Police Officer

mission statement:

the portsmouth police department actively works in partnership with our community to protect, prevent crime and respectfully, justly and compassionately help all people.

• must be a us citizen
• applicant must be 21 years of age prior to receiving a conditional offer of employment
• high school diploma or ged equivalent is required
• military experience or post-secondary schooling is strongly recommended
• must have no criminal record
• must possess a valid driver's license

application process: the portsmouth police department has an on-going recruitment and hiring process for sworn personnel. We only accept applications submitted electronically through policeapp
, as the department does not accept applications through any third-party recruitment site. A certified candidate, sworn full-time police officer with another law enforcement agency, may apply to the portsmouth police department by visiting:

please create an account, submit an application and attach your current resume.
* certified candidates are not required to take the portsmouth police post exam / great bay police entrance exam. If you have any questions, please visit:

joinppd.us

a non-certified candidate, interested in becoming a police officer, is required to first take the entry level police exam through great bay police testing alliance or apply and submit a request for the portsmouth police post exam. The test is not a requirement for candidates with a college degree or military veteran status, but it is still strongly encouraged. Military veterans or applicants with a college degree may apply to the portsmouth police department by visiting:

the salary range of a police officer with the portsmouth police department is:

$68,000-$74,000 (entry level)

$80,000-$96,000 (certified)

benefits for full-time sworn police officers include the following:

• life insurance
• health insurance
• prescription drug plan
• annual vacation
• personal days
• deferred compensation plans
• employee assistance plan
• police relief association
• in-house fitness room
• educational assistance

the portsmouth police department offers full-time sworn officers the ability to apply for a variety of special assignments including the bike patrol, crisis negotiation team, detectives, seacoast emergency response team, honor guard, police k‑9 unit, motorcycle patrol, narcotics unit, field training officer, firearms instructor, firearms armorer, defensive tactics/asp/cs gel/taser instructor, drug recognition expert (dre), crime scene team, street crimes unit and drone team

• performs patrolling duties by cruiser, motorcycle, bicycle or by foot in an assigned area
• answers calls for service
• investigates traffic accidents and criminal offenses
• makes arrests, issues citations and warnings
• interacts with the community
• identifies problem areas within the community and implements solutions
• processes and transports prisoners
• gathers information and writes investigative and other reports

• the portsmouth police department seeks to provide an equal employment opportunity to all people without regard to race, color, gender/gender identity, religion, age, national origin or disability and to ensure this practice of nondiscrimination is applied to every aspect of its business activities