2027 Entry Level Police Officer (Spring)

City of Bloomington Illinois•Bloomington, IL

About The Position

The Patrol Officer performs general-duty police work to protect life and property and enforce laws and ordinances. The work includes preventive patrol, preliminary investigations, traffic enforcement and regulation, and preserving social order and public peace while patrolling by vehicle or on foot in an assigned area. Police Officer services include preventing and suppressing crime; apprehending offenders; regulating and controlling traffic; recovering lost or stolen property; and maintaining public order. Officers exercise substantial discretion in carrying out their responsibilities, including interpreting laws, deciding which laws to enforce, and determining how to enforce them while balancing individual rights with community safety. The uniformed patrol force is the backbone of the Police Department and the focal point of its activities, with other police services supporting or supplementing patrol operations. During field training, probationary officers handle calls for service, initiate activity such as traffic or pedestrian stops, enforce laws through arrests or citations, maintain public order, write reports, collect and preserve evidence, and testify in court. They must perform these tasks under varying degrees of pressure and effectively multitask. Duties may include safely operating a vehicle in emergency conditions, communicating by radio, planning routes, assessing threats, requesting resources, developing response strategies, and adapting to changing conditions or information. Probationary officers are expected to learn local streets, locations, and address patterns.

Requirements

Be at least 20 and no more than 34 years of age at the time of application; applicants must be at least 21 to accept appointment.
Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Be able to possess a firearm.
Veterans may exceed the maximum age by the number of years served on active military duty, up to 10 years, under the cited veterans' exemption.

Responsibilities

Patrol an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to protect life and property and preserve public peace.
Conduct preventive patrol and preliminary investigations.
Enforce laws and ordinances, including through arrests and citations.
Regulate and control traffic.
Prevent and suppress crime and apprehend criminal offenders.
Recover lost or stolen property.
Handle calls for service and generate self-initiated activity, such as traffic and pedestrian stops.
Maintain public order when appropriate.
Write reports and collect, preserve, and store evidence.
Provide testimony in court.
Safely operate a motor vehicle under emergency conditions and communicate by radio with telecommunicators and other officers.
Plan routes, assess threats, determine resource needs, develop response strategies, and adapt to changing conditions.
Learn local street names, locations, and address numbering patterns.