimes, gathers evidence, interviews people, issues citations, makes arrests, and prepares reports for prosecution.
• Observes, analyzes, and applies judgment to solve problems in varied, stressful situations.
• Interacts effectively with diverse groups and communicates clearly in writing and speech.
• Maintains self-control under stress and works well within a team and under supervision.

Job description

This Police Patrol Officer is FLSA non-exempt, entry-level position under the general supervision of a Police Sergeant. This position exercises a high degree of discretion, trust, and confidence performing skilled police work by critical public contact. The duties involve police patrol, criminal investigations, traffic laws / regulations, related criminal law enforcement activities, and a wide variety of community services. Employees in this classification work in partnership with the community to identify and resolve issues, to provide public safety to the community, and to maintain peace, safety, and order. Employees must exercise considerable judgment, initiative, and skill in a variety of situations and must be able to act without direct supervision in completing work. This position requires employees to work in highly stressful, emergency situations where injury or death of individuals might occur.

This job description is an overview and is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the functions and tasks required of the position.

LATERAL TRANSFERS:

Candidates with qualifying experience and Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification may be eligible for a higher entry rate of pay and an abbreviated academy. Eligible experience will be that of a state, county, or municipal officer with a minimum of two years of patrol experience and Colorado POST Certification or state equivalent. Such eligibility will be determined by the Pueblo Police Chief or his/her designee as part of the employment offer process. Qualified candidates may be eligible to receive up to pay step 5 of the salary schedule, depending on years of qualifying experience.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Performs proactive police patrol functions, responds to calls for service, enforces laws, maintains order, prevents crime, provides miscellaneous services to assist the public, and enforces traffic laws and directs traffic
• Investigates crimes, gathers evidence, interviews people, issues citations, makes arrests, prepares reports and cases for prosecution, and testifies in court
• Observes, listens, analyzes, and assesses problems under varied circumstances and applies knowledge, reason, and good judgment to solve problems and render appropriate decisions
• Interacts effectively with culturally diverse groups and individuals, calms emotional people, and displays superior customer service skills
• Engages in superior communication with a wide variety of people verbally and in writing
• Maintains self-control under stress
• Maintains a level of mental and physical fitness commensurate with the requirements of the position
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships and functions well as part of a team
• Complies with verbal and written instructions and orders
• Performs in accordance with organizational values, policies, and procedures
• Maintains and completes the required reports, documentation, forms, or logs
• Inspects and maintains police related equipment, facilities, and uniforms to ensure proper function, use, and appearance
• Works varied hours, holidays, and weekends

IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS:

• May act as Police Sergeant in his or her absence
• May perform duties of similar classifications of an equal or lower pay grade, as assigned

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to show upper body and core body muscular endurance to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise assist incapacitated individuals of approximately 150 pounds (18 ft.), handle other items, defend oneself, take evasive action, and control suspects
• Occasional balancing (1 ft. in height 11 feet), bending, climbing (4 ft. high), crawling (4-6 feet), kneeling, reaching, squatting, standing, and twisting
• Ability to demonstrate explosive leg strength (jumping vertically at least 18 inches)
• Ability to show cardiorespiratory and sprinting ability on uneven terrain, up and down stairs, and under various conditions to perform essential functions in the community
• Prolonged sitting while driving a patrol vehicle and the ability to sit for long periods of time for preparing reports
• Frequent use of visual and auditory acuity for a broad continuum of essential activities including but not limited to detecting hazards, recognizing vehicles and people, reading documents, searching for evidence, and hearing and understanding speech
• Hear and distinguish between multiple levels of sounds, frequencies, tones, and tones of voice
• Speak clearly with good diction and appropriate volume level
• Clear vision and the ability to distinguish between various colors
• The incumbent must be able to communicate with customers and employees by phone or in person, and work with written documents and forms to respond to employees/customers
• Frequent light and firm grasp hand manipulation and handling needed for keyboarding, weapons handling, vehicle operations to include radio operations, and other normal police duties
• Frequent stepping up/down to get in and out of vehicles, trenches, and foundations

Must have knowledge of and ability to apply:

• Applicable City, County, State, and Federal statutes, regulations, ordinances, and codes
• Department policies, practices, techniques, and methods required to perform duties
• The principles and practices of law enforcement
• Appropriate self-defense techniques
• Accurate sense of directions and the ability to travel from one location to another using a map
• Basic grammar and writing skills
• Superior customer service principles and skills
• A keen sense of observation and ability to analyze situations quickly
• De-escalation strategies to handle sensitive or stressful situations with tact and diplomacy
• Traffic laws to safely operate a motor vehicle
• Basic mathematic calculations to i