Job Descriptions

DEFINITION

Under direction of a Police Lieutenant, the Sergeant is expected to perform field supervision of patrol activities, supervise and personally perform investigative work and perform assigned administrative activities in carrying out the directions of the Chief of Police.

This classification is assigned to the Turlock Associated Police Officers bargaining unit for labor relations purposes and is subject to overtime, standby and call-back assignments.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This class represents the first level of supervision in the law enforcement series. An incumbent in this class supervises Officers engaged in a well-defined departmental activity on a daily operational basis. Incumbents perform a full range of supervisory and training activity.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Watch Supervisor and oversees the patrol and law enforcement activities during an assigned shift
• Inspects, gives instructions to, and assigns beats to Police Officers
• Maintains discipline and insures that Department rules and policies are followed
• Assists Officers in follow-up investigations and may personally participate in investigations, including the routine gathering of evidence, questioning of witnesses, and apprehension of suspects
• Insures that Police Officers are dispatched to the scenes of crimes, accidents, and other emergency situations, and assists on these calls where required
• May participate in all normal patrol activities, including enforcing local and State laws, issuing citations, making arrests, administering first aid, and transporting prisoners

• Assists Officers in preparing reports in cases for trial and may personally appear in Court to present evidence and testimony
• Gives information and directions to the public
• Conducts in-service training and writes reports of performance for employees assigned to their Supervisor
• Prepares reports of shift activity
• Conducts complete and detailed investigation of crimes
• Reviews all investigation and other activity reports and makes recommendations and suggestions to Officers
• Arranges for out-of-town follow-up investigations
• Coordinates investigations involving several Officers
• Interviews victims, complainants and witnesses
• Interrogates suspects, photographs crime scenes, obtains latent prints, and secures other evidence
• Prepares complete reports of investigation and testifies and presents evidence in Court
• Assists in the training of subordinate Officers in proper investigation techniques
• Contacts and cooperates with other law enforcement agencies in matters relating to the investigation of crimes in the apprehension of offenders
• May conduce follow-up investigations, and may personally participate in background investigations, as directed
• Insure that Police Officers are dispatched to scenes of crimes, accidents, and other emergencies
• Supervises prisoner care and transportation
• Attend meetings, seminars and classes, as directed by the Commander, carrying out State Law and Department policy as they pertain to records security
• Provide liaisons to the Court and District Attorney's Office

• Provide investigation and recommendation to the City for issuance of all permits and licenses requiring Police authorization
• Maintains, facilitates and participates actively in the achievement of the Turlock Police Services Mission goals and Values
• Promotes, encourages and employs problem solving concepts
• Develops and maintains cooperative relationships with other Departments and agencies
• Actively promotes strategies to develop positive relationships with community youth

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

• Modern police methods and procedures, including patrol, crime prevention, and traffic control
• Criminal law, with particular emphasis on apprehension, arrest, and custody of persons accused of misdemeanors and felonies
• Rules of evidence pertaining to search and seizure and the preservation and presentation of evidence in Court
• Criminal investigation techniques and procedures, including crime scene investigation, interrogation, fingerprinting and photography
• Recent Court decisions on arrest procedures and the handling of suspects and prisoners
• Principles of supervision and training
• Use and care of firearms

Ability to:

• Subscribe to and incorporate the philosophy of community Policing, toward achieving the organizational mission statement
• Gather, assemble, analyze, and evaluate facts and evidence
• Draw logical conclusions from information and make proper recommendations
• Interpret and apply laws and regulations
• Analyze situations quickly and accurately, and take effective courses of action

• Schedule, organize, and supervise the work of subordinates
• Demonstrate keen powers of observation and memory
• Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive written reports
• Meet established standards of physical endurance, agility, and vision
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with those contacted during the course of work

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Candidates may meet the minimum requirements in two different ways:

• Possession of sixty (60) college semester units from an accredited college or university
• Five years of experience as a Police Officer II with Turlock Police Services
• Supervisory experience, either four (4) years as a Field Training Officer OR two (2) years as a Police Corporal with Turlock Police Services*

*Supervisory experience may run concurrently with five years as a Police Officer II

• Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in law enforcement or a related field.
• Five years of experience as a Police Officer II with Turlock Police Services

LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE

Possession of an appropriate, valid California driver's license at the time of appointment, to be maintained as a condition of continued employment.

Possession of a P.O.S.T. Advanced Certificate

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Maintain Physical ability and stamina to meet police and safety standards including: See well enough to drive vehicles under emergency conditions, make valid identifications, use firearms, detect hazardous situations, write legible reports; Hears and speak well enough to converse on the radio, telephone and in person over incident noise, to be alert to situations of danger; bodily mobility to make rapid transitions from rest to near maximal exertion without warm-up periods, stamina and endurance necessary in the apprehension of combative suspects, use of hands and fingers to write, to utilize safety gear, and drive vehicles under emergency conditions; ability to distinguish hazardous odors; must be able to lift equipment as necessary