City of San Luis Obispo, CA

Lateral Police Officer

Police Academy Graduate

Police Academy Attendee

Police Trainee 

After your application is received and you have passed the minimum standards outlined above in the self-assessment tab you will be invited to an assessment test.

ENTRY LEVEL CADET

• The physical fitness assessment test: cadets will be ranked on a point system determined by their scores:
• Max Pull-ups (2-minute time limit, recruits are expected to do at least one pull-up)
• Max Sit-ups (2-minute time limit)
• Max Push-ups (2-minute time limit)
• 1.5-mile run (recruits must complete the run in 15 minutes or less

ENTRY LEVEL COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIAN 

• Completion of the Virtual Written Exam (CritiCall) 
• The CritiCall 911 Dispatch Test is a computerized pre-employment test used to measure the persons' underlying skills and abilities before any training they might receive if they are hired as a public safety dispatcher. 

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be invited to a panel interview.  Your answers will be scored on predetermined questions.  A minimum total score is required to pass the interview.  The panel will not ask any follow up questions so be sure to answer the questions as asked.  

• It's strongly recommended you schedule a ride-along prior to your interview.
• Be prepared to discuss how your background, experience, and education has prepared you for this job.
• Be ready to talk about why you want the position you applied for and why you want to work for the city of San Luis Obispo.
• For Police Cadet applicants, the questions will not require you to have knowledge of police work.  The questions are designed to evaluate if you are likely to succeed as a Police Trainee.
• Topics to think about include ethics, teamwork, cultural diversity, and communication skills.
• Dress conservatively and professionally. Suits are strongly recommended.
• Be on time or early.
• If you are interviewing online: test your equipment beforehand. Dress to impress.  Find a quiet place with good lighting and a solid internet connection. Sit in a compact chair with good posture. Position your camera so that it is pointed at your face straight on, not from below.  Do not use notes that you wouldn't use in-person. Log in early. 

Candidate results from the previous assessments will be ranked and the top candidates will be selected to begin the background investigation process with SLOPD. The candidate will sign a conditional offer of employment and authorize releases to begin the process. The conditional offer will be contingent upon the applicant successfully completing each and all of the following:

• An affirmative recommendation for hire by a mental health care processional approved by the San Luis Obispo Police Department pursuant to California Government Code 1031 (f); and

• An affirmative recommendation for hire by a medical health care professional approved by the San Luis Obispo Police Department pursuant to California Government Code 1031(f); and

• Completion of your background investigation pursuant to California Government Code

  1031(d), to include information which was neither legal nor practical to have been obtained prior to the extension of this conditional offer.

• For Police Cadets, completion of the Allan Hancock College Pre-Academy as well as obtaining a score of 45 or higher on the PELLET-B exam. Cadets who have met the PELLET-B score requirement in the past year are exempt from retesting.

Applicants will then complete a LiveScan here at the San Luis Obispo Police Department. A LiveScan is a digital fingerprint submission transmitted electronically to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.

After successfully completing the above steps, you will begin the background investigation process. Your name and contact information will be input into our eSOPH background investigation software, and you will be invited to your eSOPH digital portal via email. Here you will communicate with your background investigator, complete your Personal History Questionnaire, and upload your required documents.

The eSOPH personal history questionnaire is a detailed list of your jobs, residences, family members, and references.  It also includes a questionnaire about any illegal acts you have committed.  This document will be the starting point for your background investigation.  It is critical that you do not leave anything out when completing the PHS and you are 100% honest.  Everyone has done something they are not proud of at some point in their life.  Include it in your questionnaire!  If you are dishonest on the questionnaire, it will be discovered in the background investigation, and you will not be able to move forward in the hiring process.  Honesty is absolutely required to be a police officer.

You will also collect and upload many documents such as school transcripts, birth certificate, and proof of citizenship.  Be prompt and thorough in delivering these documents. 

After you complete and submit your required documents and complete your digital eSOPH questionnaire, you will be required to submit to a polygraph test, commonly referred to as a lie-detector test.  If you have been honest and have not withheld any information, it will not be a problem.  It can be nerve racking but try to relax.

Your background investigator will then schedule an interview with you.  Everything you entered in the questionnaire will be verbally confirmed and you will discuss your answers with the investigator.  Remember, honesty is critical. The investigator will then begin calling references, past employers, and others.

For Police Officers and Communications Technicians, upon satisfactory completion of the background investigation, you will be required to successfully pass a psychological and physical screening by medical professionals.

During this part of the process, the Deputy Chiefs will ask you questions about your specific experience or your thoughts on a range of topics they feel will help them understand if you will be successful in this job and a good fit for our agency. The Deputy Chiefs will make the final recommendation to the Chief of Police to hire you. 

• Be prepared like you were for the panel interview.
• Dress conservatively and professionally.  Suits are strongly recommended.

The hiring process is over, and you will have an employment contract in hand.  If you are hired as a Police Cadet, the department will enroll you in the next available Police Academy.  We use the Allan Hancock College Law Enforcement Academy in Lompoc, CA.  The department will pay your tuition and provide the gear and uniforms required for the academy.  Your job is to graduate, then you will be sworn in as a Police Officer and start the field training program (FTO). 

If you are hired as a Lateral Officer or Academy Graduate you will be sworn in on your first day and immediately begin FTO.  Every employee begins a 12-month probationary period beginning the day they are sworn in.  FTO training for Cadets and Communications Technicians is 6 months but can be longer or shorter depending on the individual.  FTO for Lateral Officers and Police Community Service Officers is 8 to 10 weeks, but may be longer or shorter depending on the individual. Your performance will be closely monitored and you will be given a written evaluation nearly everyday. When you have successfully completed your FTO program, you will begin your assigned position. 

CONGRATULATIONS!