Police Agent; Academy) Recruits and Laterals; Police Officer

Police Agent Recruit

The City of Lakewood is dedicated to upholding City values to include:
Performance Excellence, Leadership, Respect and Collaboration. Best fit candidates will demonstrate innovation, customer service, dedication, passion and engagement. All people, citizens and employees, will be treated with respect, relevance, and importance.

Salary Range: $80,730.00 - $/year

The nationally recognized and accredited City of Lakewood Police Department is now accepting ongoing applications for the expected January 2027 Academy.

To qualify as a Police Agent Recruit you must meet the following requirements:

• Must be at least 21 years of age at date of hire.
• Have obtained a Bachelor's Degree in any discipline from a nationally accredited university by January 1, 2027.

Other State requirements for Police Officers in Colorado, including Lakewood Police Lateral Agents include:

• No felony convictions.
• No convictions of misdemeanor crimes that would affect your ability to certify with the Colorado Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board. Generally, traffic violations do not fall under these restrictions; however, you must possess and maintain a valid Colorado driver's license by the date of hire.

To apply as a Lateral Police Agent, you must meet the above listed criteria and the following:

• Possess an active Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification or an active state equivalent,
• Not currently under Internal Affairs investigation for any reason,
• A minimum of three (3) years of patrol duty (calls for service/street duty) while employed full time by a state, county or municipal police department or sheriff's office department similar to that found in most urban and suburban settings.
• Experience accumulated as a deputy or officer employed at a correctional facility, or as a Federal or Military Police Officer is not applicable experience. Police Academy training does not count toward the three-year minimum experience requirement.

The Lakewood Police Department values the hiring of skilled, experienced and dedicated police professionals through a lateral entry program. Lateral applicants must meet the hiring requirements for new recruits, including possessing a bachelor's degree in any discipline. Lateral applicants must have an active peace officer certification and at least three years of police patrol experience. The experience must have occurred in a similar environment and policing experience such as federal, railroad, private police, military and collegiate law enforcement will not be considered.

Lateral agents complete a reduced probationary period of one year, subject to their performance. Lateral agents are eligible to compete for certain specialized assignments after successfully completing probation and are eligible for all specialized assignments and promotion to sergeant after only two years of service.

If you are interested in applying or if you have questions, please reach out to us at LPDRecruiting.

Testing

Summary:

Must be able to pass a written suitability test, physical abilities test (obstacle course), panel interview, polygraph, job suitability evaluation, post-offer psychological evaluation, background investigation, pre-placement physical examination and drug screen.

Salary Information

• Academy Recruit (Upon Hire): $80,730
• Entry into Field Training: $86,138.91
• Graduation from Field Training: $91,910.22
• Two Years from Date of Hire: $98,068.20
• Three Years from Date of Hire: $ (Lateral and Military Veteran eligible starting salary)
• Four Years from Date of Hire: $ (Lateral with four years of patrol experience)
• Five Years from Date of Hire: $ (Lateral with five years of patrol experience)

* Military Leadership Incentive:
The Lakewood Police Department values the leadership experience and service-minded culture of our Nation's military. To honor those values and to attract selected veterans as potential hires for our police force, the Lakewood Police Department now offers starting lateral-transfer pay(which is $), for veterans which fall into either one of the below categories:

• Any service member or veteran, E-5 and above, with a bachelor's degree and five years of active duty…