Entry Level/Lateral Police Officer

Job Information

LINCOLN POLICE DEPARTMENT
710 5TH STREET
LINCOLN, ILLINOIS 62656
217-732-2151
https://lincolnil.gov/police

Updated: June 14, 2024

Job Classification:  Entry Level/Lateral Police Officer

The Lincoln Police Department is currently building an ongoing eligibility list for Entry-Level and Lateral-Entry Police Officers. Entry-level candidates must complete their testing by July 31, 2024, and fill out an application with the City of Lincoln. See below for application information. All Entry-Level applicants, regardless of qualifications and certification, must complete all testing. All National Testing Network testing must be completed by July 31, 2024.

Those applying for Lateral Entry Officer positions, a full-time certified officer position for two years or more, DO NOT NEED TO TEST. Rather, Lateral Entry Candidates need only to fill out an application with the City of Lincoln.

Applications can be filled out at lincolnil.gov/recruitment and turned in at the Lincoln Police Station, 710 5th Street, Lincoln, IL, 62656, or emailed to [email protected] along with copies of training certificates, school/college transcripts, military discharge paperwork, and a basic law enforcement officer training certificate.

A lateral Entry Officer is defined as a full-time sworn officer of a regular police department in any municipal, county, university, or State law enforcement agency, provided they are certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board and have been with their respective law enforcement agency within the State for at least two years. Please provide a copy of your basic law enforcement training certificate and other law enforcement training records.

Salary Information: $53,045 entry-level starting pay, $58,349 once certified pay until 1 year anniversary, $72,299 first-year salary. Lateral entry officers start at the first-year salary.

Benefits Information: Employee health insurance plans (HSA & PPO) Employee pays 10% of monthly premiums; Optional insurance plans, 100% dental, vision, etc.  Upon Date of hire: vacation, personal time off, sick time, holiday pay, school time (for training), comp time (offered at 2x), uniforms and equipment provided including duty weapon, 12-hour work schedule (off every other Friday-Saturday-Sunday), opportunities for special assignments-DARE-SRO-Investigations-Narcotics Investigations, overtime details for special events, paid college tuition for job-related degree, Downstate Pension Plan/Article 3, assigned to your own squad car.

Contact Information:
Joseph Meister / Marilyn Montgomery
Chief of Police / Chairman Police and Fire Commission
[email protected]

Department Overview:  The Lincoln Police Department is a municipal law enforcement agency with a strength of 28 sworn officers and three divisions: Administration, Investigations, and Patrol.  The Lincoln Police Department is well diversified, ensuring the safety of 13,072 residents, several industries, and closely related businesses.

Lincoln Police Department is dedicated to community-oriented problem-solving. Its core values are Integrity, Service, and courage.

Area Information – Lincoln, Logan County, Illinois
Lincoln serves as the county seat.

The first American city to be named for and christened by Abraham Lincoln before he was president.

Farming, industry/manufacturing, and commercialized community with many amenities, including being close to, and the hub between, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, St. Louis, and Chicago.

Job Requirements

• Age:
• Entry Level: Must be at least 21 and under 35 years of age, with special consideration for those who served in the Military.
• Lateral Entry: Under 65 years

Citizenship Required: Yes

High School Grad/GED: Yes

Valid ILLINOIS Driver’s License: Yes

Ability to Read/Speak English: Yes

Vision: Must be correctable to 20/20 vision

College: Not required, but preferred

Academy Certification: This is not required but is preferred by an Illinois State Certified Police Training Academy. Any applicant without certification will be required to pass the ILETSB POWER Test upon entry to an academy. Failure to perform the required qualifications will result in termination.

Prior Experience:
Entry Level: Not required, but preferred.
Lateral Entry: Two (2) years with an Illinois law enforcement agency.

Full Hiring Process:

• Written testing through NTN (Entry Level Candidates Only) (Completed by July 31, 2024)
• Orientation TBA
• Oral Interviews TBA
• Background Investigation
• Conditional Offer of Employment
• Medical, Physical, Drug, Hearing, and Vision test
• Polygraph Examination
• Psychological Examination
• Approval by the Police & Fire Commission
• Approval by the City Council

Specific Disqualifiers/Behaviors:

Felony, Criminal Activity Disqualifiers: A thorough background investigation will be conducted for finalists before extending a final offer of employment.
The results of the background investigation are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Driving Disqualifiers: Yes

Drug Use Disqualifiers: Yes

Employment Disqualifiers: Yes

Financial Disqualifiers: Yes

Additional Disqualifiers: Any candidate who is found lacking in any of the established preliminary requirements for the service for which he or she applies.