Police Officer (Entry Level or Lateral)

The City is seeking qualified individuals who are interested in becoming Police Officers to join our law enforcement team. Located in the northwestern corner of Clackamas County on the banks of the scenic Willamette River and hugging the shore of a 405-acre lake Lake Oswego is a community rich with art culture historic resources quality schools vibrant business districts and an abundance of activities and events for all ages.

Working out of the newly constructed Police and City Hall facility in downtown Lake Oswego the Department has a number of resources to provide exceptional levels of service while offering a number of opportunities to Police Officers such as Detectives Motorcycle Officers School Resource Officers K9 Officers Adult Resource Officer and the Training Unit. Additionally the Department has its own 911 dispatch center (LOCOM) on site Behavioral Health Specialist Peer Support Team Chaplain and fitness facility. Non-sworn Community Service Officers Evidence Records and Administrative personnel round out the valuable support for the Department and community.

The Department has a philosophy of community-oriented policing and empowering officers to deal with problems proactively. Respect Excellence Trust and Service guide our values-driven organization in our mission to cultivate an exceptional quality of life for everyone in our community. This dedication to service and collaborative City approach has garnered tremendous community and elected official support for our team and earned our department a 92% overall satisfaction rating (2023).

As part of their duties Lake Oswego Police Officers can expect to get to know members of the business community and neighborhood residents; patrol assigned areas on foot or in the car; conduct routine and detailed investigations into criminal and civil matters; enforce state and local traffic laws; and demonstrate a service orientation with an understanding of community-oriented policing.

This is a uniformed police position responsible for general police duties and the enforcement of laws and ordinances. An employee in this class is under the direct supervision of a shift sergeant and performs law enforcement activities which include but are not limited to the protection of life and property; conducts routine and detailed investigations into criminal and civil matters; locates and preserves physical evidence; enforces city and state traffic laws and issues verbal and written warnings; performs special investigative and undercover assignments when required; writes reports and other documents; makes court appearances and gives testimony; may be assigned to the detective traffic crime prevention or other related units; and may be given assignments as required by the chief of police. Incumbents in this class report to a higher professional police classification such as sergeant lieutenant captain or chief of police. This position is represented by the Lake Oswego Police Officers Association (LOPOA).

IMPORTANT

READ TO THE END AND COMPLETE THE STEPS UNDER APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To qualify candidates must be a U.S. citizen have no felony conviction be at least 21 years of age have as a minimum a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent vision correctable to 20/20 a valid drivers license and the ability to successfully complete a thorough background investigation and post-offer psychological and medical examination including pre-employment drug screen. This position is subject to mandatory participation in electronic funds transfer (EFT) for payment of net wages (i.e. Direct Deposit or PayCard).

For a complete list of the essential duties knowledge skills and abilities required and physical and mental demands please review the complete job description at .

As a result of this process the Department will establish an eligibility list effective for one year. This is subject to change at the discretion of the City.

If selected to continue through the process you will be contacted with instruction for next steps.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

Note: The benefits and compensation outlined below are subject to change as the LOPOA is currently negotiating a new labor agreement with the City of Lake Oswego.

LOPOA Compensation Plan

BENFITS AVAILABLE:

• Medical Insurance choice between traditional indemnity plan or health maintenance organization (HMO)

• Aetna full family medical and dental coverage $120/mo (current cost)
• Kaiser Permanente full family medical and dental coverage $92/mo (current cost)

• Sick Leave Upon Hire: New and lateral hires scheduled to work a forty (40) hour workweek will receive the equivalent of six (6) months (48 hours) of sick leave upon hire rather than accruing sick leave on a monthly basis. Upon completion of the six (6) months they will accrue sick leave monthly as described in Article 26.1 of the LOPOA labor agreement.
• Education Reimbursement Program

INCENTIVE PAY AVAILABLE:

• Education and certifications at the completion of field training and DPSST basic or career officer development Academy

• 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 10% for a four-year degree orDPSST Advanced Certificate
• 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate
• 15% for an advanced college degree (Masters or Doctorate Degree)

• Employees who are determined by the City to be fluent in additional languages shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay.
• Shift Differential -Employees regularly assigned to work graveyard shift shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay for all hours worked in their graveyard shift.
• Premium pay assignments - Motor Officers Training Officers K-9 Officers School Resource Officers Adult Resource Officers Transit officers and Detectives shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay while so assigned. Those assigned to ancillary duty assignments such as Mobile Field Force Crisis Negotiation or SWAT shall receive an additional 5% of their base salary when working in that capacity.
• Longevity pay for more than six (6) nine (9) and twelve (12) consecutive years of service with the Lake Oswego Police Department.

LATERAL POLICE OFFICERS

In recognition of their previous work experience qualified lateral police officers are eligible for the following additional benefits and incentives:

Education and certification pay:

• Qualified lateral police officers will receive additional pay for college course work and/or DPSST Certification at the time of hire as described below.

• 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 10% for a four-year degree orDPSST Advanced Certificate
• 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate
• 15% for an advanced college degree (Masters or Doctorate Degree)

Language premium:

• Employees who are determined by the City to be fluent in additional languages shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay.

Vacation:

• Qualified lateral police officers will be eligible to receive up to sixty (60) hours of banked vacation time.
• Qualified lateral police officers may be considered for accelerated vacation accrual rates based on their time as a sworn police officer.

Longevity Pay:

• Qualified lateral employees will be eligible for longevity pay as described in Article 8.5 of the LOPOA CBA commensurate with their years of relevant experience in the related field.
• Qualified lateral employees will receive 3% longevity pay if they have more than six (6) years relevant experience 4% for more than nine (9) years relevant experience and 5% for more than twelve (12) years relevant experience.
• Qualified lateral employees will receive the longevity incentive pay upon hire as described in LOPOA CBA Article 9.3

To Qualify as a lateral employee the candidate must:

• Currently be employed in the equivalent position applied for or hold current certification for the position applied for;
• Currently possess any certifications as required by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST);
• Have completed a field training and evaluation program where required;
• Have three (3) or more years of experience in the position applied for; and
• Be in good standing with a State of Oregon Law Enforcement Agency

RETIREMENT:

• Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)Member contributions are paid on your behalf by the City.

• Tier 1 & 2 PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 29.54% 6% pick up
• OPSRP Police and Fire PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 27.34% 6% pick up

• City maintains a 457 deferred compensation plan and contributes 2.5% of base salary into the employee deferred compensation account

For more detailed information on medical plans benefits incentives and premiums please review the Benefits tab on the job posting or the full Lake Oswego Police Officers Association Labor Agreement: LOPOA

IMPORTANT

READ TO THE END AND COMPLETE THE STEPS UNDER APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Entry Level and Lateral

Applications must be submitted to applications will not be accepted and resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed job application. The City application must be submitted to by: 5:00 p.m. January 31 2026.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ TO THE END AND FOLLOW ALL STEPS

Entry Level and Lateral(All applicants)

Pre-Employment Profile:

In order to be considered for employment with the Lake Oswego Police Department you must complete and attach the supplemental questionnaire form called Sworn Pre-Employment Profile.

You will find the Pre-Employment Profile form at the link below. Please complete the questionnaire and then attach the document to your on-line application. Any Yes answers in the Pre-Employment Profile document must have an explanation. Those explanations may be attached on a supplemental page in either a WORD or PDF document. You must complete this step before you certify and submit your application.

Link to the Sworn Pre-Employment Profile: you have questions regarding this step of the process please feel free to contact Human Resources at or .

Entry Level Only(those without a current police office certification)

Preferred NTN Frontline exams:

Entry level candidates are encouraged to but not required to complete Frontline exams through National Testing Network (NTN) and submit their scores to the Lake Oswego Police Department. Scores for exams more than a year old will expire and cannot be reviewed.