Bellingham Police Department - Police Officer
Last updated on October 15, 2024
PST Partner Agency since April 05, 2016
Vacancies: 8
Important Information
This process is an open and continuous examination. Applications will be reviewed as they are received on an ongoing basis. Candidates will be notified of their rank and score regularly as incoming applications are reviewed.
- Patrol Officers work a 1040 work schedule of five, 10.7 hour days on, four days off, five days on, four days off, five days on, five days off, repeating monthly.
- Training opportunities, the 1040 work schedule allows for one full training day a month.
This recruitment process will create a Civil Service register that will be used to fill anticipated vacancies. This position is represented by a union.
The City of Bellingham is actively seeking qualified applicants for the position of Police Officer Recruit. Applicants interested in this position must complete testing through Public Safety Testing.
Applicants interested in this position must complete testing through Public Safety Testing. Please visit the Public Safety Testing website (https://www.publicsafetytesting.com/). Applicants must complete the written exam and pass the physical ability test through Public Safety Testing prior to being invited to apply.
NOTE: Employees will remain in the Recruit classification in probationary status prior to and while attending the Police Academy. With successful completion of the Police Academy, the employee shall move to the Full Performance Police Officer classification in a non-competitive promotion effective the first day of the pay period immediately following such academy completion. A standard 12-month Civil Service probationary period applies for all officers following placement into the Full Performance Police Officer classification.
The City of Bellingham is a classified Civil Service System using ranked eligibility lists developed from test scores to select final candidates for hire.
Qualified candidates will be placed on a ranked eligibility list based on the written exam score. The top scoring 15 candidates or the top 25%, whichever is greater, will be referred to the Department for additional examinations, assessments, or tests.
Please refer to the City of Bellingham employment website for more information www.cob.org/employment and fill out a job interest alert to receive email notification with the most recent information on public safety career opportunities.
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Bellingham Police Department - Police Officer Requirements
| Category | Requirement | Required at time of... | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Hire | ||
| Written Examination |
Yes, required |
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| LEO/CO Physical Ability Test (PAT) |
Yes, required Your physical ability test must be completed 180 days (~6 months) before or after your passing written exam. |
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| Minimum Age | 21 years of age. | ||
| Citizenship |
US Citizen or deferred action for childhood arrivals recipient, or a registered permanent resident able to work in the United States. Washington State residency by time of hire. |
||
| High School Grad/ GED | Yes | ||
| Driver's License Required | Valid Washington State driver's license by time of hire and good driving record. A three year driving abstract must be submitted prior to hire, with periodic submission of driving abstract per City policy. | ||
| Felony Conviction(s) as an Adult | No record of felony convictions. | ||
| Felony Conviction(s) as a Juvenile | Felony convictions as a juvenile and misdemeanor convictions will be reviewed. A misdemeanor conviction will not necessarily disqualify and applicant, but offenses, by their nature and recentness, may reveal a lack of specific qualifications for this position. | ||
| Ability to Read, Speak & Write the English Language | Yes | ||
| Vision Requirements | Uncorrected vision in either eye of 20/100 or better, vision able to be corrected to 20/20 in better eye and 20/30 in lesser eye. Visual acuity including closeness, distance, color, peripheral and depth perception, with the ability to adjust focus and to read a computer screen and typewritten page. | ||
| College Requirement |
OR
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| Other |
Tattoos on the face, neck, hands, fingers, tongue, scalp or ears are prohibited. At no time while on duty or representing the Department in any capacity, shall any offensive tattoo or body art be visible. Tattoos that consist of religious or political symbolism shall not be visible while on duty. Possession of, or ability to obtain, Red Cross certification for Infant/Child and Adult CPR and Standard First Aid within two years of hire. |
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| Multiple Scores from Same Applicant | We only consider the most recent score | ||
| Request/Access Scores | Scores are pulled on a weekly basis. | ||
Contact Information
Bellingham Police Department - Police Officer
Contact a RecruiterAgency Test Requirements
Written Examination: Yes, required
PAT: Yes, required
Other City of Bellingham positions
What-Comm Public Safety Telecommunicator (Dispatch)
COVID-19 UPDATES
5/6/2020 Update:
TESTING IN WASHINGTON STATE CANCELED THROUGH MAY 31, 2020
All pre-employment tests in Washington State have been canceled until May 31, 2020 unless government restrictions are eased. With recent updates, facility closures, and government guidelines, this step is necessary and could be modified at any time. The health and safety of our customers, our staff, and their families is of the highest priority.
We will continue to evaluate developments and make changes to this policy as necessary. When we do resume testing, there will be plenty of events for everyone to test. We are in regular communication with our public safety agency partners, assessing alternatives to the traditional testing model and our testing policies. Any future updates will be posted on the PST website and our Facebook page.
4/1/2020 Update:
If you have tested with PST in the past 12 months, there may be additional positions you are now eligible to add. Several departments have temporarily changed their testing policies due to the suspension in testing that COVID-19 has caused. Please login to your PST account and navigate to the ‘New Positions’ page to see what departments you can add! We will regularly update that page in your account as departments send updates.
FUTURE TEST REGISTRATION
We know that there will be testing in the future - we just don’t know when! We want you to be prepared for when testing begins again so we have created test events on our calendar that you can register for that will place you in a queue to be first notified. These tests are not “real” test events, they are essentially a holding area. You will be able to “reschedule” out of that event to any other event date/location at no cost. Registering now will also give you time to work on your Personal History Statement (PHS) so that your data will be ready and up-to-date to send to your departments once testing resumes.
To sign up for this placeholder event, select the June 15, 2020 test date in your category (police, fire, 911 dispatch, corrections, etc.).
You may also click on the test event of interest below to sign up:
Law Enforcement & Corrections Written and Physical Ability Test
Please check back here frequently and ‘Like’ our Facebook page to stay updated.
PST staff are working remotely and are available by email at contact@publicsafetytesting.com. We anticipate a high email volume and will respond as quickly as possible.
