Lateral Hire Program
All candidates for the position of Police Officer wanting to attend the Lateral Program must meet the following minimum qualifications in order to apply:
- be a U.S. citizen
- be at least 21 years of age at commission
- be in excellent physical condition
- no felony convictions
- may not have more than one DWI conviction and no DWI conviction in the past three years
- may not have three moving violations from separate incidents or be at fault in more than one accident in the past 18 months
- meet vision and hearing standards
- no objectionable tattoos and no visible tattoos in a short sleeve uniform shirt
- may not have used a controlled substance illegally within the last three years
- currently certified as a law enforcement officer in the state of Missouri with a Missouri POST Class A Peace Officer License (A license may be obtained through testing. Check here for more information about a Missouri POST license or call 573-751-4905.)
- have at least two years full-time sworn police experience in any state within the last five years. Primary duties must include responding to calls for service, conducting preliminary and/or follow-up investigations of crimes, responding to traffic accidents, and apprehending, detaining and arresting suspects.
The testing and selection procedure includes the following elements: a physical agility test, written exam, an oral interview, background investigation, polygraph examination, pre-employment drug testing, post-offer medical examination and psychological evaluation.
The written exam is the National Criminal Justice Officer Selection Inventory Exam. The exam consists of a cognitive section and a personality inventory section. Public Safety Recruitment has a study guide/practice exam available for purchase. Discount codes are also available.
Physical agility testing is a job-simulation physical agility course. Candidates will perform a series of linked exercises that simulate a Police Officer’s job. Detailed information may be found in the Physical Agility Test Preparation Guide. You may also view the Physical Agility video to see each test station being performed.
The Springfield Police Department and YMCA are presenting a Fitness Challenge to help applicants prepare for the physical agility test. A fee will be charged for this 7-week program. CrossFit Springfield is also providing a fitness program for recruits. There is a fee for this 10-week course. Physical agility events and standards are reviewed periodically and may be modified as deemed appropriate and without prior notice. Application screening of each candidate will be done prior to physical agility testing to determine eligibility into the Lateral Hire Program.
Applicants must pass every phase of the testing and selection process in order to be considered eligible for appointment to the Lateral Hire Program. If a candidate fails to meet the physical agility standards for the Lateral Hire Program but all of his/her scores meet the regular academy standards, the candidate may opt to be considered for the regular police academy. If a candidate opts to be considered for the regular police academy, he/she is not eligible for placement on the pay scale higher than a step one, which is entry level pay and he/she will be required to attend the normal six month academy training.
You will be placed on a pay scale according to prior full-time law enforcement experience to be determined by the Human Resources Department through the screening process:
| At least 2 years experience | $34,507.20 (step 2) |
| At least 3 years experience | $36,254.40 (step 3) |
| At least 4 years experience | $37,710.40 (step 4) |
| At least 5 years experience | $38,812.80 (step 5) |
| At least 6 years experience | $40,497.60 (step 6) |
| At least 7 years experience | $42,286.40 (step 7) |
| At least 8 years experience or more | $44,387.20 (step 8) |
Exact dates for testing and selection are determined each year. Testing schedules are reviewed periodically and may be modified as deemed appropriate and without prior notice.
| 2011 Testing Schedule | ||
| Option 1 | Option 2 | |
| Informational Seminar-South District Station | 05/23/11 7:00 p.m. | Pending date |
| Accepting Applications for this Testing | Through 06/10/11 | Beginning 06/11/11 |
| Application Deadline for Testing Purposes | 06/10/11 5:00 p.m. | 07/29/11 |
| Schedule Testing | Week of 06/13/11 | Week of 08/01/11 |
| Written Exams & Results to Candidates | 06/25/11 | 08/13/11 |
| Physical Agility | 06/26/11 | 08/14/11 |
| Schedule Interviews | 06/26/11 | 08/14/11 |
| Oral Boards/Backgrounds Returned | 06/27-07/29/11 | 08/15-09/16/11 |
| Interview Scores to Candidates | Within week of completed interview | Within week of completed interview |
| Background Investigations | Beginning 07/01/11 | Beginning 08/22/11 |
| Employment Offers | Pending date | Pending date |
| Post-Offer Exams | Pending date | Pending date |
| Final Notices | Pending date | Pending date |
| First Day of the Lateral Program (Hire Date) | Pending date | Pending date |
| Graduation | Pending date | Pending date |
If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position and are interested in participating in the June selection process, please contact the City of Springfield Human Resources Department at 417-864-1607 for an application, print an application and complete it, or you may complete an application online. If you know you will be testing in August, you will need to apply on or after June 11, 2011, as candidates myust apply within the selection cycle they will be testing. All applications must be received by the application deadline. Please read and retain this information for your use.
If you have any questions regarding the testing and selection process for Police Officer, please contact the Recruiting Officer at 417-864-1796 or by e-mail at ResourceManagement@springfieldmo.gov.
We appreciate your interest in serving the citizens of Springfield.
