Police Officer

City of Decatur•Decatur, TX

About The Position

The Police Officer protects the lives and property of community members and supports public welfare through crime prevention, enforcement of laws and ordinances, investigation, and the recovery and preservation of evidence. The officer becomes familiar with criminal personalities, their practices, associates, and frequented locations, and assists in prosecuting offenders by providing testimony. The role includes patrol, responding to incidents, documenting enforcement and investigative work, assisting the public, and working with community groups. Depending on assignment, duties may also include structured training, tactical-team support, school policing, inmate processing, and maintaining required criminal-case and registration records. Regular attendance is required, and other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED and additional training at the Police Academy.
Experience under and including one year is required.
Basic Police Officer Certification.
Valid Texas Operator Driver's License.
Ability to read reports, memos, general orders, codes, laws and policies, legal documents, and manuals.
Ability to perform general mathematical calculations.
Ability to write reports, employee evaluations, citations, and letters.
Ability to determine the sequence of events at crime scenes and communicate with citizens.
Ability to communicate with the public, provide information, make recommendations, solve problems, and negotiate compromises.
Demonstrates initiative, creativity, problem solving, decision-making, motivation, punctuality and attendance, analytical and conceptual thinking, safety awareness, communication, organizational awareness, relationship building, accountability, adaptability, customer service orientation, teamwork, and leadership.

Responsibilities

Enforce laws and ordinances by issuing traffic tickets and citations, writing offense reports, and arresting offenders.
Patrol business and residential areas to protect citizens and identify suspicious people or events.
Serve warrants and subpoenas, transport prisoners, testify in court, train recruits, complete computer work, purchase supplies, investigate crime scenes, and collect evidence as needed.
Document enforcement and investigations through concise reports; obtain witness statements and suspect confessions; and prepare affidavits and criminal complaints.
Testify in civil and criminal courts.
Transport and guard prisoners and witnesses.
Provide crime-prevention presentations and materials to neighborhood watch groups, senior citizens, and youth; conduct summer crime-prevention programs.
Identify, collect, and preserve evidence; fingerprint and photograph crime scenes; and recover and return stolen or lost property.
Work with community groups to promote public relations and inform citizens about police activities, procedures, crime-prevention programs, and safety techniques.
Direct members of the public to appropriate authorities or agencies.
If appointed as a trainer, provide structured police training and document trainee performance daily using the Daily Observation Report.
Prepare and execute probable-cause arrest warrants and search warrants; prepare supplemental investigative files and criminal case packets; complete state-required forms; and maintain the sex offender registration program.
Assist the tactical team with warrant service and barricaded-person recovery; train with the team on new techniques and skills if assigned.
Process jail inmates and city applicants for fingerprints, photographs, and background information.
Attend in-service training and specialized schools.
Maintain a police presence at schools, issue citations, arrest students committing criminal offenses, patrol campuses, advise drug-free programs, mediate confrontations, and communicate with staff and parents.
Perform other duties as assigned.