Job Description

General Summary:

The work of a commissioned Police Officer involves responsibility for the protection of life and property, prevention of crime, apprehension of criminals, and the general enforcement of laws and ordinances. Law Enforcement work does involve an element of personal danger. The Officer must be able to exercise sound independent judgment under stress. Work assignments may be general or specific and instructions are received from a supervisor who reviews work methods and results through reports, personal inspection, and discussion.

WORK CHARACTERISTICS AND CONDITIONS

Scheduling:

Police Officer positions can involve regular and irregular shift work and shift rotations necessary to provide police services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year (weekends and holidays included). Depending on the work assignment shifts can be eight (8) or twelve (12) hours in duration but may be extended in the event of emergency, disaster, manpower shortage, workload or work in progress.

Environmental Factors:

Police Officer positions involve exposure to and the ability to function in the presence of the following:

  • Inclement weather, to include extreme heat/cold, rain, snow, wind, etc.;
  • Light conditions associated with day, night and indoor/outdoor conditions;
  • Fire, smoke, chemical leaks/spills – as close proximity as necessary to provide emergency services;
  • Personal danger, including but not limited to:
  • Armed and/or dangerous persons/animals.
  • Persons and/or articles with contagious/communicable diseases;
  • Hazards associated with emergency driving, traffic control and working in and around traffic;
  • Hazards associated with natural and man-made disasters.

Infectious Diseases:

Because Police Officers may be called upon in adverse conditions to come into physical contact with others, the City will not knowingly expose citizens or other employees to an employee infected with a contagious disease that poses a direct threat to others.  Decisions regarding infectious diseases will be based on reasonable medical judgments given the state of medical knowledge about:

  • The nature of the risk (how the disease is transmitted);
  • The duration of the risk (how long the carrier is infectious);
  • The severity of the risk (what is the potential harm to third parties);
  • The probability that the disease would be transmitted and that it will cause varying degrees of harm will be considered.

Physical Abilities:

Motor Skills and Flexibility:

The police officer position requires the employee to have and maintain the physical and mental ability to:

  • React and move rapidly from a sedentary to active condition in response to environmental situations or events;
  • Assume a variety of bodily positions and postures necessary to employ available “cover and concealment” during a deadly force encounter;
  • Respond to a physical attack and possess the ability to escape the attacker and/or summon aid;
  • Operate and qualify with department authorized or issued firearms, utilizing both hands, as well as each individually;
  • Operate office equipment, such as telephones, audio/visual devices, computer or workstation keyboards, calculators, and security locking systems;
  • Operate all equipment necessary for performing routine daily assignments, apprehending and processing criminals, and conducting both criminal and traffic-related investigations;
  • Operate/utilize all department vehicle-mounted equipment whether in a mobile or stationary mode;
  • Perform required duties for extended periods of time while exposed to adverse conditions, including time worked in excess of the normal daily duty shift and rotating shift work;
  • Apprehend suspects to the extent of engaging in foot pursuits while summoning assistance and/or engaging in the necessary use of force;
  • Discern colors as they are applied in traffic safety situations (electric signals, signing, hazardous materials placards, vehicle and clothing descriptions, etc.);
  • Adequately judge distances and estimate speed;
  • See, read and recognize obstacles in a variety of normal and/or emergency environments.  Have a vision that is correctable to “department vision” standards;
  • Determine or estimate the point of origin of noise;
  • Recognize and relate sound to situations based on frequencies or voice inflection within the normal range of human hearing;
  • Employ the normal senses of touch and smell.

Communicative Skills:

The police officer position further requires the employee to have and maintain the physical and mental condition needed to:

  • Speak, read and write legibly the English language in a clear, understandable fashion;
  • Reasonably identify and display basic non-verbal communications (body language);
  • Effectively relate to or communicate with a variety of personality types during interpersonal contacts.

Judgment and Decision Making Ability:

The police officer position further requires the employee to have and maintain the physical and mental condition needed to: 

  • Comprehend and implement verbal and written instructions;
  • Apply reasoning skills when confronted with circumstances requiring discretionary decisions;
  • Establish priorities and construct subsequent plans when investigating incidents or events;
  • Formulate and carry out an appropriate course of action for a given situation for which no specific rule or procedure has been established;
  • Apply theory based instruction or training to actual incidents and situations;
  • Handle situations firmly, courteously, tactfully and impartially;
  • Retain and retrieve information furnished in the form of bulletins, verbal reports, training keys, etc;
  • Be capable of receiving and giving instructions.

Emotional and Psychological Stability:

The police officer position requires the employee to have the emotional and psychological stability required to:

  • Cope with and perform day to day duties under the principles of discipline;
  • Maintain self control when receiving constructive criticism and/or being ridiculed;
  • Continue performing all required tasks at a professional level when faced with unpleasant circumstances;
  • Perform police duties without dependence on alcohol and/or narcotics;
  • Deal effectively with the morbid, the macabre, the repugnant, the abnormal, the morose, the psychotic, the neurotic and the otherwise unpleasant or unusual facets or results of human behavior.

Acceptable Qualifications:

In addition to each item listed above, the applicant must be a minimum of 21 years of age and no older than 45 years of age. The applicant must possess a high school diploma or GED. The applicant must be able to pass the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System's medical standards, pass all psychological examinations required by the department and successfully complete state certification.