Police Officer 1

This is the first of eight levels in the Police series. Incumbents respond to calls for service and enforce local, State, and Federal statutes. Responsibilities may include patrolling assigned routes; making traffic stops; interviewing victims, witnesses, and suspects; making arrests; completing incident reports; determining charges to be applied; completing affidavits for court; and testifying in court when necessary. Incumbents may be assigned to a specialized unit or function.

Essential Functions:

• Responds to routine and complex emergency situations; answerand respond to radio or telephone dispatches; and enforce local, State, and Federal statutes.

• Performs specialized activities such as interviewing witnesses and related parties, monitoring electronic surveillance, and/or performing related duties.

• Communicates with the public and employees while patrolling City streets; assists individuals with disabled vehicles and vehicle lockouts; checks building security; and observes the behavior of citizens.

• Prepares suspect illness and injury, accident, arrest, and administrative reports. Prepares affidavits for court.

• Enforces vehicle and traffic laws, which includes checking speed with radar and making traffic stops.

• Apprehends criminals and offenders. Determines charges to be applied.

• Testifies in court.

• Performs other work as required.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED equivalent.

• Successfully completes the Clarksville Police Department's In-House Training Program.

• Successfully graduates from a Tennessee Police Officer Standard Training (P.O.S.T.) Commission-approved Law Enforcement School and become a Tennessee P.O.S.T. Certified Officer.

License and Certifications

• Tennessee Peace Officer Certification

• A valid driver's license.

Residence Requirements

• Must reside within a sixty (60) minute drive time (obeying all traffic laws) to Police Headquarters at 135 Commerce Street.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Modern police practices and methods.

• Departmental procedures, rules, and regulations.

• Effective methods of investigation.

• Applicable Federal and State laws, city statutes,and laws of arrest.

• Street layout and geography of the city

• Customer service principles.

• Recordkeeping principles

• Court procedures.

• Training principles.

• Computers and related software applications.

Skill in:

• Enforcing Federal, State laws, and city statutes.

• Analyzing situations quickly and objectively.

• Investigating crime scenes.

• Operating a police vehicle.

• Training officers in work methods.

• Maintaining required records and preparing reports.

• Providing customer service.

• Testifying in court.

• Using a computer and related software applications.

• Communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisor, the public, etc.,sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Physical Requirements:

The work is heavy work which requires exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.

• Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles, and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.

• Crawling: Moving about on hands, knees, hands, and feet.

• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending the leg and spine.

• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture,by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.

• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication,and to make the discrimination sound.

• Kneeling: Bending legs at the knee to come to rest on the knee or knees.

• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position. It occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

• Mental Acuity: Making rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.

• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.

• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something steady to thrust forward, downward, or outward.

• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.

• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word,including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.

• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.

• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist. It occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.

• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word,including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

• Visual ability 1: sufficient to perform an activity like preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.

• Visual ability 2: sufficient to include color, depth perception, and field vision.

• Visual ability 3: sufficient to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures.

• Visual ability 4: sufficient to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment, day and night.

• Visual ability 5: sufficient to perform an activity such as:visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.

• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.