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Salary: $40.06 – $52.45 Hourly
Location: Various – Seattle area, Washington
Job Type: Uniform Civil Service, Regular, Full-Time
Shift: Variable
Department: Seattle Police Department – Civil Service
Bargaining Unit: Not represented
Closing Date 08/24/22 05:00 PM Pacific Time
Position Description:
The Seattle Police Department is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in its workforce.
****Please read the entire job bulletin information carefully, as our testing process has changed****
EXAMINATION PROCESS
Each candidate is responsible for understanding all of the requirements for successful participation in this exam cycle. To accomplish this, it is very important for candidates to thoroughly read this entire job bulletin.
In order to be considered for a Police Officer job opportunity with the Seattle Police Department, candidates must complete a number of exams. Candidates who pass all portions of the exam will be placed on an eligible list according to their exam scores. Candidates will be informed of their final score and ranking on the eligible list by approximately August 31, 2022.
The initial exam process used to establish a list of eligible candidates will be administered by the National Testing Network (NTN) in partnership with the Fire & Police Exams Unit at the Seattle Department of Human Resources. Please read the section titled “Exam Application Information” below to learn about the process for scheduling your exam. The testing windows for this exam cycle are listed below in the section titled “Exam Dates”. The City of Seattle reserves the right to halt the acceptance of applications for this exam cycle if/when capacity is reached to conduct the pre-employment assessment steps.
Preference Points
If applicable, candidates may have preference points added to their passing exam scores for military experience, multilingual abilities, prior work experience with the City of Seattle, and prior service as a Police Reserve in the Seattle Police Department. Applicants who are proficient in more than one language may request to be tested for multilingual proficiency (after passing initial exams and the physical agility test). All preference points will be evaluated granted in accordance with Rules 9.17-9.20 of the City of Seattle’s Public Safety Civil Service Commission.
The role of the Fire and Police Exams Unit in the Seattle Department of Human Resources is to oversee the initial exam process, establish an eligible list, and upon request by the Seattle Police Department, certify candidates from the eligible list. The Police Department will directly contact and schedule eligible candidates for all of the remaining steps in the pre-employment screening process.
The Seattle Police Department makes all hiring decisions after a pre-employment selection process, which includes a background investigation, additional interviews, physical agility exam, and psychological and medical exams.
Immediately upon successfully completing the Physical Agility Test administered by the Seattle Police Department, all candidates will be required to submit a Personal History Information Packet . This packet is available as a download on the Seattle Police Department “Careers and Opportunities” webpage. You are required to submit the Personal History Information Packet on the day you take the Physical Ability Test. The information and documentation required to complete the Personal History Information Packet is extensive and applicants are encouraged to review the packet and begin collecting the required data in advance of taking the video exam.
POSITION DESCRIPTION/QUALIFICATIONS
The Seattle Police Department is seeking individuals committed to understanding and protecting the ethical, cultural and ethnic values of the City of Seattle and its residents as Police Officers. As first responders, Police Officers are vital to public safety and under regular supervision, perform basic police services in accordance with the mission, goals and objectives of the City of Seattle Police Department and in compliance with governing federal, state, and local laws. Entry Level Police Officer describes a candidate with no prior law enforcement experience and those who have completed a self-sponsored academy and have not worked as a commissioned officer/deputy for a law enforcement agency. Exceptional Entry Police Officer describes a candidate who has successfully completed a basic law enforcement academy and FTO, but who does not have the required 24 months of full-time service as a law enforcement officer in the last 36 months in order to qualify as a lateral applicant. Exceptional Entry Police Officer candidates must test with the entry-level candidates, and are not eligible to take the Lateral entry exam. Exceptional Entry candidates must identify themselves as such by sending an e-mail to the Police Exams Administrator upon completion of their application.
Job Responsibilities:
Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations. Explains laws and police procedures to residents.
Operates a patrol car. Patrols city streets, areas and businesses to deter criminal activity and promote public safety.
Investigates conditions hazardous to life or property; conducts initial investigations of crime and crime scenes; may assist detectives in criminal investigation work. Conducts search and seizure activities as appropriate. Collects and preserves crime scene and evidence.
Arrests and/or detains suspected violators of the law. Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
Records facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
Render aid to accident victims and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
Transports individuals in custody.
Presents evidence and testimony in judicial settings.
The City of Seattle provides police service 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Shift work, including nights, weekends, and holidays, is required.
Qualifications:
Eligibility Standards:
Be at least twenty and half (20.5) years of age.
Hold United States citizenship, OR have legal permanent residency in the U.S.
Attained a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency (GED).
Individuals may not have been discharged from military service under dishonorable conditions.
Applicants must meet all eligibility standards by the date of participation in the exam process.
Minimum Employment Standards:
The following standards apply to all candidates for Police Officer.
Drug Use. Prior to the exam date:
Have not used Marijuana within twelve(12) months prior to taking civil service exam, and
Have not used cocaine or crack within the previous five (5) years, and
Have not used club drugs, such as, but not limited to: Ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol, or MDMA (ecstasy) within the previous three (3) years, and
Have not used any Hallucinogens, LSD, Mushrooms, or Psylocybin within the previous five (5) years, and
Have not used PCP, Angel Dust, Wet or Phencyclidine within the previous five (5) years, and
Have not used Opium, Morphine, or Heroin within the previous five (5) years, and
Have not used Methamphetamine, Crank, Crystal, Ice, Speed, Glass, or Amphetamine within the previous five (5) years, and
Have not inhaled aerosols, sometimes referred to as Huffing (paint) or Whippits (Nitrous Oxide) or used Khat within the previous five (5) years, and
Have not used any illegal drug(s) while employed in a criminal justice and/or law enforcement capacity, and
Have not manufactured or cultivated illegal drug(s) for the purpose of the sales/marketing of the drug(s).
Please note that use of illegal drugs and the illegal use of prescription drugs, referred to in this standard, means the use of one or more drugs, the possession or distribution of which is unlawful under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
Offers of employment are conditioned upon a pre-employment drug screening to confirm abstinence from illegal drug use.
Traffic Record
A candidate’s driving record will be thoroughly assessed and may be a factor for disqualification. Examples of infractions/traffic crimes that may be disqualifying:
Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), Reckless Driving, or Hit & Run Driving.
Suspension of your driver’s license within five (5) years of the exam date
Three (3) or more moving violations (speeding, negligent driving, etc.) within five (5) years of the exam date will be carefully reviewed.
Two (2) or more accidents within five (5) years of the exam date, wherein candidate was judged to be at fault and/or charged with a moving violation.
Criminal History
A candidate’s criminal history, including all arrests, prosecutions, deferred prosecutions, “Alford” pleas, and non-conviction information will be thoroughly assessed and may be grounds for disqualification. The following will be disqualifying:
Any adult felony conviction.
Any misdemeanor or felony conviction while employed in a criminal justice and/or law enforcement capacity.
Any domestic violence conviction.
Employment Record
A candidate’s employment history, including any terminations, or leaving an employer in lieu of termination, will be thoroughly assessed and may be grounds for disqualification.
Financial Record
A candidate’s credit history, including excessive credit card debt or unresolved accounts in collection will be thoroughly assessed and may be grounds for disqualification. The following will be disqualifying:
Failure to pay income tax or child support.
Professional Appearance
All applicants are expected to maintain a professional appearance at all times. SPD has the sole discretion in determining what is considered professional, as it relates to the position of Police Officer. Any and all tattoos, branding (intentional burning of the skin to create a design), voluntary disfigurement (marring or spoiling of the appearance or shape of a body part), or scarification (intentional cutting of the skin to create a design) shall be carefully reviewed by SPD on a case-by-case basis.
A valid Washington State Driver’s License is required prior to being hired.
Ability to accurately type at least 35 wpm is highly desirable.
Seattle residence is not required for application or appointment.
Job offers are contingent on review of credit, criminal and driving history as well as verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process. Medical, psychological, and polygraph examinations are administered after a conditional offer of employment is made.
Additional Information:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Applications will be screened for employment eligibility by the Seattle Department of Human Resources. Applicants will be informed as to whether or not they are eligible to participate in the testing process.
PLEASE NOTE: Applicants are highly encouraged to review the Seattle Police Department’s “Careers and Opportunities” web pages for further information about the hiring process.
VACANCIES: It is anticipated that approximately 50 to 100 positions will be filled annually, depending on attrition and budget.
****Please read the following information carefully, as our testing process has changed****
EXAM APPLICATION INFORMATION:
Applications for this exam cycle (2022 – Cycle 4) will be accepted during the period of June 24, 2022 through August 24, 2022. Once a completed application is received by the City of Seattle’s Fire & Police Exam Unit and the application is successfully screened, applicants will be contacted via an NTN system e-mail with instructions for how to schedule participation in the NTN Frontline exam process at no cost.
EXAM DATES:
Applicants must be available to participate in all parts of the pre-employment screening process that are listed below. If you apply between June 24, 2022 through August 24, 2022 and successfully complete the first stage of the assessment process (NTN’s Frontline National Exam and Public Safety Self Assessment) by August 26, 2022, you will be scheduled by the Seattle Police Department to participate in additional pre-scheduled assessment steps. These steps include a physical agility test, a formal oral board interview, and a formal interview with a Background Detective. Before you apply and test, please be sure that you are available to participate in the post-exam assessments advertised below. If you are unavailable to participate in any of the screening steps listed below, you will need to wait to participate in a subsequent exam cycle.
Candidates must be available to participate in all parts of the exam process (including post-exam screening) as listed below:
Exam Step 1 – Video Exam and Online Job Survey (Please Note: There are two options to complete the video exam. Seattle will only accept one of the test result options listed below.)
Option 1: Between June 24, 2022 and August 26, 2022, exams will be conducted by the National Testing Network (NTN). Applicants will be able to participate in the exam process in one of two ways: (1) from their own home computer with a virtual proctor, or (2) at an NTN center location convenient to them. The City of Seattle will pay the fee for exam administration.
Test results earned at these exam administrations will be sent to Seattle and are not transferable to any other department. All candidates will receive their scores on or about August 31, 2022 via e-mail from Seattle’s Fire & Police Exam Unit. If you select Option 1 you forfeit the ability to transfer a current NTN exam score (see Option 2 below).
Option 2: Applicants can transfer any current NTN Frontline score earned between February 26 and August 26, 2022 as long as that score was not applied toward a Seattle exam in the previous six months. Applicants who elect to transfer scores will be able to add Seattle as a department (at no cost) following NTN’s standard “department add” process. The City of Seattle will pay the fee for a score transfer.
Candidates who pass the NTN exams will be scheduled by the Seattle Police Department’s Background Investigation Unit for the remainder of the scheduled pre-employment assessment screening.
Exam Step 2 – Post-Exam Screening with the Seattle Police Department (Applicants will need to come to Seattle to participate in the post-exam screening of applicants.)
Applicants who are Washington State Residents:
Physical agility test: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Oral Board interviews: Sunday, September 11, 2022 (+Sept 17, 2022 if needed)
Interview with Background Detective: Scheduled individually
Applicants who Live Outside the State of Washington:
Physical agility test: Saturday, September 24, 2022
Oral Board interviews: Sunday, September 25, 2022 (Formal Interview)
Interview with Background Detective: September 25 & 26, 2022 (Formal interview)
In order to accommodate all candidates who pass the NTN Frontline Test and who live outside the State of Washington, the SPD Background Unit requires you to be available in Seattle during the entire time frame outlined above: September 24-26, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.
REASONABLE TESTING ACCOMMODATION:
All accommodation requests will require documentation from a medical professional.
To apply for Reasonable Testing Accommodation for the video exam, you must fill out the request forms and submit them by mail to National Testing Network (NTN). NTN will consider all requests for Reasonable Testing Accommodation. Candidates will be informed of their decision. Please follow these steps:
Do not schedule your test. Your test accommodation must be approved before you can schedule your test.
Print and fill out the Reasonable Testing Accommodation forms completely and mail them to National Testing Network at the address below. You can download the form here. All sections of the form must be completed; if one of the forms does not apply, please complete it as “not applicable”.
Fax or Mail them completed forms and supporting documentation to National Testing Network:
National Testing Network
Accommodation Request
2122 164th St. SW, Suite 300
Lynnwood, WA 98087
Fax number: 425 741-3355
National Testing Network will inform you of their decision. If you have National Testing Network approval, you will be contacted to schedule your test. Please start this process as early as you can, as it may take several weeks to complete.
