Job Opportunities

The College Place Police Department is not currently soliciting applications for employment. Although the department has two (2) vacant police officer positions, and a part time animal control job, economic conditions are preventing the agency from hiring individuals to fill these spots at the present time.

Police Officer Recruitment & Selection Process:

Police officer entry level candidates must meet the following criteria:

1) U.S. Citizen
2) Minimum of twenty one (21) years of age at the time of the final selection process.
3) Must at a minimum be a high school graduate. Persons who have completed some college courses or have a college or university degree are preferred.
4) Must have a valid Washington or Oregon driver’s license depending on the candidate’s state of residency or, if living outside of Washington or Oregon, be able to obtain a valid license in either state within 30 days of moving after acceptance of a final job offer.
5) Ability to perform the physical fitness standards as set by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.

Lateral Entry Minimum Qualifications:

1) Currently employed as a commissioned police officer for a minimum of 2 years.
2) Must have successfully graduated from a Washington State Police Academy.
3) Meet other qualifications listed for entry level candidates.

The hiring of a police officer is a lengthy and complex process of several months duration and is accomplished through the state civil service system as adopted by Chapter 2.48 of the College Place Municipal Code (C.P.M.C.). Listed below are the steps prospective police officer candidates are required to go through to reach the final selection process.

Step (1): Applications are solicited through the local newspaper of record and often through other sources such as the Washington State Law Enforcement Digest, the Association of Washington Cities website, and the City of College Place website.

Step (2): A physical agility examination is conducted. Candidates must
satisfactorily complete all phases of this test prior to advancing to the next step.

Step (3): A written examination is conducted. To proceed to the next step the candidate must obtain a minimum score of 70 per cent.

Step (4): Candidates successfully completing Steps 1 and 2 are then scheduled for an interview in front of a panel consisting of a civil service commissioner, a supervising police officer from the College Place Police
Department, an officer or supervisor from another police agency, and another person who may or may not be connected with a law enforcement agency.

Step (5): The names of the top three candidates established by their scores obtained in steps 2, 3, & 4, are submitted by the civil service commission to the chief of police. The chief will set up a time to extensively interview each candidate.

Step (6): A background check is conducted on one or all three candidates. The candidate is fingerprinted, a criminal history check is conducted, interviews are done with former employers, neighbors, friends, relatives, references, former teachers, spouse (current & former), co-workers, and others who have had significant interaction with the prospective employee.

Step (7): Once a final candidate is selected to proceed in the process, a conditional offer of employment is extended. At this time the candidate must sign an agreement to continue employment with the department for a minimum of five (5) years or pay back to the city a portion of his/her training expenses at a rate of 20 per cent for each year he/she did not complete. (Example: A person hired leaves his/her employment with the agency after three years. That person would be required to pay back to the city a total of forty (40) per cent of his/her training expenses.)

Step (8): The candidate(s) must successfully complete a polygraph examination conducted by a certified polygrapher.

Step (9): The candidate must successfully complete a psychological examination conducted by a certified psychologist or psychiatrist.

Step (10): The candidate must successfully complete a drug screening examination.

Step (11): The candidate must successfully complete a medical/physical examination to determine his/her fitness for employment.

Step (12): A credit background check is conducted.

Step (13): The chief of police makes the final selection and obtains the authorization of the city administrator to hire the individual.