Police Officer Trainee Fairfield
- City of Fairfield Police Department
- Fairfield Police Department, Webster Street, Fairfield, CA, USA
- Jun 19, 2026
Job Description
Description
THIS POSITION IS FOR APPLICANTS WHO HAVE NOT COMPLETED A CA POST APPROVED POLICE ACADEMY. IF YOU HAVE COMPLETED OR ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A POST APPROVED ACADEMY, PLEASE SEE THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT FOR POLICE OFFICER LATERAL/ACADEMY GRADUATE.
The Fairfield Police Department serves a diverse community and exists to improve the quality of life in Fairfield. The department is committed to working with our community members to solve problems together. Police Officers are expected to perform a wide variety of sworn peace officer duties involving the protection of life and property; to maintain order and preserve peace; to provide assistance to the public; to perform law enforcement and crime prevention work; respond to emergency and non-emergency situations; arrest violators of the law; to conduct investigations and perform other related duties.
Police Officer Trainees attend a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Certified Police Academy. After successful completion of academy, Police Officer Trainees will have the opportunity to be promoted to the position of Police Officer (Academy Graduate). As a Police Officer, Academy Graduates will be assigned to complete an in-house field training program under the direction of a Field Training Officer. Academy graduates will perform responsible police work, crime prevention, and community service functions.
This recruitment will serve to establish an eligibility list that may be used to fill immediate and future vacancies over the next 12-month period.
To learn more about Fairfield PD, please visit http://www.joinffpd.com/ or contact the Police Personnel unit at (707) 428-7360. Salary posted includes incentive pay. Spanish speaking candidates encouraged to apply.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
Work may require nights, weekends, and holidays. Training may include physical training; emergency vehicle operations; firearm training. Work may include substantial periods of time exposed to various weather conditions (including extreme heat and rain), irritants and allergens.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Applicants must be 21 years old at the time of appointment or older and be in excellent health (as determined by a pre-employment physical examination). Ability to lift, carry, drag, pull, push persons or objects weighing at least 160 pounds and the ability to run for extended periods are time are required. Also requires walking and prolonged sitting, discharging firearms and using impact weapons. Vision correctable to 20/20 in both eyes, normal color vision and hearing acuity are required. Incumbents must meet any other criteria mandated by the California Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST).
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
This classification differs from Police Officer in that the Police Officer Trainee is assigned to a police academy designed to provide an overview of the criminal justice system including knowledge of laws and training in police procedures, law enforcement techniques, first aid and physical fitness. Incumbents in this classification receive training in a controlled classroom environment. Sworn officer status is not received until successful academy completion and official processing through procedures to become a classified Police Officer.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:
Instruction is received from academy instructors; receives general supervision from a Police Officer or Sergeant.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience:
None required. However, some experience in law enforcement work is preferred.
Education:
An Associate's degree from an accredited college or university in criminal justice, psychology, business administration, public administration or related field or 60-semester units from an accredited college or university is required at time of appointment to Police Officer. Appointment to Police Officer occurs after graduation from a POST certified police academy.
- College credits earned while attending the police academy may be applied toward the 60-semester unit requirement.
- Candidates may be credited with 36-semester credits for a minimum of 4 years of active duty in the U.S. Armed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force and Coast Guard).
Other Requirements:
- Possession of a Valid Class C California State Driver's License is required.
- Must be lawfully able to possess a firearm.
- Must be free of felony or serious misdemeanor convictions.
- Must be legally eligible for employment in the United States.
- T-Score of at least 45 on the POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery (PELLETB)
- Required at time of appointment.
- For information on testing opportunities, please review the "Examination Information": section below.
- Successful completion of a CA State P.O.S.T certified Police Academy Physical Agility Test ("PAT")
- Required at time of appointment.
- For information on testing opportunities, please review the "Examination Information": section below.
EXAMINATION INFORMATION: (Invites will be extended to qualified applicants)
The Physical Agility Test and POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery (PELLETB) are tentatively scheduled for the following dates:
Saturday, August 17, 2024
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Dates are subject to change based upon established eligibility lists, number of applicants, and current job openings. Candidates must be invited to the exam in order to participate.
IF YOU HAVE TAKEN THE PELLETB AND ACHIEVED A T-SCORE OF 45 OR GREATER WITHIN THE LAST 12 MONTHS:
- The requirement to take the PELLETB examination will be waived if you have taken the exam with another agency or academy within the last 12 months and have obtained a T-score of 45 or greater. Your PELLETB examination must be dated within 12 months of application date. You must attach proof of this requirement to your application. Candidates who do not attach proof of this requirement will be required to take the examination prior to continuing in the hiring process.
IF YOU HAVE PASSED A CA P.O.S.T. CERTIFIED POLICE ACADEMY PHYSICAL AGILITY TEST (PAT) WITHIN THE LAST 12:
- The requirement to take the Physical Agility Test (PAT) will be waived if you have passed the PAT from a CA P.O.S.T. certified Police Academy within the last 12 months. The PAT must be dated within 12 months of application date. You must attach proof of passing the PAT to your application. Candidates who do not attach proof of this requirement will be required to take the examination prior to continuing in the hiring process.
- CANDIDATES MAY ONLY TAKE THE PELLETB EXAMINATION ONE TIME IN ANY 30-DAY PERIOD. IF YOU HAVE TAKEN THE PELLETB WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE ABOVE DATES AND DID NOT OBTAIN A SCORE OF 45 OR HIGHER, YOU MAY BE INELLIGIBLE TO TAKE THE EXAM.
Examples of Duties
A sample of responsibilities for this position are listed below. For the complete job description please visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/fairfield/classspecs
- Attend a basic POST certified academy designed to provide an overview of the criminal justice system including laws and training in police procedures, law enforcement techniques, first aid and physical fitness.
- Undergo training to develop an awareness of functions and responsibilities of Police Officers and how they relate to field operations.
- Learn laws of arrest and pertinent local and state laws and ordinances.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge of:
- The role and function of a law enforcement agency.
- Computers to research and write reports.
- Customer service.
Ability to:
- Learn and utilize de-escalation techniques to resolve tense situations.
- Learn and understand police department rules, regulations, instructions, laws and policies.
- Learn to properly handle and safely discharge firearms.
- Observe and remember names, faces, numbers, incidents, and places, and judge situations and persons accurately.
- Learn to operate standard police equipment and vehicles.
- Follow oral and written directions.
- Write accurate reports.
- Communicate effectively with people of diverse education, social and ethnic backgrounds.
- Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
Martin Rivera
Qualifications
State
History
Prior to 1810
The earliest native inhabitants of Fairfield were the Indians who settled in the Rockville and Green Valley areas. Artifacts uncovered by excavation teams in Green Valley include those of the Ion culture, dating back five to six thousand years. These discoveries are some of the oldest traces of Indian settlements in Northern California.
1810
Gabriel Moraga, the first known white man in the area, was sent by the Spanish to lead an army in an attack against the local Suisun Indians. Although they resisted fiercely, the Indians were finally forced to retreat. Many of them reportedly set their own huts on fire after realizing the battle was lost, and perished in the flames.
1835
General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, under order of the Mexican government, arrived to colonize the Suisun area and create a buffer against the Russians at Fort Ross. A major battle ensued between Vallejo's forces and several Indian tribes, led by Chief Sem Yeto, where the Soscol Creek and Napa River meet. Eventually, Vallejo's forces overpowered the Indian tribes. Vallejo and Sem Yeto later became allies, joining forces against hostile tribes.
Chief Solano
1837
Chief Solano applied to the Mexican governor for a land grant for his people. The grant, titled Suisun Rancho, was approved and covered most of Suisun Valley. Unfortunately the Indians did not fare well in coexistence, and approximately 70,000 Indians died in the next three years from a smallpox epidemic brought in by the Russians at Fort Ross.
1842
Chief Solano sold his grant to Vallejo for $1,000 (the same grant was sold eight years later to A.A. Ritchie and Captain Waterman for $50,000).
1850
Chief Solano and the remaining Suisun tribe moved to the Napa area, which was not yet extensively colonized.
Captain Robert Waterman
1856
Captain Robert H. Waterman laid out the townsite of Fairfield, which he named after his hometown in Connecticut. A clipper ship captain who sailed around the world five times, Waterman decided to settle in Suisun Valley with his wife, Cordelia (for whom the Cordelia area of Fairfield is named).
1858
Waterman made an offer to the county government to have the county seat moved from Benicia to Fairfield. The proposal was placed on the ballot and ratified by voters in the November election and Fairfield became the new county seat. As promised, Waterman donated sixteen acres of land to the county, at the corner of Texas and Union Streets, for new county buildings.
1860
The first county buildings were constructed (a brick courthouse and jail were built for $15,400). 1903: Fairfield was formally incorporated as a city.
1942
The United States Air Force decided to build a major base installation on a tract of land located to the east of Fairfield, which provided a tremendous boost to the local economy. The Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base later became Travis Air Force Base, one of the major departure points for military units heading to combat in Vietnam. The base was annexed to Fairfield on March 30, 1966.
1943
The Waterman Park Federal Housing was built to accommodate airmen and their families where the Civic Center Complex stands today. Forty buildings provided 160 family apartments along with 5 dormitories which housed 216 men.
1953
After the war, the City of Fairfield purchased Waterman Park and relocated its offices to the recreation and cafeteria buildings. Rent was paid to the City and funds were set aside for a future Civic Center.
1967
City Manager B. Gale Wilson envisioned a focal point for community pride, and held a competition for a new Civic Center Complex design. Architect Robert Hawley submitted his concept of combining buildings and nature, and won. The Civic Center Complex was completed 1971.
2003
Fairfield celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city in Solano County. City officials and staff buried a time capsule at the City Hall complex, to be opened in 2103. Above the capsule, a windmill was commissioned by local sculptor, Chad Glashoff. Fairfield's population is 100,200.
2021
The Council Chamber was remodeled, and the Civic Center Complex celebrated its 50th anniversary by commemorating its history to film.
Fairfield Police Department Fundamental Principles
- Preservation of life is paramount
- Crime prevention takes priority over arrest (if we can prevent crime from happening, we should – once it does, we should try to prevent it from happening again)
- Aim for the absence of crime, not the visible presence of the police dealing with it
- Limit use of force (to only that which accomplishes a lawful purpose and only to when it is reasonably necessary and/or persuasion, advice and warnings are insufficient)
- Public trust (we cannot effectively police without the consent and trust of the people – earn it every day with every contact)
- The public are the police and the police are the public (remember where you came from and that we are in this together)
Martin Rivera