Job Details

Police Officer

The City of Napa has immediate vacancies within the Police Department for Police Officers. Imagine living and working in the beautiful wine country of Napa Valley! The City of Napa is the centerpiece, the dynamic and vibrant hub of this idyllic valley with a population of over 80,000. Famous for its wineries, Napa offers an incredible combination of suburban amenities, rural beauty and the urban benefits of being only one hour from San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean.

The Napa Police Department is a dynamic and progressive police agency dedicated to providing the highest quality of service to the Napa community. Programs such as the Youth Diversion Program, Homeless Outreach Program, and the School Resources Officer Program are examples of the department's commitment to the community policing philosophy and reinforces its Mission Statement: "Community, Service, Excellence." The Napa Police Department strives to be a model organization, recognized and acknowledged by the public and its peers, and is committed to integrity and professionalism. The Department's highest priority is to ensure that the community remains a safe haven, allowing residents and visitors alike to enjoy a high quality of life.

A career with the City of Napa Police Department offers many rewards: competitive salaries and excellent benefits; opportunities to make significant positive impacts on people in your community; an amazing variety of work and challenges; and a satisfying public service career.

Ideal candidates for the Police Officer - Lateral role will have a record of successfully demonstrating the following competencies:

• Technical Professional/Knowledge and Skills - Achieved a satisfactory level of technical, functional, and/or professional skill or knowledge in position-related areas; kept up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise.
• Building Trust - Interacted with other departments and divisions in a way that gives others confidence in their intentions and those of the organization.
• Interpersonal Communications - Clearly and succinctly conveying information and ideas to individuals and groups in a variety of situations; communicating in a focused and compelling way that drives others' thoughts and actions.
• Decision-making - Identified and understood issues, problems, and opportunities; compared information from different sources to draw conclusions and develop appropriate solutions.
• Resolving Conflict - Helped others deal effectively with an antagonistic situation to minimize damage to the relationships and promote shared goals; used appropriate interpersonal methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or more people and facilitate agreement.
• Stress Tolerance - Maintained stable performance under pressure or opposition (e.g., experiencing time pressure, conflict, or job ambiguity); handled stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization.
• Initiating Action - Taking prompt action to accomplish work goals; taking action to achieve results beyond what is required; being proactive.
• Managing Work - Effectively handled one's time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.

Depending upon assignment, duties may include:

• Patrols an assigned area of the city by vehicle, foot or as designated by the supervisor to ensure the security of life, property, public order, to protect the constitutional rights of all citizens and to observe situations and deter crime.
• Identifies problems in a beat or in the community, develops tactical action plans and recommends solutions or strategies to supervisory staff.
• Maintains law and order; enforces state, local and federal laws and ordinances; responds to suspicious activities and answers emergency calls for service.
• Investigate traffic accidents; gives assistance and/or first aid to injured citizens and requests additional responses as necessary; provides traffic and crowd control as necessary; issues citations to traffic violations.
• Investigate criminal activity and incidents as the responding officer; coordinates crime scene control and investigation, including interviews and interrogations and identification of witnesses; oversees collection and preservation of physical evidence; seeks to locate law violators.
• Issues verbal warnings or citations; prepares search and arrest warrants; serves subpoenas and warrants; apprehends suspects and makes arrests.
• Interrogates suspects, interviews victims, complainants and witnesses; searches, transports and guards prisoners.
• Prepares and documents cases; testifies in court; completes reports and records; prepares and maintains other logs and records.
• Retrieves, identifies and returns found property and/or evidence to owners; searches for stolen property and lost persons.
• Maintains contact with the public regarding potential law enforcement problems and to preserve good relationships with the public; interacts with other agencies in the collection of information, identification of criminal offenses and recovery of stolen property.
• May perform work in a specialty assignment as assigned.

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and ability would be qualifying. A typical way to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities required for this position would be:

Experience: One year of experience in a sworn law enforcement position in the state of California as defined in California Penal Code Section 830.1. Certification: Possession of, or the ability to obtain, a California POST Basic Certificate is required. Lateral applicants from outside California are also encouraged to apply! For those interested, you must show proof of the California POST Basic Course Waiver application to apply and must obtain a California POST waiver letter prior to becoming eligible to be hired.

Knowledge of: Law enforcement terminology and concepts; techniques for dealing with people of all socio-economic levels under hostile and emergency situations; safety practices and precautions related to the work; basic English grammar, composition, spelling and punctuation; basic mathematics; effective communication techniques; effective problem solving techniques; basic computer operating systems and software applications related to the work.

Ability to: Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; learn, understand and interpret laws, regulations and equipment used in law enforcement and crime prevention and investigation; implement and enforce laws, policies, regulations, guidelines and orders concerning the protection of life, property and the maintenance of law, order and peace; observe and accurately recall names, faces, numbers, incidents and places; think and act quickly in emergency situations; analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action; exercise sound judgment, often under pressure; understand and carry out written and oral directions; write at a fast rate of speed to prepare accurate and factual written reports; prepare clear and concise reports, records and other written material; perform basic math computations; safely operate motor vehicles in high speed and emergency situations; establish and maintain effective relationships with co-workers, supervisors, public officials and representatives other agencies; utilize computers and computer software, as required; learn to meet the minimum standards of use with department-issued or approved lethal and non-lethal weapons.

Working Conditions/Physical Characteristics: Due to the varied and unpredictable nature of police work, incumbents may also be required to perform the following: Measure distances using calibrated instruments; make precise arm-hand positioning movements and maintain static arm-hand position; direct traffic; use sufficient strength to sprint, jump or physically overcome resistance; coordinate the movement of more than one limb; bend or stoop repeatedly; patrol officers wear a 15-pound utility/gun belt; patrol officers typically spend 7-8 hours per day driving a vehicle; climbing ladders and searching rooftops requires lifting arms above shoulder level; searching for suspects or lost persons may require walking over rough, uneven, slippery or rocky surfaces; an officer is required to listen for alarms, screams, breaking glass or other suspicious and unusual noises; move heavy objects; work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions; tolerate very hot and very cold temperatures; sit for extended periods of time; foot beat and search activities require walking for extended periods of time; crowd and traffic control duties require standing for extended periods of time.

Special Requirements: Possession of California Class "C" Driver's license is required at the time of appointment. Incumbents must be willing to work any shift, including night, evening, holiday and weekend shifts and must be willing to work scheduled and emergency overtime. Incumbents must wear and maintain a uniform. Incumbents are expected to maintain high moral character and integrity and demonstrate a high desire for self-improvement. Bilingual skills are desirable.

Mission Statement for the City of Napa: Rooted in public service, our mission is to grow a vibrant, sustainable community for all who live in, work in, and visit the City of Napa, through thoughtful leadership and dedication to excellence.

Core Values for the City of Napa:

• Integrity - Consistently demonstrating the highest level of ethical conduct with accountability and pride.
• Service - Engaging in meaningful work to care for our community through resourceful dedication and humble actions.
• Inclusion - Creating a sense of ease and belonging through respect, acceptance, and mindfulness of our collective diversity.
• Collaboration - Working together with a shared purpose while respectfully considering all voices to achieve common goals, solutions, and greater outcomes.

Note: City of Napa employees should use a personal email address during the application process.

Selection Process: The City of Napa utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad outreach efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to take part in a process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties