Job Bulletin

The Position

Scheduled Salary Increase: Effective January 1 , 2019, the base salary noted above shall be increased by two and a half percent (2.5%).

Oakland wants the best and brightest who are willing to innovate and are ready to serve a diverse community in one of the greatest cities in California. Come join our team! The Oakland Police Department has a fantastic opportunity for Police Officers.

The Oakland Police Department is committed to reducing crime and serving the community through fair, quality policing; therefore, we need dedicated Police Officers to serve our community. Police Officers are vital members of our team who contribute to the success of the Community and the Department. Dealing with a wide variety of people in different situations, OPD's Police Officers quickly analyze and solve problems and use their excellent "people skills" to defuse conflict and avoid confrontation whenever possible. When a true crisis or emergency occurs, OPD Officers are supported by state-of-the-art equipment, systems, and command leadership.

Police Officers patrol the City's commercial, industrial, and residential districts, working closely with the community they serve to preserve the peace and promote public safety. They carefully document their activities in written reports and provide court testimony. They also investigate crimes such as burglary, robbery, assault, and disturbing the peace. In this large and modern department, there are many opportunities for officers to gain experience working in areas such as vice control, recruiting, traffic enforcement and investigation, narcotics enforcement, youth or community services, crime prevention, and criminal investigation.

IDEAL CANDIDATE:
An ideal candidate will have two years of patrol experience, be currently employed as a peace officer by a California agency and have passed their probationary period with their current employer.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
After successful completion of the lateral transitional course, Police Officers receive step increases on an annual basis. The top annual salary step is $126,704.40 (based on 84-hour biweekly rate). Scheduled Salary Increases: 2.5% effective July 2020, 3% effective July 2021, 3.5% effective July 2022, 3.5% effective 2023.

Retirement: Tier II - 3% at age 55; employee contribution toward retirement is 12% and Tier III - 2.7% at 57 retirement; employee contribution toward retirement is 11.5%.

The City of Oakland also provides an excellent benefits package which includes health and dental plans for employee and dependents; vacation leave, sick leave and holidays; education tuition reimbursement; life insurance; employee assistance program; deferred compensation plan, and credit union services. Vision plans are offered separately through the union. For more detailed employee benefits information please click here:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/enroll-in-employee-benefits

Examples of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Prepares for work; receives instruction from Sergeant of Police regarding assignment (beat) and/or specific patrol targets during daily line-up; inspects patrol car, equipment and weapons to ensure proper operation.
Patrol the assigned areas on foot or in patrol car to ensure the security of life and property, observe situations and deter crime by providing high visibility.
Respond to call for service, resolves disputes, admonishes individuals, respond to accidents and provide emergency first-aid.
Coordinates crime scene control and conduct investigations, including search area for suspects or evidence. Investigation will include duties such as interview, interrogations, identification of witnesses and victims, obtain case numbers and background information from dispatch or the computer.
Promote community policing by communicating with merchants regarding potential problems in the area; explain to citizen laws, ordinances and their rights in resolving disputes; attends community meetings and participates in community-based programs.
Pursue and apprehend suspects and communication with partner to coordinate chase.
Restore order, protect life and property, and maintain the peace at public gatherings and in conflict situations.
Prepare and document cases, complete reports and records, and maintain other applicable logs and records.
Prepare and participate in planned events; stands and direct traffic at accident scenes, demonstrations, control crowds and cooperate with city and state agencies to secure area at planned event or crime scene.
Prepare for and attend court, review reports and other related documents; testify in court include meeting with the Assistant District Attorney to discuss cases.
Participate in special details and assignments.
Provide information, directions and other services and assistance to the public.
May serve as a field training officer.
Perform related duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements for Application

Any combination of education and experience that is equivalent to the following minimum qualifications is acceptable:

Education:
Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade or High School graduate or G.E.D.

Experience:
Police Officer candidates must meet at least one of the requirements below:
Have been employed as a police officer for at least one (1) year in a law enforcement agency within the last thirty-six (36) months and possess a current basic California P.O.S.T. Certificate.

Applicants who meet and are successful in the completion of the Basic Course Waiver Process administered by California P.O.S.T.

Applicants who successfully completed a California Basic P.O.S.T. approved academy within the past twenty-four (24) months from date of application.

Preference may be given to candidates with two years of patrol experience who are currently employed as a peace officer by a California agency and have passed their probationary period with their current employer.

LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE / OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

License -Individuals who are appointed to this position will be required to maintain a valid California Driver's License throughout the tenure of employment.

Training - Applicants must successfully complete all OPD Training and the Field Training Officer program.

Bilingual Skills - The City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department actively seek individuals with highly desirable bilingual skills. Bilingual skills in Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin are highly desirable.

Additional Qualifications - Applicants must be 21 years of age or older at the time of hire.

Applicants may not have any felony convictions.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legally eligible to work in the U.S. and have applied for citizenship.

Must pass a background investigation.

Compliance with department medical and psychological standards.

KNOWLEDGE & ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

Basic law enforcement terminology and concepts.
Technique for dealing with people of all socio-economic levels under hostile and emergency situations.

Ability to:

Observe and accurately recall places, names, descriptive characteristics and facts of incidents.
Remain calm and control own emotion in stressful situations.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
Read, interpret and apply complex laws, procedures and policies.
Make rapid, sound independent judgments within legal and procedural guidelines.
Prepare clear and concise reports, records and other written materials.
Understand and follow oral and written directions.
Learn principles, practices, procedures, laws and ordinances, terminology and operation of equipment used in law enforcement and crime prevention and investigation.
Perform physically demanding tasks for extended periods of time includes: run, bend, stretch, twist or reach out with the body, arms or legs.

Supplemental Information

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. Candidates must achieve a scale score of 70 or more on each stage of the examination in order to continue in the selection process and to achieve placement on the eligibility list. Scoring is based on Section 4.10 of the Personnel Manual of the Civil Service Board. The examination will be conducted in accordance with the Current Memorandum of Understanding.

The Selection Process

The selection process for Police Officer Lateral includes an oral interview involving hypothetical situations, a physical ability test, a polygraph examination and/or computer voice-stress analysis (CVSA), a background investigation, and a medical and psychological evaluation. Please note that the City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process based on administrative considerations, legal requirements, or business/operational necessity.

Stage I: The first stage in the selection process is the completion of an employment application, supplemental questionnaire, a copy of a current California Basic POST Certificate, and a copy of a passing score (320 and maximum 14 minutes on the 1.5 mile run) on the WSTB Physical Agility Test from South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium (https://www.eventbrite.com/o/wstb-physical-agility-tests-12069656292). Applications received without all of the required documents will be not be considered.

Stage II: Oral Interview Exam. Those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in an oral interview test.

The oral interview is designed to evaluate job-related skills and abilities such as oral communication, interpersonal skills, and judgment. Photo identification will be required at the time of this examination. In addition to general questions, candidates will be presented with hypothetical scenarios and asked to explain how they would respond to each situation.

Candidates who pass the oral board interview will be placed on the eligibility list for further consideration, subject to successful completion of the remaining stages.

Human Resources Management will provide OPD the names of qualified individuals in rank order for further processing. Candidates must earn a scale score of 70 in this examination process to be placed on the eligible list for employment consideration.

Stage III: Background Suitability Assessment. Prior to a conditional job offer, candidates will be assessed for background suitability. During the background investigation, investigators will contact references, friends, family, former and current employers, and other contacts to verify the information provided. Additionally, criminal records, driving records, and credit references will be checked. Applicants may be rejected for background factors at any step of the selection process, and omitting information and/or providing fraudulent information at any stage of the selection process may be grounds for removal from the process. Candidates will be required to submit to a polygraph and/or CVSA examination.

Stage IV: Post-Offer Processing. After a conditional job offer has been made, candidates will be assessed for compliance with department medical and psychological standards. The medical evaluation will include screening for use of illegal drugs. Character-related information discovered during the post-offer stage or failure to pass drug screening may be grounds for revocation of the conditional job offer and removal from hiring consideration. In addition, candidates will be individually evaluated by a City approved Physician based on their ability to meet the physical demands of the position including vision standards.

How to Apply

Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least an hour to submit your application if you are a new user on the system. APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ON-LINE ONLY. You may apply and view current openings by visiting our employment opportunities webpage at: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oaklandca/default.cfm

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library. There are also work stations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Work stations are available during regular business hours (normally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

Our on-line application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.

You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at (510) 238-3112 for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system.

You may also contact the Recruiting and Background Investigations Unit if you would like to speak to an Oakland Police Department Recruiter at: (510) 238-3339

Exam Dates:

TBD

The City of Oakland is an EEO/ADA Employer.

City of Oakland

Police Officer (PERS) - Lateral

The Position

Examples of Duties

Minimum Requirements for Application

Supplemental Information