POLICE OFFICER RECRUIT

Recruitment #2303-6307-001

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Introduction


This position is ONLY open to individuals who are NOT currently POST certified as a law enforcement officer in another state or are NOT currently AZ POST certified.

The City of Tucson is seeking motivated, dedicated, adaptable, compassionate individuals that have a strong desire to serve the community as a Police Officer. The Tucson Police Department is a unique and diverse agency, dedicated to providing outstanding law enforcement services. This is an exciting career opportunity for applicants who have a passion for protecting life and property through the enforcement of laws and ordinances.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to work for the Tucson Police Department. It is crucial that applicants consider the following job elements before submitting an application:   

  • The training process is extensive; incumbents will attend an academy that is 24 weeks long and requires a high level of commitment and time dedication. 
  • Incumbents may spend over 12 hours per day, 4 days per week training at the academy. 
  • After completing the academy, candidates will continue their training in the field under the direct guidance of experienced field training officers.
  • The probation period is 18 months.
  • Employees will be required to work rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays. 
  • Overtime will be required, as necessary.   
  • While law enforcement can be a very rewarding career for many, employees will often respond to highly sensitive and graphic crime scenes and calls for service.  
Successful candidates from this testing period may be considered for future funded academy classes within the next six months. However, the academy to be filled from this list is for September 18th, 2023.

 

The Hiring Process- Your steps:

1. Complete City of Tucson Application.

2. Complete Prescreen Questionnaire.

3. Receive invite to the written exam and schedule your date.

4. Notification that you passed the exam and made the certification list.

5. Contacted by TPD Backgrounds to fill out your ESoph background information.

6. Extensive Background Investigation.

7. Polygraph examination.

8. Conditional job offer.

9. Medical and psychological examinations.

10.  Final job offer for an Academy start date of September 18th.

 

Established in 1871, the Tucson Police Department is dedicated to providing professional service to, and in partnership with, nearly one million Tucson metropolitan area community members. The Tucson Police Department enjoys a close collaborative relationship with our community and proudly incorporates community members on review boards, steering committees, and our basic and advanced training academies. 

 The Department is dedicated to ensuring team members are from backgrounds as diverse as the city we serve, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The Department is committed to engage in cultural awareness, fighting implicit bias, and ensuring equity.

The Tucson Police Department was honored to be selected by the Department of Justice as one of fifteen model agencies of the Advancing 21st Century Policing initiative, a recognition of our commitment to the modernization of law enforcement practices.

Benefits 
The City of Tucson and the Tucson Police Department offer a wide range of generous benefits for employees. Some of those benefits include:

  • Medical: Choice between a high deductible plan (HSA or HRA), or Network plan. 
  • Dental: Choice between a national dental PPO and a local dental HMO. 
  • Vision: Coverage for annual eye exam and glasses or contacts, plus LASIK. 
  • Life: City-paid coverage for you & dependents, plus option to buy more. 
  • Long-Term Disability: Income replacement of up to 60% of your base salary in the event of a qualifying disability.
  • Employee Assistance Program: Enhance your wellbeing when life doesn’t go as planned. 
  • Flexible Spending: Pay for qualified health and dependent care expenses using pretax dollars. 
  • Colonial Voluntary Benefits: Financial help in the event of cancer, hospitalization, accident, more. 
  • Second Language Pay: Receive $30.00 per pay period for second language pay. 
  • Pension: Generous pension plans that help employees retire more comfortably. 
  • Deferred Compensation: Save more toward a comfortable retirement with a 457(b) plan. 
  • Training & Tuition Assistance: Up to $5,250 or 30 credit hours (whichever occurs first) per year to help offset the cost of continuing education. 
  • Back-Up Care: Care for your loved ones when your regular care is unavailable. 
  • Paid Parental Leave: Six (6) weeks paid leave when you welcome a child, plus other generous leave policies for FML, Medical and USERRA. 
  • Paid Time Away: New hires enjoy 37 days of paid time off in the first year, with time increasing steadily thereafter (In year one: 13 accrued days of vacation, 13 accrued days of sick leave, and 12 paid holidays). 
  • Social Connectedness: Forge connections with the community we serve through paid volunteerism and payroll-deducted charitable giving.

General Description

Trains at the Police Academy as a new police recruit to learn the skills and functions of the job of police officer, under the guidance of experienced police staff.

Essential Functions

Attends the Police Academy to learn the skills and practices of a Police Officer.

Assists with performing patrol duties by traveling through designated areas, searching for suspicious, hazardous or criminal activity, conducting field interviews with suspected offenders and making arrests.

With another officer, responds to routine and emergency calls by contacting the reporting person and witnesses, and determining the nature of the call and action to be taken.

Assists with crime prevention by attending public meetings, enforcing criminal and traffic laws, and identifying gang members and criminals.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Education Level & Type: High School Diploma or G.E.D.

Minimum Experience Qualifications: No experience required

Valid and Unrestricted Class D - Driver's License

Special Job Requirements

U.S. Citizenship

At least 21 years of age by academy graduation date 

No felony convictions or drug abuse

Pre-Screen Questionnaire Instructions

After filling out your City of Tucson Application use this link to complete the Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/apps/recruiting/

NOTE: You must complete your application with the City of Tucson AND submit a completed Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire by the deadline to be considered for this job opening (both are required). Failure to complete either the application or the preliminary applicant questionnaire will remove you from further consideration in this process.

 

**The deadline to complete and submit the preliminary applicant questionnaire is:

Monday May 8, 2023, at 5:00 P.M.**


The Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire can be found at: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/apps/recruiting/

The Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire is a fillable web form. Completed Preliminary Applicant Questionnaires can only be submitted online. No other form of delivery will be accepted. You will need to type your responses into this web form document and submit into the system. Please ensure you complete all the questions in the Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire. You may start and save, to complete and submit at a later time. If you utilize this save and close feature, a link will be emailed to you so you can return to where you left off. Do not return to the original link to complete the questionnaire. Doing so will require you to start over.

 

Complete honesty is of the utmost importance. Please fully disclose all relevant information on the Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire. Discrepancies and omissions will be uncovered during an exhaustive background investigation and polygraph examination. It is not in your best interest to be less than 100% truthful. One of the fundamental requirements of working in law enforcement is the ability of an individual to adhere to and demonstrate the highest legal and ethical standards. Unfortunately, it is our experience that a number of applicants will fail due to material omissions or untruthfulness.

 

If you are untruthful, dishonest, knowingly omit, falsify, conceal, or obscure required information during any part of the application and hiring process, you will be PERMANENTLY DISQUALIFIED from ever being employed by the Tucson Police Department in ANY capacity.

Selection Plan

Applicants who successfully complete an employment application, meet minimum qualifications, and successfully complete the Preliminary Applicant Questionnaire by the deadline will receive an email confirmation to attend the written examination.

Components 

Physical Fitness Assessment: 
The Tucson Police Department has decided to waive the physical test (PT) for applicant testing at this time. While it is not required for this hiring process, you will still be required to successfully complete the Arizona Peace Officers Standards (AZPOST) Police Officer Physical Aptitude Test (POPAT) prior to graduation from the academy. Although the PT test will be waived during testing, all candidates preparing to enter the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Center (SALETC) program are expected to arrive in shape and be prepared to participate in a rigorous physical fitness program. Information will be provided to candidates at the written exam as to how to best prepare for the physical aspects of the academy. 

After the written exam is completed, applicants will be invited to participate in an introduction to the POPAT. Police department physical training staff will be on hand to provide information about the test and the physical expectations of the academy training. Candidates are not required to participate, but it is highly encouraged as a way to gauge your physical readiness for the requirements of the police academy. Any candidate that would like to participate should bring clothes suitable for physical activity, to include athletic footwear. A changing facility will be made available, if desired.

Written Examination:
The written examination will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 and Saturday, June 3, 2023. You will have the opportunity to schedule which day you attend (you may only attend one of the testing dates). The written exam will take place at the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Center at 10001 S. Wilmot Road, Tucson AZ 85756. 

Passing the written examination requires a 60% score or better, which is 100% of the overall score.

An applicant's ranking on the Employment List will be 100% based on the final score from the Written Exam.

Veterans, Native American, or Disability preference points will be added to the achieved score for those that are placed on the Civil Service Employment List. If you qualify for Veteran or Native American preference points as outlined in your Employment Profile, you must submit your documentation either in-person at the time of the Written Examination, upload to your COT application or send via email to Carolyn.Cruse@tucsonaz.gov. Copies of DD 214s must reflect a characterization of service.

Applicants requiring an accommodation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for any of the applicant evaluations must contact the individuals listed in the conclusion of this bulletin at least 48 hours prior to the particular evaluation. 

Civil Service List: 
Applicants that pass the written examination will be placed on the Civil Service list. The civil service list will be utilized to fill vacancies occurring within the next 6 months. Candidates placed on the Employment List must successfully pass the following:
 
  • An extensive background investigation, including local, state and national criminal and fingerprint checks. 
  • Motor Vehicle History. 
  • A polygraph examination to verify information you have supplied in the background questionnaire. 
  • Pre-employment medical and psychological evaluations. 
  • Candidates must also continue to maintain all physical minimum standards through the duration of this recruitment process.

All probationary employees in this classification are subject to random drug screening during their EIGHTEEN MONTH PROBATIONARY PERIOD with the Tucson Police Department.

Conclusion

You are highly encouraged to print and save this bulletin as a PDF, because it contains important testing dates and information that you will need to refer to later. It will not be available after the closing date.

CONTACTS:  Communication throughout this process will be sent exclusively via email, so please ensure your browser accepts emails from jobs@tucsonaz.gov and check your email account regularly. You are encouraged to add jobs@tucsonaz.gov as a contact so that the email does not go into a spam folder. You are also encouraged to opt in to accepting text messages while completing the application.  Failure to respond or follow instructions will result in disqualification.

All email inquiries should be directed to the individuals listed below: 

Carolyn.Cruse@tucsonaz.gov 
Jennifer.Urbina@tucsonaz.gov

Pre-employment Medical Testing Requirements

AZ POST Physical

Respirator Physical

Hep A Vaccine/Titer

Hep B Vaccine/Titer

Non-NIDA Drug Test

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To ensure accurate payroll information for tax purposes, the successful candidate will need to provide their original Social Security Card or original letter from the Social Security Administration with their social security number prior to beginning work with the City of Tucson.

The City of Tucson hires lawful workers only - US citizens or nationals and non-citizens with valid work authorization - without discrimination. Federal immigration laws require all employers to verify both the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. In its efforts to meet the law's requirements, the City of Tucson participates in the E-Verify program established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to aid employers in verifying the eligibility of workers.

Retired City of Tucson employees receiving benefits from the Tucson Supplemental Retirement System who are considering reemployment with the City should be aware that pursuant to Section 22-37(g) of the Tucson City Code, retirement benefits shall be suspended during the period of reemployment with the City of Tucson unless you have been separated at least twelve consecutive months before returning to work AND you return to a non-permanent employment classification. Creditable service does not accrue during any reemployment period.