Job Details

Police Officer

Under immediate supervision, performs general duty police work in the protection of life and property through crime prevention and the enforcement of laws and ordinances for the City of Belton; performs routine patrol, law enforcement, preliminary investigations and traffic control for a designated area on an assigned shift.

The following duties are not intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by the individual in this classification, only a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties as assigned.

• Performs daily patrol duties for assigned shift and area; responds to calls for service which vary from animal control, lockouts, civil issues, burglary, arson, assaults, domestic violence, juvenile problems unattended death investigations, robbery, and murder; occasionally may supervise the patrol shift and makes command decisions as they apply to calls for service, pursuits, and prisoner transport; conducts preliminary investigations; and makes arrests.
• Conducts self-initiated activity such as writing traffic tickets and assisting stranded motorists; performs traffic control to include hazardous moving violations, parking violations, speed enforcement, school zone safety enforcements, and passenger safety enforcement.
• Conducts pro-active patrols; identifies criminal behavior and conducts proper investigation to include suspicious vehicle stops, residence checks, foot patrols, overt and covert surveillance, tracking criminal activity and establishing criminal hierarchy; makes confidential contracts to further criminal investigations with other police departments and sharing information.
• Conducts follow up investigations including recovering property, completing Probably Cause Statements for state charges, internet investigations, contacting victims/witnesses and detectives, completing supplemental reports, interviewing suspects, gathering evidence, contacting outside police entities and civilian companies to ensure each case presented has all necessary documentation and the best case possible is presented to the prosecutor.
• Gathers intelligence; speaks to other officers regarding criminal activity occurring on other shifts or in certain areas of City; stays abreast of current criminal activity, suspect and suspect vehicle descriptions, developing patterns in criminal activity, location of criminal activity, criminal's home addresses and current vehicles used for criminal activity; and testifies in court as necessary.
• Conducts building and house checks and watches; and removes road debris.
• Writes and completes reports daily; records and tracks patrol shift statistics; and processes and logs evidence.
• Reviews general orders and policies on a regular basis.
• Maintains vehicle and equipment in good working order and performs and/or schedules preventative maintenance; and cleans vehicle and equipment.
• May serve in other specialty functions as directed such as CIRT member sniper, SWAT, DARE, and School Resource Officer.
• Supports the relationship between the City of Belton and the constituent population by providing excellent customer service; promotes the City goals and priorities in compliance with all policies and procedures; maintains absolute confidentiality of work-related issues, client records and City information; and performs related duties as required or assigned.
• Ensures that job duties are completed in strict adherence to established safe work practices.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Qualified individuals must be 21 years of age.
• Possess a valid Driver's License.
• Ability to pass criminal background.
• Modern law enforcement principles, procedures, techniques, and equipment.
• Gathering and handling evidence appropriately.
• Use of police records and their application to the solution of police problems.
• General social problems and cultural diversity of citizenry.
• First aid principles and practices.
• The geographical layout of the city, street names and numbers.
• Public safety data processing and communications.
• Applicable federal, state, and local criminal and civil laws, codes, and regulations.
• Structure, organization and inter-relationships of city departments, agencies, and related governmental agencies and offices affecting assigned functions.
• Principles of business letter writing and basic report preparation.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Modern office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and statistical databases.
• Regularly exposed to dangerous machinery.

Education and Experience:

• High School Diploma/GED required.
• 60 college credits or an associate's degree in Criminal Justice or related field preferred.
• POST A certification preferred but not required.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to lift or carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Exposure to extreme weather conditions, potential physical harm, hazardous chemicals, and infectious disease when conducting investigations, responding to service calls, operating police vehicles and other emergency police equipment, making public contact, and working at on-site emergency and crime scenes.