Police Officer-1

Compensation Range

Please note: This job opening may close earlier than the stated date, due to high candidate volume. If interested, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Who We Are:

At the High Point Police Department, we are committed to protecting our city and building relationships with our community. Our team includes over 300 officers and professional staff who are passionate about serving others.

As a proactive, data-driven agency, we take pride in being nationally recognized for excellence. Our department offers some of the finest in-house training in the country, along with numerous opportunities for growth, development, and career advancement.

A rewarding career awaits you here. Join our team and play a vital role in keeping High Point a safe place to live, work, and visit.

What We Offer:

The High Point Police Department offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. We also offer generous benefit package for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed monthly pension upon retirement, vested after 5 years of service

• 401K and 457B Retirement Plans

• Paid Vacation and Sick Time

• Paid Holidays

• Tuition Reimbursement Plan

• Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans effective day one

What You'll Do:

Essential Tasks & Responsibilities:

• Effects arrests using handcuffs and other restraints.  Subdues resisting suspects using approved maneuvers and tactics when necessary. Incorporates the use of force based on a suspect's level of resistance, up to and including deadly force. 

• Prepares a variety of reports, including investigative and technical.  Incorporates sketches, uses appropriate grammar, symbols, and mathematical computations.

• Exercises independent judgment in determining when there is reasonable suspicion to detain, when probable cause exists to search and arrest, and when force may be used and to what degree.

• Operates a law enforcement vehicle during both the day and night under conditions including emergencies.  This may involve speeds above posted limits, in congested traffic, and unsafe road conditions caused by factors such as fog, smoke, rain, ice, and snow.

• Communicates effectively and coherently over law enforcement radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications.

• Gathers information in criminal investigations by interviewing and obtaining the statements of victims, witnesses, and suspects.

• Pursues fleeing suspects and performs rescue operations which may involve quickly entering and exiting law enforcement patrol vehicles, lifting carrying and dragging heavy objects, climbing over and pulling up oneself over obstacles, jumping down from elevated surfaces, climbing through openings, jumping over obstacles, ditches and streams, crawling in confined areas, balancing on uneven or narrow surfaces and using body force to gain entrance through barriers.

• Loads, unloads, aims, and fires agency-issued firearms under conditions of stress that justify the use of deadly force and at levels of proficiency prescribed in certification standards.  Firearms include both handgun and shotgun.

• Performs searches of people, vehicles, buildings, and large outdoor areas.  Searches may involve feeling and detecting objects and walking for long periods of time.

• Conducts visual and audio surveillance for extended periods of time.

• Engages in law enforcement patrol functions during all shifts.  Responding to radio and computer-dispatched calls for service.  Being proactive in crime deterrence and prevention by remaining vigilant and aware of frequently violated statutes. 

• Communicates effectively with all people by giving information and directions, mediating disputes, and advising of rights and processes.

• Demonstrates communication skills in court proceedings and other formal settings.

• Detects and collects evidence and substances that provide the basis of criminal offenses and infractions and that indicate the presence of dangerous conditions.

• Endures verbal and mental abuse when confronted with the hostile views and opinions of suspects and other people encountered in an antagonistic environment.

• Performs rescue functions at accidents, emergencies and disasters to include administering emergency medical aid, lifting, dragging and carrying people away from dangerous situations and securing and evacuating people from particular areas.

• Processes and transports prisoners and committed mental patients using handcuffs and other appropriate restraints.

• Puts on and operates a gas mask in situations where chemical munitions are being deployed.

• Extinguishes small fires by using a fire extinguisher and other appropriate means.

• Reads and comprehends legal and non-legal documents, including the preparation and processing of documents such as citations, affidavits, and warrants.

• Processes arrestees to include photographs and obtaining fingerprint impressions.

• Ensures that all law enforcement work is performed in accordance with OSHA and City Safety Standards and Policies.

Qualifications:

• You will remain a probationary employee of the City until you are performing your job functions in a solo capacity. This could be up to 24 months from your date of hire.
• Ability to perform ALL of the essential tasks listed above, unassisted, and at a pace and level consistent with job performance requirements, including the Physical & Mental Qualifications below.

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent, with formal education to include basic arithmetic and/or business math.
• Valid North Carolina driver’s license or valid license from another state, with the ability to obtain a North Carolina license.
• Must be able to lift 100 pounds.
• The ability to successfully complete Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) and meet state requirements for Basic Law Enforcement certification and North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training and Standards Commission.

PHYSICAL & MENTAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Personal Characteristics
  • Due to the responsibilities of law enforcement, candidates must demonstrate a documented history of integrity, reliability, sound financial management, and effective interpersonal skills. These characteristics are essential to ensure the public's trust and to mitigate the risk of unethical behavior, including favoritism, corruption, or improper financial gain. Evidence of these traits may be verified through background investigations, credit reports, reference checks, and prior employment history.

• In addition, law enforcement duties often involve exposure to high-stress situations and physically demanding tasks. Therefore, documented histories of certain physical or mental health conditions may be considered in relation to the essential functions of the position. Applicants who present a verified risk to their own safety, the safety of others, or the ability to perform job duties may be deemed unqualified during the selection process.

• Reasoning Ability:
  • Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to work tasks and practical situations and requests made by supervisors or members of the public; to comprehend and respond to a variety of situations in an expedient manner, possibly under emergency and dangerous conditions. 
  • Good judgment is essential as often officers must make a split-second decision, independent of direct supervision, which can mean the difference between life and death.

• Mathematical Ability

• Using Arithmetic: Ability to use basic arithmetic to determine distance measurements, speed, monetary values, etc.

• Language Ability:
  • Read: Ability to read manuals, instructions, directions, report information, car license tags, driver's licenses, ordinances, rules and regulations, street names and signs, and other documents relating to the functions of law enforcement.
  • Write: Ability to write figures, take statements, and make detailed reports of crimes and other police related incidents.
  • Speak: Ability to be conversant in voice and diction so as to participate in discussions with other employees and the public while remaining polite and courteous. Must sometimes be forceful in providing direction and direct orders related to the enforcement of laws and safety regulations.

• Physical Demands (Strength):
  • Medium to Heavy: Employee will be required to exert various amounts of force to restrain a person or persons, depending on the size(s), weight(s) and condition(s) of the person(s). Physical demand requirements are varied with the different tasks. 
  • Work requires running, walking, standing, climbing, bending, stooping, jumping, lifting, carrying, dragging, pulling, pushing, reaching, grasping, kneeling, crawling, balancing and sitting. 
  • There is significant use of hands, arms, feet and legs.

• Manual Dexterity:

• Reaching, Handling, and Fingering: (Reaching - Extending the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction, but normally to the front or side). (Handling - Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand or hands (fingering not involved). (Fingering - Picking, pinching, or otherwise working with fingers primarily (rather than the whole hand or arm as in handling).

• Communication Abilities:
  • Talking - Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken word.
  • Hearing - Perceiving the nature of sounds by ear.
     
• Visual Abilities:
  • Seeing: The ability to perceive the nature of objects by the eye. Recommended guidelines for vision are:
    • Acuity, far - Clarity of vision at 20 feet or more. Must be able to see surrounding terrain, people, vehicles, buildings, vehicle license tag numbers, etc., from a distance.
    • Both eyes 20/22 - R 20/25 - L 20/25 corrected
    • Acuity, near - Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less. Must be able to see suspects, locks, paperwork, and documents near at hand. 
    • Both eyes 20/25 corrected. 
    • Depth Perception - Three-dimensional vision.
      Ability to judge distance and space relationships so as to see objects where and as they actually are. Essential to the performance of duties.
    • Field of Vision - Area that can be seen up and down or to right or left while eyes are fixed on a given point.
      Must be able to see activities going on around him/her while looking at a certain object/article/person.
    • Color Vision - Ability to identify and distinguish colors.
      Important in identifying people and vehicles.

• Environmental Conditions 
  • Physical Surroundings
    • Subject to Outside Environmental Conditions: Exposed to the various weather conditions and temperatures. 
    • Required to work in extremely hot weather and extremely cold weather as well as in rain, sleet, snow, ice, fog, smoke, and windstorms. 
  • Hazards
    • Hazards are associated with the enforcement of local, state, and federal laws and in the protection of lives and property. 
• Machines, Tools, Equipment, and Work

• Motor vehicle, various firearms, restraining devices, flashlight, fingerprinting equipment, cameras, Intoximeter, Speed Measuring Instruments, bicycles, handheld two-way communications radio, telephone, copier, recording devices, pens, pencils, manuals, City of High Point Personnel Resolution, rules and regulations, ordinances, standard operating procedures, and High Point Police Department General Orders. 

• Training:

• Successful completion of Basic Law Enforcement Training followed by at least 16 weeks of Field Training for new officers.

Our Commitments

The City of High Point is dedicated to fostering a work environment that values individuals from all backgrounds and seeks to attract and retain the most qualified partners in service to the citizens of High Point. As an at-will employer, the City allows employees to terminate their employment, or be terminated at any time, with or without cause, as long as it is not prohibited by law. 

The City of High Point is committed to classifying and compensating its employees fairly for the work they do, weighing both the internal capabilities and the external market. While the job description is not intended to and does not create a contract of employment, we are excited to use this “living document” as a guide for managing performance and positions to ensure job descriptions are reflective of the current work required by the incumbent or expected by any candidate to whom an offer of employment is extended. 

The City of High Point is committed to providing a safe, comfortable working environment for all employees. To that end, we are proud to comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, as well as make reasonable accommodations to candidates and employees as we are able in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Candidates selected for employment must undergo (a.) a drug screening, in accordance with the City’s drug and alcohol policy and (b.) a background screening to determine whether there is any current, pending, or previous charge, conviction or other infraction deemed incompatible with service in the capacity for which the candidate is being hired. In lieu of or in addition to background screening, candidates selected for employment in a position that requires working with children in any capacity must be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal history record check conducted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Certain positions are considered so critical to the health and safety of others that a candidate cannot be placed in any such position without passing a pre-placement physical exam. The City offers employment to successful candidates conditioned upon the City’s receipt of satisfactory results from all required screenings, checks, and exams, as applicable.