Job Description

POLICE SERGEANT

JOB CODE 62220

Effective Date:	03/95A

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

The fundamental reason this classification exists is to supervise and participate in the activities of a police patrol, detective, traffic or other specialized squad/section on an assigned shift; or perform responsible administrative staff duties. Supervision is exercised over Police Officers, Police Assistants, Police Trainees, Police Aides, and civilian employees. Incumbents of this class frequently participate in the work performed by Police Officers, and in some assignments are required to become involved in situations requiring extreme physical exertion. Sergeants will often assume complete charge in the absence of a higher ranking officer. Police Sergeants work independently in performing regularly assigned duties under the general orders of a Police Lieutenant or other higher ranking supervisor. Performance is evaluated through observation, oral and written reports, and by results obtained.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Supervises sworn and non-sworn police staff;
• Calls roll at the beginning of a shift, inspects Police Officers for appearance, readiness and preparation for duty and briefs employees on special tasks or assignments, conducts or provides for training;
• Serves as a witness in court in connection with arrests and investigations;
• Investigates complaints or allegations of misconduct against employees of the Police Department;
• Keeps informed and aware of persons and places suspected of illegal activity and/or potential for problems within an assigned area;
• Enters and retrieves data from a terminal, PC or other keyboard device;
• Interviews persons with complaints and makes proper disposition or directs them to the proper authorities;
• Participates in community activities and makes verbal presentations to groups;
• Secures crime scenes, administers first aid, arbitrates disputes, conducts preliminary and follow-up investigations, gathers evidence, obtains witness statements, apprehends suspects, and makes arrests;
• Patrols a designated area of the City by radio equipped car, or on foot, to prevent, discover, and deter the commission of crime, to enforce criminal law, to direct traffic, and to enforce motor vehicle operation and parking regulations;
• Responds to calls involving fire, automobile accidents, crimes, neighborhood disturbances, and other requests from citizens;
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of supervision and personnel administration.
• United States and Arizona Constitutions, Federal, State and City criminal and traffic laws and ordinances, and related court decisions.
• General social problems and cultural diversity of citizenry.
• Modern police methods, practices, and procedures.
• The geography of the City, community service organizations, location of facilities and buildings, and the established Police Beat Grid Coordinate Systems.
• City of Phoenix Personnel Rules/Policies, Administrative Regulations, Memorandum of Understanding, department policies, General Orders and Operations Orders.

Ability to:

• Perform a broad range of supervisory responsibilities over others.
• Communicate in the English language by phone, police radio system, or in person in a group or one-to-one setting.
• Evaluate a situation, make effective decisions under pressure, and take appropriate action.
• Produce written documents in the English language with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar.
• Use and properly care for firearms and related police emergency equipment.
• Work cooperatively, courteously, but firmly with all segments of the public.
• Observe and monitor people's behavior to determine compliance with laws, regulations, and recall details.
• Apply first aid principles and practices.
• Travel across rough, uneven and rocky surfaces when gathering evidence, apprehending suspects or securing a crime scene.
• Comprehend and make inferences from material written in the English language and learn job-related material through observation, structured lecture, and oral instruction. This learning takes place in an on-the-job training or classroom setting.
• Recognize and control sources of personal stress in order to perform class requirements.
• Remain in a standing or sitting position for extended periods of time.
• Maintain a level of physical fitness to meet department standards.
• Maintain moral integrity.
• Work in a variety of weather conditions with exposure to the elements.
• Work safely without presenting a direct threat to self or others.

Additional Requirements:

• This classification requires the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individual must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.
• Some positions will require the performance of other essential functions, depending upon work location, assignment, or shift.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:
Four years of experience as a Police Officer and 75 hours of college credit. Up to 45 hours of college credit may be offset by specialty assignments, designated skills, and other job-related achievements. Each specialty assignment, designated skill, and language will be credited as being equivalent to three hours of college credit. Each 42 hours of job-related, "non-degree" training will be credited as being equivalent to three hours of college credit.