POLICE OFFICER RECRUIT - ACADEMY SPONSORED: $39.69 HOURLY
CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: $39.69 HOURLY
About the Position:
Are you searching for something more than a job? Are you ready to serve your community through a challenging and rewarding career in policing with an agency that offers personal and professional development ? If so, we invite you to read on.
The City of Grand Junction sponsors the Police Officer Recruit while he or she completes the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Certified Basic Academy program through CMU Tech in Grand Junction, CO. After successful completion of the POST Academy, Officers are moved to a 16-week Field Training Officer (FTO) Program with the Grand Junction Police Department. Upon successful completion of the FTO Program, recruits are released to solo patrol as a Sworn Police Officer.
What We Offer :
- Full-time, $39.69/hr. paid training while attending the POST Academy, and during FTO training
- 100% paid tuition, books, uniforms, and supplies
- Full benefits
We know that a healthy and happy workforce is a thriving workforce, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports quality work-life balance, including 32 days of paid annual leave to be used for personal and/or sick days, as well as 11 paid holidays, health insurance options, employer-matched retirement, a City employee health clinic, a City employee day care center, wellness program, and an Employee Assistance Program. Of equal importance, we offer an opportunity to serve the community you love and live in. Our employees find their work rewarding and fulfilling, knowing that their day job makes a positive impact.
About the Grand Junction Police Department:
At the Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD), we are committed to enhancing community safety, reducing fear of crime, and elevating the quality of life through partnerships and innovative policing initiatives. The GJPD provides a full range of high-quality policing services found in few departments our size including traffic unit, investigations, K-9, bomb squad, crime lab, university campus policing, SWAT team , drug task force and other collateral assignments.
What You'll Do:
As a Recruit -
- Attend, participate, and successfully complete a POST certified police academy.
- Pass all required classes, scenarios, physical training, and other assigned duties and tasks
As a GJPD Police Officer –
- Patrol assigned areas within City limits
- Respond to radio dispatch calls for investigation of breaches of the peace and citizen complaints
- Perform preliminary and initial investigations at scenes
- Prepare citations and summonses
- Make arrests and transport individuals
- Appear in court to offer testimony relative to the investigation of incidents
- Prepare a variety of reports and records
- Offer assistance to citizens
Click to view the full Police Officer Job Description
This position is a safety sensitive position, which means you will be subject to random drug screens due to the nature of the work performed.
What We're Looking For:
- Good physical condition
- Minimum of 21 years of age, as of date of hire
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Possession of, or ability to obtain, valid Colorado driver license
- Good moral character (past criminal activity may be disqualifying – see notice below)
- Ability to work a variety of shifts, including weekends and holidays
Notice to Applicants:
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, we kindly request that you do not include the dates of your education to include years of attendance or graduation on your application, resume or attachments.
Testing Process:
- Telephone Interview
- Ride A-Long
- Physical Ability Test
- Written Exercise
- Oral Board Interview
- Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA)
- Fingerprints/Background Investigation
- Suitability Evaluation
- Executive Interview
Pre-employment drug, medical, and psychological evaluation screening
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Recruitment Timeline:
*Please note that each step is contingent upon successful completion of the prior step. This is a tentative timeline that is subject to change.
Phone interviews will start the week of July 20, 2026, the last week of phone interviews will be August 10, 2026.
- Physical ability testing will take place on August 3rd and August 31st.
Oral board interviews will take place August 3rd-August 6th and August 31st-September 2nd.
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Testing weeks include physical ability testing, written exercise, oral board interviews, suitability interviews and testing, fingerprinting and Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA).
Executive interview dates tentatively scheduled the week of October 26th.
- All final offers for the January 2027 Academy, will be tentatively extended no later than November 25, 2026 (earlier applicants could receive final offers prior to this date.)
Important Notice:
During the course of the application and hiring process, you will be asked to disclose information about your past activities. The below list of critical admissions, which may be cause for disqualification from employment with the Grand Junction Police Department, is provided to Background Investigators, Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) Technicians, and others involved in the recruitment process. It is important that you be completely honest and forthright about this history. While a critical admission may or may not disqualify an applicant from a job, discovery of misleading or deceitful information provided by the applicant is immediate cause for disqualification.
- Any felony investigation or conviction
- Any conviction for a crime of violence, specifically assaults, domestic violence, etc.
- Any conviction for a "hate crime" such as ethnic intimidation
- Perjury conviction
- Any theft conviction regardless of value of item
- Theft from current employer or a previous employer
- Drug use (including marijuana) and/or current alcohol abuse
- An alcohol or drug conviction including but not limited to DUI/DWAI, depending on recency
- Hit and run accident conviction
- Being under or having been under driving restraint, cancelation, suspension or revocation of driving privileges in Colorado or any other state
Please note: The listed critical admissions are not the exclusive basis for disqualification. The City reserves the right to disqualify any applicant who may or may not have any one or all of the foregoing admissions. If you have specific questions or circumstances, you may contact the Human Resources office at 970-244-1512 or GJPD Recruiting at 970-549-JOBS.
City Employee Health Clinic:
The City is committed to supporting the health and well-being of employees and their families. Our near-site Sage Health & Wellness Center offers free or low-cost healthcare services for employees and dependents enrolled in a City health plan. Services include preventive care, health assessments and coaching, treatment for common illnesses, lab services, physical therapy, a medical massage therapist, and behavioral health counseling. The clinic also offers wellness programs, challenges, and classes that empower employees and their families to stay healthy and thrive.
Explore the Area:
Grand Junction, Colorado, is the key access point to the mountains and canyonlands of western Colorado and eastern Utah. Centrally located between Denver, CO (250 miles east) and Salt Lake City, UT (270 miles west), Grand Junction was named for the convergence of the Gunnison River and Colorado River. Over 1.5 million acres of public lands connect the area’s alpine terrain with the dramatic high desert, nourished by powerful rivers that sustain the vibrant agriculture industry. Opportunities for outdoor adventures are abundant in every season due to the year-round temperate climate. Home to “Nature’s Trifecta,” Grand Junction is surrounded by the Colorado National Monument – a mini-Grand Canyon, Rattlesnake Arches – the second-largest concentration of natural arches in the world, and the Grand Mesa – the largest flat-top mountain in the world. Agritourism, art and history, boutique shopping, and trendy restaurants complement the outdoor recreation scene. With a population over 160,000 in Mesa County (over 70,000 within the City limits), Grand Junction has all the city amenities you expect with a hometown atmosphere that is friendly and comfortable. See Visit Grand Junction for more information.
At the City of Grand Junction, we proudly operate as an Equal Opportunity Employer, purposely building an inclusive workforce representative of various cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We believe in respect for all and do not discriminate based on hair, race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.
If you have any questions or need assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please contact our Human Resources office at 970.244.1512.
