Police Officer

Police Officer (Hiring Incentive for Iowa Certified and Non-Certified)

SALARY

$33.35 - $48.84 Hourly

$68,967.80 - $ Annually

LOCATION

515 Clark Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, IA

JOB TYPE

Full-Time

JOB NUMBER

26-2216-01

DEPARTMENT

Police

OPENING DATE

09/04/2026

CLOSING DATE

10/9/2026 12:00 PM Central

FLSA

Non-Exempt

BARGAINING UNIT

PPME

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT?

Yes

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT AREAS

Centrally located in the heart of Iowa, Ames is a vibrant, progressive community with more than 66,000 residents providing an excellent quality of life. Home to Iowa State University, Ames offers year-round recreation opportunities, diverse cultural offerings, a stable economy, safe neighborhoods, and a high-achieving school district.

The City of Ames is conducting a recruitment to fill current openings for Police Officer with the City of Ames Police Department. For applicants, please see below the dates of application review for timely consideration.

Police Officers perform work related to the enforcement of law, maintenance of order, protection of life and property, and prevention of crime; contributes to citywide problem-solving and performs related work as required. Work is within a 24/7/365 environment and subject to shift assignment and occasional mandatory overtime.

To witness what it is like to work for the City of Ames Police Department and find additional information on the pre-employment requirements, please visit the Ames PD website:
Join the Ames Police Department. For further information please also see Ames Police Department Facebook Page and City of Ames Police X Page (formerly Twitter) .

For this recruitment, any Iowa certified Officer, OR, any out-of-state certified Officer who can gain certification through examination with the ILEA, who begins employment as a result of this recruitment, shall receive a hiring wage incentive to equal $2000.

Any non-certified Officer who begins employment from this recruitment shall receive a hiring wage incentive to equal $1000.

• 1) 50% upon hire
• 2) 25% after 6 months of employment
• 3) 25% after probationary period ends or 12 months of employment (whichever is later)

The current starting annual salary for this position is $68,965 ($33.35 per hour). Specified months of City of Ames PD service are applied as step increases, per the PPME bargaining agreement. Annual salaries for Police Officers are based on a 2068 hours worked schedule. Salaries may be subject to change according to worked overtime.

The City of Ames is offering lateral transfers for certified officers, up to step D (49-72 months). Current Iowa Law Enforcement Academy certification will be required before applying any step consideration.

July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027

• 0-12 $ 33.35 $ 68,965
• 3-24 $ 34.55 $ 71,441
• 25-48 $ 36.53 $ 75,554
• 49-72 $ 38.52 $ 79,664
• 73-96 $ 40.61 $ 83,980
• 97-120 $ 43.33 $ 89,596
• 121-144 $ 44.94 $ 92,936
• 145+ $48,84 $ 101,000

This position is also bound by a residency requirement per the same bargaining agreement, which is outlined under "Other Supplemental Information" later in this posting.

Our comprehensive benefits package can be viewed at:
City of Ames Benefits

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program:
The PSLF Program is a federal program that is intended to encourage individuals to work in public service by forgiving the balance of their federal student loans. To qualify, the individual must have made 120 qualifying payments while employed by a qualifying employer. For more information, please visit the website through this link: PSLF Program

Important Dates for this Recruitment

POST exam and Agility Testing is scheduled for October 16th ONLY. Interviews will be scheduled for those passing POST and Agility…