Job Description
SummaryAre you up for a challenging opportunity for community service? Have you ever considered a position as a Police Officer but did not want to give up your current career? Then the Escondido Police Department Reserve Unit is looking for you. When you join our team we can offer you:
- Continuing advanced law enforcement training
- Experience as a Police Officer
- Opportunities to demonstrate your abilities as a Police Officer in the areas of Patrol, Traffic, and Investigations
- The chance to build upon a potential career in law enforcement
- The opportunity to serve our city and the community
The Unit
The Escondido Police Reserve Unit is a Community Service-based, non-paid volunteer law enforcement unit and is an integral part of the Escondido Police Department. Since its inception, the Reserve Unit has supported the Escondido Police Department in a variety of law enforcement operations. The Reserve Unit is made up of P.O.S.T. certified, academy trained Level I, II, and III Reserve Officers.
The Reserve Unit is a police department within the Police Department and is commanded by a staff comprised of a Reserve Captain, Reserve Lieutenant, and a Reserve Sergeant. Reserve Sergeants supervise and oversee the balance of the Reserve Unit. A Regular command level Captain, Lieutenant, and Sergeant are assigned as Reserve Coordinators and advisors to the Reserve Staff on a rotational basis.
The primary mission of the Reserve Unit is support for Patrol Division. This support is provided by Level I Reserve Officers as a single or two-officer police unit assigned to city beats and sectors. Under current P.O.S.T. guidelines, Level II and III Reserve Officers are assigned to Regular Officers and Level I Reserve Officers for law enforcement operations.
Testing Process and Requirements
Reserve Officer applications, testing, backgrounds, and training are conducted in the same manner as full-time Regular Officer hiring procedures. Upon completion of a California P.O.S.T. certified Basic Academy or Reserve Academy, the Reserve Officer is assigned to 450 hours of field training, in six phases, with a P.O.S.T. certified Field Training Officer. This assignment affords the Reserve Officer access to the same quality training pipeline as a Regular Officer. At the end of all training, the Reserve Officer is released by the Police Department Training Division Sergeant to the Reserve Unit for assignment and Reserve Officer orientation.
Level I Reserve Officers are required to work a minimum of 16 hours per month on a rotational schedule assigned and managed by the Reserve Scheduling Sergeant. Level II Reserve Officers are required to work a minimum of 16 hours a month. Level III Reserve Officers are required to work a minimum of 16 hours per month. Level II and III Reserve Officers must be assigned to a full-time Regular Officer or Level I Reserve Officer while participating in assigned or volunteer patrol duties and special details.
All Escondido Police Reserve Officers are required to attend a monthly Reserve Unit meeting with assigned training for the event. Other training opportunities include quarterly department qualifications in defensive tactics, range qualifications, and access to advanced P.O.S.T. certified training classes and courses offered throughout San Diego County.
As part of the continuing support to the Escondido Police Departments law enforcement operations, and depending upon the California P.O.S.T. and academy level certification, Reserve Officers are assigned to Patrol, Gang Enforcement, Background Investigations, Training, Investigations, Crime Scene and Perimeter Protection Teams, DUI Check Points, Prisoner Transport, Parades, and, most importantly, public relations assignments at civic events in the City of Escondido.
This position does not include benefits.
City of Escondido
Settled in a long valley in the coastal mountains of Southern California, Escondido, which means "hidden" in Spanish, lies about 18 miles inland, 100 miles south of Los Angeles, and 30 miles northeast of San Diego. Surrounded by avocado and citrus groves, our award-winning City is a diverse, vibrant community with just the right mix of small-town friendliness and big-city buzz.
More and more people are making Escondido their "City of Choice." As the heart of San Diego North, it is one of the few remaining communities where people of all income levels can enjoy the Southern California lifestyle. We offer attractive homes in a wide range of prices, two lakes, several parks, a sports center, golf courses, restaurants, wineries, shopping centers, comprehensive healthcare, and the nearby San Diego Zoo Safari Park. In addition, the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, brings world-class entertainment to the area along with Queen Califia's Magical Circle, a sculpture garden in Kit Carson Park donated by late internationally renowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle. In recent years Escondido was named by Money Magazine as the Best Place in the West in which to retire and, at the other end of the spectrum, was named a Kid-Friendly City for our broad range of youth programs. Ladies Home Journal also ranked Escondido number eight among the Top Ten Cities for Government.
Established in 1888, the city's rich past brings charm and stability to the community. You can see it in the historic homes of Old Escondido or experience it in the thriving downtown area and the weekly blast to the past, "Cruisin' Grand." Yet integrated with Escondido's treasured heritage is a progressive future, bright and brimming with promise. New jobs, new cultural amenities, new entertainment venues, new choices for residential living, and a new vision for Escondido's future, make Escondido a city to watch.
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