If you answered "YES" to the questions above, the Peace Officer Candidate (POC) position might be the starting place for you!
The POC position is a temporary one which exposes women and men to the various aspects of police work in order to prepare them for a career in law enforcement. While POC's are not sworn law enforcement officers, they assist the Iowa State Patrol in a wide variety of assignments to ensure security of the State Capitol Complex and Terrace Hill (Governor's residence) and provide support to the overall mission of District 16 in Des Moines. The Peace Officer Candidate position is designed to provide the DPS quality applicants for the sworn peace officer selection process vacancies, such as Iowa State Patrol Trooper and Special Agents with the Division of Criminal Investigation.
Some of the job duties of the POC are:
- Inspects assigned area/buildings on the Capitol Complex and Terrace Hill
- Conducts state office building checks
- Ensures only authorized vehicles/persons are admitted to assigned areas or buildings
- Locks/unlocks state office buildings
- Dispatches the Police Radio System at Terrace Hill
- Operates Magnetometer equipment
- Assists in building evacuations and other safety precautions (e.g. tornado warnings, disaster drills, etc.)
** Because the POC position is a temporary one, POC's are expected to apply for openings in the areas of State Trooper and/or Special Agent when a DPS Academy selection process becomes active. Employment as a Peace Officer Candidate does not guarantee entrance into the DPS Academy. A POC is given two attempts to be an accepted recruit in two separate DPS Academies. If unsuccessful upon the second try, the POC will be forced to resign from their position. **
SALARY RANGE:
$45,136.00 - $66,372.80 Annually
Benefits
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Graduation from high school/GED and the ability to meet the minimum requirements for a sworn peace officer.
Information on being a State Peace Officer
Peace Officer Candidate Position Description
Iowa State Patrol District 16 Supervision
Lt. Steven Lawrence
District Commander
Sgt. Tyson Underwood
Sgt. Brian Moses
Sgt. Corey Champlin