Police Recruit - T10010

Police Recruit is the City's entry-level law enforcement position. After completing the Police Academy, Police Recruits are promoted to Police Officer I, $4973 a month maximum, and assigned to the Patrol Division. After one year, Police Officers I receive a $900 annual uniform allowance. Bilingual pay (3.5% of base pay) is provided to qualified officers, if skills are required. Police Officers may work a 4 day/10 hour, rotating shift work schedule, depending on assignment.

GENERAL: United States citizenship or permanent resident alien who is eligible for and has applied for U.S. citizenship prior to application for employment.

MINIMUM AGE: 20 years of age on the date you apply and take the Written Test; 21 years by date of Academy graduation.

EDUCATION: Graduation from a high school located within the U.S. or a U.S. territory OR passage of the California High School Proficiency Examination or G.E.D. with scores that meet the California standard established by the American Council on Education OR possession of a two or four year degree from an accredited college or university. (Accreditation must be from an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation.) Candidates screened by the Police Department must present proof of education when they submit their Personal History Statement.

LICENSE: A valid California Class C Driver's License, which permits you to drive an automobile, will be required at the time of hire.

TYPING CERTIFICATE: Since Police Officers routinely use laptop computers, an ORIGINAL typing certificate indicating the ability to type at a corrected speed of 30 words per minute on a typewriter or computer keyboard must be submitted during the Police Department’s Background Investigation Process. The certificate must be issued under International Typing Contest Rules and specify the net and gross speed, the number of errors and that the test was five minutes or longer. Certificates specifying more than five errors will not be accepted. Individuals who are serving or have served in City of San Diego job classifications which meet or exceed the minimum typing requirements need not submit a typing certificate. Internet typing tests will not be accepted.

Typing tests are given at, but you are not limited to, the following locations: (Call individual centers for further information.)

• Centre City/Skills Center: (619) 388-4600
• Mid-City Center: (619) 388-4500
• Cesar Chavez Center: (619) 230-2895
• North City Center: (619) 388-1800
• Educational Cultural Complex: (619) 388-4956
• The West City Center: (619) 221-6973
• Palomar College: (760) 744-1150 ext. 2497 (San Marcos Campus) or ext. 8193 (Escondido Campus)

1. If you have not taken the current Police Recruit Written Test (Exam #T2878) or prior Police Recruit Written Test (Exam #T2719) or you have failed the Written Test, you will be provided with an employment application to complete when you take the Written Test (see the attached list of test dates). The test is given on a “first come-first served” basis (i.e., persons will be denied admittance once all available seats are occupied).
2. TEST WAIVER: If you have graduated from a California P.O.S.T. approved Police Academy with a Basic Peace Officer’s Certificate or possess a Basic P.O.S.T. Certificate, you should obtain a Police Recruit Written Test Waiver Application from the City of San Diego Employment Information Center. Attach a copy of your Certificate to your completed application.
3. TEST WAIVER: If you have previously passed the prior Police Recruit Written Test (Exam #T2719) AND have expired from the Police Recruit Eligible List, you should obtain a Police Recruit Written Test Waiver Application from the City of San Diego Employment Information Center. Attach a copy of your Police Recruit Notice of Qualification/Test Results to your completed application.

SCREENING PROCESS: The screening process will initially consist of a Written Test and Physical Ability Test as described below.  (See the attached list of test dates.)

The Written Test consists of multiple-choice questions that measure general aptitudes needed to be a Police Officer. A Study Guide with test taking tips and sample questions is available online at: http://www.sandiego.gov/empopp/pdf/policerecruitstudyguide.pdf. No prior law enforcement knowledge is necessary to pass the test which will include the following factors:

SECTION I will measure the ability to

• Identify and comprehend critical elements of a situation and choose courses of action based on general policies and guidelines.
• Detect similarities and differences between groups of items such as words or numbers.
• Map Reading

SECTION II will measure the ability to...

• Read, comprehend, and interpret factual or technical materials in a variety of written formats.
• Correctly apply fundamentals of English grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, written expression, vocabulary, etc.

There are two pass points for this examination. Candidates must first pass Section II AND then Sections I and II combined to be placed on the eligible list. THIS IS A (PASS / FAIL) TEST; you are not ranked based upon your score.

REEXAMINATION ELIGIBILITY:
If you fail the Police Recruit Written Test, you may retake the written test the following month. You are no longer able to retake the test more than one time in the same month.

If you pass the current Written Test (#T2878) you cannot reapply until you have expired from the Police Recruit eligible list. When you are eligible to reapply, you should first determine if you are eligible for a waiver of the Written Test.

PHYSICAL ABILITY TEST: Persons who pass the Written Test will be scheduled for the Physical Ability Test which is a 500-yard course that simulates a suspect chase and measures a variety of physical abilities necessary in police work. The test requires candidates to: dodge low hanging objects; climb ladders and stairs; run around pylons; jump, step and/or climb over 3, 4, and 6-foot fences; and partially lift and drag a 155 pound "simulated victim". THIS IS A QUALIFYING ONLY (PASS/FAIL) TEST.

ELIGIBLE LIST: All candidates who meet the minimum requirements and either pass the Written Test or are approved to waive the Written Test, will be placed on an elilgible  one category eligible list which will be in effect for two years.

PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT: Successful candidates must submit a Personal History Statement to the Police Department. Information regarding this step of the process will be provided to candidates at a later date.

NOTE: Individuals, who are placed on the eligible list and are being evaluated by the Police Department for employment, must successfully pass the following prior to hire:

MEDICAL EXAMINATION: Candidates must pass a comprehensive medical examination that meets City of San Diego and/or P.O.S.T. guidelines before being hired. Vision requirements vary depending upon the corrective measures employed. (See the attached for details on vision and hearing requirements.)

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Any employment offer is conditional pending the results of all pre-employment screening processes required for the job, which may include, but are not limited to the following: confirmation of citizenship/legal right to work in the United States; completion of a pre-employment medical review/exam (which may include drug/alcohol testing); reference checks; background investigation; polygraph examination; psychological evaluation, Department of Motor Vehicles record check, and a fingerprint check. The fingerprints will be submitted to the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a conviction record report. All of these processes must be successfully completed before employment begins. Note: Misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of pertinent facts in any step of the screening/selection process may be cause for disqualification or termination of employment.