JOB A police officer is tasked with protecting life and property and preserving public peace and order: enforcing Federal, State, and local laws; and controlling and directing vehicular traffic. Performs police work in accordance with departmental policies, rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures and receive assignments and instructions from police officers of higher rank. Work may involve an element of personal danger and employees must be able to act without direct supervision and exercise independent judgment in meeting emergencies. EXAMPLE OF DUTIES This list is not intended to be all-inclusive nor exclusive but is intended to provide examples of typical duties performed.
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Patrols a designated area of the city on foot or in an automobile to protect human life and to preserve law and order, to prevent and discover the commission of crime, to direct traffic as required, to identify and report potential or existing public safety hazards and to enforce traffic and parking regulations.
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Answers calls and complaints involving fire, automobile accidents, felonies, and misdemeanors.
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At the scene of a crime or motor vehicle accident, preserves human life, protects property, controls access to the scene, conducts preliminary investigations, gathers evidence, locates witnesses, obtains statements, makes arrests, composes and writes detailed incident/offense reports, prepares detailed accident investigation reports and testifies as a witness in court.
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Interview persons with complaints and attempts to make proper disposition or direct them to proper authorities.
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Gives general advice on traffic and criminal laws and ordinances and gives general information to the public.
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Employees may be assigned to work on special assignments which call upon specialized abilities and knowledge usually attained through experience as a uniformed Police Officer. Police Officers assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division or specialized units are subject to call 24 hours a day.
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Police Officers may be assigned to work in uniform or plain clothes. Shift schedules and job assignments may be changed periodically to assure the maximum delivery of effective police service.
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Establish and maintain effective work relationship with others.
Competency: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
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Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner.
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Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to customer needs.
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Teamwork - Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Contributes to building a positive team spirit.
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Leadership - Inspires respect and trust.
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Ethics - Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.
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Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures.
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Accountability - Takes responsibility for own actions.
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Professionalism - Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position.
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Quality - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Supervisory Responsibilities: This job has no supervisory responsibilities.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; work in high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; risk of electrical shock and work with explosives. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100+ pounds. Employee must be able to affect an arrest, forcibly if necessary, using handcuffs and other restraints. Perform tasks which require lifting, carrying, or dragging people or heavy objects while performing arrest, rescue, or general patrol functions. Use body force to gain entrance through barriers to search, seize, investigate and/or rescue.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Operate an emergency vehicle during both the day and night in emergency and pursuit situations involving speeds in excess of posted limits while exercising due care and caution and in exception to traffic control devices and in congested traffic and in unsafe road conditions and environmental conditions such as fog, smoke, rain, ice, and snow. Conduct visual and audio surveillance for extended periods of time. Pursue fleeing suspects on foot, both day and night, in unfamiliar terrain.
Load, unload, aim and fire handguns, shotguns, and other Department firearms from a variety of body positions in situations that justify the use of deadly force while maintaining emotional control under extreme stress. Subdue resisting subjects using hands and feet while employing defensive tactics maneuvers or approved non-lethal weapons.
While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. Perform searches of persons which involve touching and feeling to detect potential weapons and contraband.
The employee is frequently required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl in confined areas to pursue, search, investigate and/or rescue. Enter and exit vehicles quickly to perform rescue operations, pursue a suspect or answer an emergency call. Climbs over obstacles, climb through openings, jump down from elevated surfaces, jump over obstacles, ditches and streams; and crawl in confined areas to pursue, search, investigate and/or rescue. Conduct searches of buildings and large outdoor areas which may involve walking and/or standing for long periods of time and which requires the ability to distinguish color and perceive shapes.
Perform law enforcement patrol functions while working rotating shifts and unanticipated overtime.
Pre-Employment Testing: All applicants must meet the State of Alabama Minimum Standards requirements, City of Pelham, and the Pelham Police Department requirements for Police Officers.
The physical abilities test are designed to measure an applicant’s ability to perform satisfactorily at the Training Academy and on the State’s Minimum Standards test. The physical abilities test includes such tasks as:
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Push a car 15ft
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Scale 6ft fence
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Crawl through a 2' x 2' window opening
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Walk on a balance beam 5 yards
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Drag a 165lb dummy 5 yards
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22 Pushups (within 1 minute)
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25 Sit ups (within 1 minute)
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Run 1 ½ miles (within 15 minutes and 28 seconds)
Pushing a car, scaling a fence, crawling through a window opening, walking on a balance beam, and dragging a dummy must all be completed within 90 seconds total. The 22 pushups, 25 sit-ups, and 1.5-mile run are individual timed events with a 20-minute break between each of them.
