Perhaps no professional group other than police is subjected so continually to the range of physical and mental stress under the hazardous conditions commonly encountered in police work. Each candidate must be thoroughly evaluated to determine if his or her abilities are compatible with the duties and responsibilities of a police officer.
To be considered for employment, you must be able to meet the following standards:
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien with application for naturalization filed and pending with I.N.S.
- Uncorrected vision not worse than 20/200, provided there has been at least 6 months success wearing soft contact lenses. Without soft contact lenses, uncorrected vision cannot be worse than 20/100. In any case, vision MUST be correctable to 20/20.
- Be at least 21 years of age at date of appointment. (Cadet applicants must be at least 18 years of age.)
- Be a High school graduate or possess a valid G.E.D. certificate recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Possess or be able to acquire a valid Virginia Operator's License.
- Illegal drug use will be reviewed with respect to recenct use, type of drug, and frequency of use.
- Have never been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor. Involvement in past criminal activity will be assessed on a case by case basis.
- Be of good character and reputation.
- Have the ability to perform essential job functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.
- Have a stable work record.
Retirement: An officer is eligible for retirement after 25 years of service at 70 percent of the average compensation for the highest consecutive 36 months of service.
Annual Leave: Employees with less than three years of service earn 13 days of annual leave per year; between three and 15 years of service - 19 days per year; over 15 years of service - 26 days per year. Employees may accumulate up to 30 days of annual leave (up to 40 days after 10 years service).
Paid Holidays: There are 11 ½ paid holidays per year.
Sick Leave: Sick leave accrues at a rate of four hours per payroll period (13 days a year) and may accumulate without limit.
Health Insurance: Fairfax County employees have the option of enrolling in a variety of health plans which are available in either individual, two party, or full family coverage. Fairfax County contributes 85 percent of the cost for individual coverage and 75 percent of the cost for two party and family coverage in these health plans. Individual and family dental coverage is also available at group rates. Salary insurance and universal life dependent care, hospital confinement, medical spending, are other benefits offered to county employees. The cost of these plans is borne entirely by the employee.
Group Term Life Insurance: Employees eligible for benefits receive County-paid life insurance after six months of employment; this coverage is equal to their annual salary. Additional coverage of 1 or 4 times an employee's annual salary is available at age banded rates. Dependent coverage of $12,500 for a spouse/$6,250 for children or $6,250 for a spouse/$2,500 for children is available for an additional $2.50-$5.00 per month.
Deferred Compensation (Contributions and Earnings are tax deferred): You may contribute up to $14,000 per year. If you are over age 50, you may contribute an additional $4,000 (total $18,000) per year. Contributions must be earnings deducted from your paycheck.
Employees who have not contributed the maximum allowed by law may contribute additional funds if they have reached or are within four years of their normal retirement date. These catch-up provisions limit total contributions to $28,000 in 2005. The actual amount of additional contributions allowed is calculated by subtracting the total amount previosly deferred from the maximum amount allowed by law.
The dollar limits for contributions are increasing for 2006 as follows: Normal contribution: up to $15,000; including age 50 catch-up provision: up to $20,000; including catch-up within four years of retirement: $30,000.
Equipment: All uniforms and equipment are furnished by the Department.
Police Officer $45,741 - $74,508
Police Officer First Class $52,734 - $77,914
Master Police Officer $70,516 - $81,632
Sergeant Police Officer $67,159 - $85,713
Shift Differential Pay: .90 for evening shift and 1.30 for midnights
Career Development: Officers are eligible for promotion to Police Officer First Class after two years of satisfactory service. Promotion to Master Police Officer is a competitive process open to PFC's with seven years of satisfactory service. Promotion to supervisory positions is accomplished through a competitive testing process.
The selection process used by the Fairfax County Police Department is thorough to ensure that only the best qualified candidates are selected. The following are the components of the police officer selection process which must be completed and passed by every applicant. The approximate amount of time required for each segment also is indicated.
- Written Examination --- 2.5 hours
- Initial Interview --- 1/2 hour
- Polygraph --- 3 hours
- Psychological Exam --- 8 hours
- Physical Ability Test --- 2 hours
- Background Interview --- 4 hours
- Medical Exam --- 4 hours
- Entire Background Investigation --- 8-12 weeks
Persons requiring special accomodations please call the Fairfax County Police Department Personnel Resources Division at 703-246-7560 for arrangements.
You may obtain an Application for Employment in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. To view this file, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.
You can contact the Department's Recruitment Officer via email or by telephoning at 703-246-7560 for additional information on applying to become a Fairfax County Police Officer.
For other employment opportunities with Fairfax County, go to the Fairfax County Jobs page.
The Fairfax County Police Department is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, committed to diversity in the workplace. Reasonable accommodations are provided upon request.
|
