City of Westbrook Job Posting
Patrol Officer
The City of Westbrook was a traditional mill city that has grown and diversified significantly over the last two decades to become a residential hub and business center for the region. Westbrook has a population of over 20,000 and covers 17.36 square miles. Westbrook is centrally located to both urban and rural amenities. Currently, the City employs approximately 195 full-time and 80 variable hour employees covered by five different Collective Bargaining Agreements. The departments contained within the City are the Mayor's Office, Economic Development, City Clerk, Finance, Human Resources, Planning, Code Enforcement, & Assessing, Public Services, Community Services, General Assistance, Library, Police, Fire & Rescue, and Dispatch.
The City of Westbrook is hiring for the position of Patrol Officer. We have several open positions and are looking for both lateral candidates and candidates with no experience who would need to go to the Police Academy.
The Westbrook Police Department is a premier New England law enforcement agency. WPD values every officer and is committed to investing in career development. Our patrol officers are encouraged to follow up on their own cases and we afford them discretion to manage their proactive activities during uncommitted time.
WPD consists of 45 sworn officers and six civilian employees that serve and protect a growing population of roughly 20,000 residents. Adjacent to the City of Portland, our officers handle a steady volume of calls for service and self-initiated activity. Combined, officers handle nearly 35,000 calls for service annually.
The City of Westbrook is deeply committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in our hiring process; as a result, we are willing to train candidates and sponsor candidates at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to become a certified officer. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
A Police Officer is, in most instances, the first line of communication between the public and the Police Department. Therefore, it is imperative that the officer be ever mindful of his or her responsibility to promote and maintain positive police community relations in the responsible performance of required duties, consistent with the rules, regulations, and policies of the Westbrook Police Department.
Job Duties
This position is charged with the day-to-day public safety needs of the City of Westbrook. Police officers are assigned to many and varied tasks including but not limited to:
- Enforcement of all Federal, State, and Municipal laws.
- Identifying criminal offenders and criminal activity and where appropriate, apprehend offenders and participate in subsequent court proceedings;
- Reduce the opportunities for the commission of crimes through preventive patrol and other measures;
- Aid individuals who are in danger of physical harm;
- Facilitate the movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic;
- Identify and report potential problems which may be serious law enforcement or governmental concerns;
- Promote citizen involvement in addressing identified problems as a proactive approach to ensuring a sense of safety and security to the entire community.
- Promote and preserve public peace and good order;
- Advance a cooperative relationship with the general public, and other governmental agencies or businesses consistent with the philosophy of Community Oriented Policing.
- Accomplish all police objectives within the law and the constitutional guarantees of all citizens;
- Perform other related services as may be required.
Qualifications
- Knowledge of the principal buildings, streets, and physical layout of the City of Westbrook and adjoining areas.
- Knowledge of modern principles and practices of police work.
- Ability to cope with situations firmly, courteously, tactfully, and with respect for the rights of others.
- Ability to analyze situations quickly and objectively, and to determine proper course of action; ability to remember names, faces and details of incidents often under stressful conditions.
- Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions in a courteous, professional and punctual manner.
- Ability to communicate both verbally and through written reports.
- Committed to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. Never intentionally bringing discredit upon him/herself or the organization.
- Required to maintain firearms proficiency and a reasonable level of proficiency in vehicle operations.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team with a strong sense of cooperation towards other officers within the organization and outside public safety agencies to ensure the maximum level of achievement of the public safety mission.
- Basic computer proficiency in the following computer software/applications: CSH software and Microsoft Office: Word and Outlook.
Special Requirements
- Must be 21 years of age or older, unless the applicant has an associate degree or 60 credit hours of post-secondary education, in which case the applicant must be at least 20 years of age.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent right to work in the U.S.
- High school graduate or G.E.D. certificate.
- Active and valid motor vehicle operator's license with no disqualifying convictions.
- Sufficient physical condition to perform the essential duties and job functions of a Police Officer, including mandated vision and hearing requirements, in accordance with provisions of the current collective bargaining agreement and state/federal requirements.
- No felony or equivalent criminal conviction involving moral turpitude nor be a habitual traffic law violator.
- Good moral character, to be determined by a thorough background investigation.
- Must receive Police Officer certification from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, within one year of appointment.
- Must successfully complete required in-service training to maintain certification.
- Must be able to legally possess a firearm.
Essential & Physical Job Functions
- Affect an arrest, forcibly if necessary, using handcuffs and other restraints.
- Climb over obstacles; climb through openings; jump down from elevated surfaces; jump over obstacles, ditches, and streams; and crawl in confined areas to pursue, search and investigate and/or rescue.
- Communicate effectively over law enforcement radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications, often under adverse conditions such as siren usage and high-speed vehicle operations.
- Communicate verbally and effectively by listening to people and by giving information, directions, and commands.
- Conduct searches of buildings and large outdoor areas which may involve walking and/or standing for long periods of time, and which require the ability to distinguish color and perceive shapes.
- Conduct visual and audio surveillance for extended periods of time.
- Enter and exit vehicles quickly to perform rescue operations, pursue a suspect or answer an emergency call.
- Exercise independent judgment within legal guidelines to determine when there is reasonable suspicion to detain, when probable cause exists to search and arrest, and when force may be used and to what degree.
- Gather information in criminal investigations by interviewing and obtaining statements of victims, witnesses, suspects, and confidential informants.
- Load, unload, accurately aim and fire handguns, shotguns, and other Westbrook Police Department firearms from a variety of body positions in situations that justify the use of deadly force while maintaining emotional control under extreme stress.
- Manage interpersonal conflicts to maintain order.
- Operate an emergency vehicle during both the day and night; in emergency pursuit situations involving speeds in excess of posted limits while exercising due care and caution and in exception to traffic control devices and in congested traffic and in unsafe road conditions and environmental conditions such as fog, smoke, rain, ice and snow.
- Perform law enforcement patrol functions while working rotating shifts and working unanticipated overtime.
- Perform tasks which require lifting, carrying, or dragging people or heavy objects while performing arrest, rescue, or general patrol functions.
- Perform searches of persons which involve touching and feeling to detect potential weapons and contraband.
- Prepare investigative and other reports, including sketches, using appropriate grammar, symbols, and mathematical computations.
- Pursue fleeing suspects on foot both day and night in unfamiliar terrain.
- Read and comprehend rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and the law for purposes of ensuring appropriate officer behavior/response and performing enforcement activities involving the public.
- Subdue resisting subjects using hand and feet while employing defensive tactics maneuvers or approved non-lethal weapons.
- Use body force to gain entrance through barriers to search, seize, investigate and/or rescue.
Compensation And Benefits
- Competitive salary range of $25.91 - $35.87/hour depending on experience. Specialty, educational, military, and physical fitness stipends available.
- Hiring Incentive Bonus for academy graduates with 5 years of full-time law enforcement experience, $14,000 paid in two installments.
- A comprehensive benefits package includes medical (PPO plan with 88% employer premium contribution, plus HRA reimbursement), dental, vision, life insurance (one times base salary), short and long-term disability, and employee assistance program
- Generous paid leave including vacation, sick and 13 holiday per year.
- Tuition reimbursement at 75% for job-related courses.
- Retirement program of the Maine Public Employees Retirement Plan (Maine PERS) Special 1C plan, 20-year retirement at 50% of final compensation.
Opportunities
Career development opportunities to attain your professional goals. Specialty assignments which are eligible for stipends include drug agents, domestic violence investigator, detectives, FBI task force officer, school resource officers, canine officers, tactical team members, peer support team, crisis negotiator, motorcycle patrol, bike patrol, and traffic car. Promotional opportunities also available. Our training program is progressive, with many opportunities in-house and by attending classes throughout the region. There is ample opportunity for overtime, with numerous patrol shifts and outside details. Outside detail pay rate is $65.00 an hour.
Application Process
- Whether you have found us through our jobs page, Indeed, the Maine Municipal Association (MMA), Facebook, or other platforms, you can apply online, via email, or in-person. Be sure to include all necessary information, including the position applied for, experience, education, qualifications, certifications, High School Diploma, College Transcript and/or DD214 if applicable, along with Alert Test results. Alert Test is waived for lateral candidates.
- Online application
- Interested applicants should send their resume and letter of interest to the Human Resources Department at HR@westbrook.me.us
- In-Person Applications at 2 York Street, Westbrook, ME
- The Alert Test is a reading comprehension and writing skills test. This test is offered at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. Please note that out-of-state candidates are not required to have taken the Alert test when submitting their resume and cover letter, but as part of the hiring process they will be required to take and pass it.
- Interview (Oral Boards) with the Public Safety Commission
- Physical Agility Test, see standard below.
- Applicants selected as finalists will be subject to a comprehensive reference and background check, medical exam, polygraph, and psychological exam.
- Job Offer
- Swearing in Ceremony
- New officers must receive a Police Officer certification from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy within one year of appointment. The academy is an 18-week program, Monday - Friday, which runs 2-3 times per year.
- Lateral Candidates must have a MCJA certification. Out-of-state candidates will be required to obtain a MCJA certification, or the Chief will determine similar program comparability.
- One-year probationary period.
Physical Fitness Standards: Must take and pass the Academy's physical fitness test before we proceed with an interview. Please go to the Academy's website - https://www.maine.gov/dps/mcja/ - to register.
Fitness Test
MALE (40th Percentile)
AGE
FEMALE (40th Percentile)
AGE
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
One Minute Push-Up Test
29
24
18
13
15
11
9
3
One Minute Sit-up Test
38
35
29
24
32
25
20
14
1.5 Mile Run
12:38
13:04
13:49
15:03
14:50
15:38
16:21
18:07
Lateral candidates - your physical fitness standards will be different, as you will not need to attend the Academy. Please contact us to learn what your standards would be. You would not need to take a test prior to an interview but would need to take it as part of the hiring process.
The City of Westbrook is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workforce and workplace and strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBT+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.
