The Position

The City is seeking qualified individuals who are interested in becoming Police Officers to join our law enforcement team. Located in the northwestern corner of Clackamas County, on the banks of the scenic Willamette River and hugging the shore of a 405-acre lake, Lake Oswego is a community rich with art, culture, historic resources, quality schools, vibrant business districts, and an abundance of activities and events for all ages.
Working out of the newly constructed Police and City Hall facility in downtown Lake Oswego, the Department has a number of resources to provide exceptional levels of service while offering a number of opportunities to Police Officers such as Detectives, Motorcycle Officers, School Resource Officers, K9 Officers, Adult Resource Officer, and the Training Unit. Additionally, the Department has its own 911 dispatch center (LOCOM), on site Behavioral Health Specialist, Peer Support Team, Chaplain, and fitness facility. Non-sworn Community Service Officers, Evidence, Records and Administrative personnel round out the valuable support for the Department and community.
The Department has a philosophy of community-oriented policing and empowering officers to deal with problems proactively. Respect, Excellence, Trust, and Service guide our values-driven organization in our mission to cultivate an exceptional quality of life for everyone in our community. This dedication to service and collaborative City approach has garnered tremendous community and elected official support for our team and earned our department a 92% overall satisfaction rating (2023).
As part of their duties, Lake Oswego Police Officers can expect to get to know members of the business community and neighborhood residents; patrol assigned areas on foot or in the car; conduct routine and detailed investigations into criminal and civil matters; enforce state and local traffic laws; and demonstrate a service orientation with an understanding of community-oriented policing.
This is a uniformed, police position responsible for general police duties and the enforcement of laws and ordinances. An employee in this class is under the direct supervision of a shift sergeant and performs law enforcement activities which include, but are not limited to, the protection of life and property; conducts routine and detailed investigations into criminal and civil matters; locates and preserves physical evidence; enforces city and state traffic laws, and issues verbal and written warnings; performs special investigative and undercover assignments when required; writes reports and other documents; makes court appearances and gives testimony; may be assigned to the detective, traffic, crime prevention, or other related units; and may be given assignments as required by the chief of police. Incumbents in this class report to a higher professional police classification, such as sergeant, lieutenant, captain or chief of police. This position is represented by the Lake Oswego Police Officers Association (LOPOA).

Education and Experience Requirements

To qualify, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, have no felony conviction, be at least 21 years of age, have as a minimum a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent, vision correctable to 20/20, a valid driver’s license, and the ability to successfully complete a thorough background investigation and post-offer psychological and medical examination, including pre-employment drug screen. This position is subject to mandatory participation in electronic funds transfer (EFT) for payment of net wages (i.e., Direct Deposit or PayCard).
For a complete list of the essential duties, knowledge, skills and abilities required, and physical and mental demands please review the complete job description at www.ci.oswego.or.us (Download PDF reader).
As a result of this process, the Department will establish an eligibility list effective for one year. This is subject to change at the discretion of the City.
If selected to continue through the process, you will be contacted with instruction for next steps.

Supplemental Information

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION
LOPOA Compensation Plan - (Download PDF reader)July 1, 2024, the annual Cost of Living adjustment for this position will be an increase between 2% and 4%.
BENFITS AVAILABLE:

• Medical Insurance choice between traditional indemnity plan or health maintenance organization (HMO)
• Aetna full family medical and dental coverage $120/mo (current cost)
• Kaiser Permanente full family medical and dental coverage $92/mo (current cost)
• Sick Leave Upon Hire: New and lateral hires scheduled to work a forty (40) hour workweek will receive the equivalent of six (6) months (48 hours) of sick leave upon hire rather than accruing sick leave on a monthly basis. Upon completion of the six (6) months, they will accrue sick leave monthly as described in Article 26.1 of the LOPOA labor agreement.
• Education Reimbursement Program

• Education and certifications at the completion of field training and DPSST basic or career officer development Academy
  • 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate
  • 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate
  • 10% for a four-year degree or DPSST Advanced Certificate
  • 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate
  • 15% for an advanced college degree (Master’s or Doctorate Degree)
• Employees who are determined by the City to be fluent in additional languages shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay.
• Shift Differential - Employees regularly assigned to work graveyard shift shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay for all hours worked in their graveyard shift.
• Premium pay assignments - Motor Officers, Training Officers, K-9 Officers, School Resource Officers, Adult Resource Officers, Transit officers, and Detectives shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay while so assigned. Those assigned to ancillary duty assignments such as Mobile Field Force, Crisis Negotiation, or SWAT shall receive an additional 5% of their base salary when working in that capacity.
• Longevity pay for more than six (6), nine (9) and twelve (12) consecutive years of service with the Lake Oswego Police Department.

• Qualified lateral police officers will receive additional pay for college course work and/or DPSST Certification at the time of hire as described above.
• Qualified lateral police officers will be eligible to receive up to sixty (60) hours of banked vacation time.
• Qualified lateral police officers may be considered for accelerated vacation accrual rates based on their time as a sworn police officer.

• Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Member contributions are paid on your behalf by the City.
  • Tier 1 & 2 PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 29.54% 6% pick up
  • OPSRP Police and Fire PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 27.34% 6% pick up
• City maintains a 457 deferred compensation plan and contributes 2.5% of base salary into the employee deferred compensation account

SUMMARY OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Lake Oswego Police Officers' Association (LOPOA) Members
The following material is a brief summary of each benefit and does not replace or supersede any provisions of the insurance contracts.
Vacation accruals in Article 24
The new deferred compensation percentages in Article 8
The City will maintain a 457 deferred compensation plan. The City will contribute 1.2% of base salary into individual employee deferred compensation account per pay period.
Effective July 1, 2023, the City will contribute a total of 2.5% of base salary into individual employee deferred compensation accounts per pay period. Base salary does not include incentive or assignment pay. The City accepts no liability for the success or failure of individual investment programs. This selection is subject to applicable tax rules.
The new shift differential for night shift in Article 8
Employees regularly assigned to work graveyard shift shall receive five percent (5%) of their base pay for all hours worked in their graveyard shift. This graveyard shift differential does not apply if the employee works overtime on day or swing shifts, or if an employee regularly scheduled to work day or swing shift works graveyard overtime.
The new incentive schedules in Article 9
Incentive pay will be given to those employees who meet the requirements contained herein and have made a written request submitting proof of college-level course work and/or certification of the degree obtained to the Police Department. An eligible employee shall begin to receive such additional pay the first of the month following receipt of such proof of qualification, and shall lose incentive pay the first of the month following ineligibility.
Incentive pay requirements are as follows:
Option 1. Two (2) years of college-level course work or Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Intermediate Certificate/ Dispatcher Certification, and has maintained satisfactory performance;
Or
Option 2. Two (2) years of college-level course work and Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Intermediate Certificate/Dispatcher Certification, and has maintained satisfactory performance;
Or
Option 3. Four (4) year college degree or Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Advanced Certificate/Dispatcher Certification, and has maintained satisfactory performance;
Or
Option 4. Four (4) year college degree and Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Advance Certificate/Dispatcher Certification, and has maintained satisfactory performance.
Or
Option 5. Advanced college degree (Master’s or Doctorate Degree)
No new employee shall receive incentive pay until their successful completion of FTEP and their DPSST basic or career officer development Academy training. A lateral employee who meets the education Incentive pay requirements, as set forth above, will be eligible for the applicable incentive pay upon hire.
Employees who are eligible for incentive pay shall receive five percent (5%) of the top step for their classification upon satisfying the requirements on Option 1 above; six percent (6%) of the top step for their classification upon satisfying the requirements on Option 2 above; ten percent (10%) of the top step for their classification upon satisfying the requirements of Option 3 above; eleven percent (11%) of the top step for their classification upon satisfying the requirements on Option 4 above; or fifteen percent (15%) of the top step for their classification upon satisfying the requirements on Option 5 above.
The new longevity pay structure in Article 8
a. Those who have more than six (6) consecutive years of service in the bargaining unit will be paid an additional three percent (3%) of base wages.
b. Those who have more than nine (9) consecutive years of service in the bargaining unit will be paid an additional four percent (4%) of base wages.
c. Those who have more than twelve (12) consecutive years of service in the bargaining unit will be paid an additional five percent (5%) of base wages.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Current Summary of Benefits
Lake Oswego Police Officers’ Association (LOPOA) Members

• member contributions* paid on your behalf by the City; and
• employer contributions*.