Police Officer - Lateral

Police Officer - Lateral

Current Base Salary: $102,606.40 - $124,779.20 annually (+2% COLA in July 2027)

In addition to a competitive salary, CalPERS Retirement and a generous benefits package this position offers opportunities for special assignments including K9, Hostage Negotiation, FTO, Traffic Motorcycle Officers, SRO, Gang Enforcement Team, Investigations and SWAT. There are also opportunities for career advancement and department funded training opportunities.

Hiring Bonus and Incentives:

$10,000 signing bonus upon successful hiring process

$5,000 upon completion of probationary period

$10,000 upon completion of three years of service

Vacation accrual rate that matches the total years of service as a Police Officer

A bank of 40 hours of sick leave at the time of hire

A bank of 80 hours of vacation leave upon successful completion of the Field Training Program

Lateral Applicant Requirements

To be considered as a lateral applicant you must:

Be currently employed as a peace officer in good standing by a California-authorized jurisdiction.

Have successfully completed your Field Training program in your current agency.

Must possess Basic P.O.S.T. certification.

Special Pays

Uniform Pay: 1.5% of Step 5 of Police Officer annual salary

POST Certificate Pay: 5% for POST Intermediate Certificate, 7% for POST Advanced or Supervisory Certificates.

Bilingual Pay: up to $200 per month

Field Training Officer, Traffic Officer, Detective, K-9 Officer: 5% as assigned

SWAT: 2.5% as assigned

Shift Differential: 3% if assigned to swing shift, 5% if assigned to graveyard shift

Longevity Pay: 5% after 5 years, 10% after 8 years, 12.5% after 15 years of service with the City

Benefits

CalPERS Retirement: 3% at 55 for "classic" members, 2.7% at 57 for new members.

CalPERS Health Program: City pays 95% of Bay Area Kaiser rate premium for employee and eligible dependents

Dental/Vision/EAP/Life/LTD Insurance: paid 100% by City

Holiday Pay: 156 hours per year

Sick Leave: earn 96 hours per year with unlimited accrual

Compensatory Time Off Bank: earn hours at 1.5 times actual hours worked up to 240 hours

Vacation Time: earn 80-200 hours per year depending on years of service as a Police Officer

Cash in Lieu of Medical/Dental Benefits: receive 50% of Kaiser Bay Area premium and Dental premium as cash payment (with proof of other insurance for employee and eligible dependents)

Paid Parental Leave – up to 8 weeks (or equivalent hours) of paid time for qualifying family bonding

For more information regarding the benefits associated with this position, visit our website and look at the Memorandum of Understanding and Employee Benefits.

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A City that Works for Everyone

Our City has an enormous amount of civic pride which celebrates multiple approaches and points of view. When we say we are a City that Works for Everyone we mean everyone. To do that well, we’re creating a workforce that is inclusive and listens to the multitude of voices and views of our employees. Diversity is an integral part of our organizational identity. Inclusion is the way we treat and perceive our differences. Equity is treating all our employees fairly and acknowledging that everyone has value. This drives our innovation, motivation and connects us even closer to our community.

Police Department

Petaluma Police Department is dedicated to providing the best law enforcement services to the community and it prides itself on community involved programs. Petaluma has a population of approximately 59,000 and encompasses nearly 13 square miles situated 40 miles north of San Francisco Bay Area on U.S. 101, and 30 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. The Police Department staffing includes 84.5 full time employees, including one Chief, one Deputy Chief, four Lieutenants, nine Sergeants, forty-seven Officers, and other support staff. In addition, the department has three K-9 Officers, Traffic Unit, Motorcycle Patrol, SWAT Team, Investigations Unit, FTO Program, and Reserve Community Service Officer Program (Volunteer). The Petaluma Police Department is proactive in Community Oriented Policing Philosophy.

Summary

Perform a wide variety of peace officer duties involving the protection of life and property, enforcement of laws and ordinan­ces, criminal investigation, crime prevention and suppression, case preparation and testimony, and provision of information and assistance to the public; perform special assignments in areas such as traffic patrol, K-9 program, and gang detail.

Class Characteristics

General supervision is provided by the Police Sergeant; responsibilities may include the indirect supervision of officers and/or support staff.

This is the working level class in law enforcement, performing all duties required to effectively respond to and resolve the normal scope of peace officer situations. Incumbents may be assigned to patrol, traffic, juvenile, crime pre­vention or other police-related functions. This class is distinguished from uniformed civilian police-related classes by the responsibility and authority associated with designation as a sworn peace officer under the laws of the state. It is further distinguished from the Police Sergeant class in that the latter is a first-line supervisor responsible for assigned officers and other support staff.