The City of Westbrook is hiring for the position of Police 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 values every officer and is committed to investing in career development. We’ll work with you to create a career path to attain your professional goals. We know that our profession is a demanding one and we’re dedicated to supporting our officers on and off duty.

At Westbrook PD you’re not just a call taker. 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. The City of Westbrook is growing by leaps and bounds. We want team players who are passionate about the law enforcement profession and have the skills and abilities to solve complex problems. 

Our department of 45 sworn officers serves and protects 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. Our Department is committed to proactive law enforcement. We target violent criminals and those who choose to adversely affect the quality of life for the law-abiding citizen of our community. We’re also a community policing oriented department, encouraging officers to be self-motivated, work with citizens to problem solve, and be active in the community. 

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's 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 legally able to work in the U.S.
• Shall be a high school graduate or possess a G.E.D. certificate. 
• Shall possess an active/valid motor vehicle operator's license with no disqualifying convictions. 
• Shall be of 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. 
• Shall have no felony or equivalent criminal conviction involving moral turpitude nor be a habitual traffic law violator. 
• Shall be of 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. 

Career development opportunities are available through specialty assignments (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) and promotional opportunities.  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 $55.00 an hour.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Competitive salary range of $22.91 - $30.30/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 at 12% premium cost, 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 12 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.

Application Process:

• Interested applicants should send their resume and letter of interest to the Human Resources Department at HR@westbrook.me.us.

Applicants selected as finalist for this position will be subject to a comprehensive reference and background check, medical clearance (for Police, Fire & Rescue, and Public Services positions), physical agility test (for Police and Fire & Rescue), polygraph, and psychological exam (for Police and Dispatch positions).

All applicants must take and pass the Alert test, and they must submit the Alert test with their resume and cover letter.  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.  To find out dates to take the test and to register, please visit the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s website at https://www.maine.gov/dps/mcja/..

PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARDS: To be a police officer you must be physically fit.  Part of our hiring process is that you must take and pass the Academy’s physical fitness test before we proceed with a interview.  Please go to the Academy’s website - https://www.maine.gov/dps/mcja/ - to register.  

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 and values diversity in the workplace.

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