Police Officer – Year-Round Applications

Skip to main content Application Process EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Department & City Information The Evansville, Indiana Police Department is located in the extreme Southwestern portion of Indiana on the banks of the Ohio River. The police department is a fully-accredited law enforcement agency, dedicated to a community-oriented policing program. The department includes the operation of three Sector Offices and serves an area of 41 square miles, covering 575 miles of city streets, and has a total authorized strength of 289 sworn officers and 31 civilian employees. The department is divided into four major divisions; Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Administrative, and Support Services. Those divisions are broken down into 18 specialized units which cover all areas of law enforcement necessary to serve the City of Evansville and its approximate 120,000 citizens. It is the goal of the City of Evansville Police Department and the Evansville Police Merit Commission to recruit the most qualified persons, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability, to serve the citizens of Evansville as police officers. Hiring requirements are based on job-related criteria, taking into consideration the knowledge, personal attributes, skills and training required to perform the job tasks, so as to further the principle of equal employment opportunity. Basic Requirements • United States Citizen • Must be 21-39 years of age at time of hire. • Have a high school diploma or GED* certificate (see below). • Have no convictions of a felony criminal violation • Have no conviction of domestic violence or a domestic violence-related offense, either misdemeanor or felony • Must be of good moral character • Possess a valid driver’s license from current state of residence • Military discharge (if applicable) cannot be characterized as “other than honorable”, “bad conduct”, or “dishonorable” • Must pass mandatory drug screening • Have uncorrected vision at least 20/100 in both eyes, or be a long-term successful user of soft contact lenses correctable to 20/30 (must also be free from color blindness) • Must be able to pass a physical agility assessment test • Must be able to pass a competitive written exam • Must submit to in-depth background investigation; polygraph, psychological testing and medical examination (*)Applicants with GED certificate must have either 30 semester hours of credit from an accredited college or university with a 2.0 or better GPA or a minimum of 2 years of military service. Policy On Visible Tattoos, Brandings and Body Modifications: a. Sworn Department employees in uniform, plainclothes, or business attire, shall not display any body modifications such as, but not limited to, split or forked tongue, stretched holes in ear lobes. b. No tattoos should be visible above the collar. c. Offensive, inappropriate, or unprofessional tattoos or brandings will be covered by wearing the uniform or normal business attire which completely covers the tattoo/branding. Items that are considered offensive or inappropriate are a supervisory decision. d. The Chief of Police reserves the right to require officers to wear uniforms which would cover tattoos. The covering of the tattoo with bandages or other wraps is not allowed. Application and Selection Process The Evansville Police Department accepts employment applications year-round. Click here to apply. Applications are pre-screened to ensure that the applicant’s basic requirements are met. Upon submitting an application, you will be contacted by the Personnel Unit via email when the next selection process will begin. Selection process deadline dates will also be posted on the EPD website. The Evansville Police Department’s Applicant Process may consist of but is not limited to, the following evaluations, which will be offered every two months. Physical Fitness Assessment Test Based upon the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy’s physical fitness standards to graduate from the Police Academy. The standards are the same for males and females. • Applicants must meet the standard for each exercise to pass the assessment test. • This is a PASS/FAIL test only. No points are assigned for results. • Vertical Jump Test (Standard – 16 inches or greater) • Timed Sit Up Test (Standard – 29 in one minute or less) • 300 Meter Run (Standard – complete in 71 seconds or less) • Push Up Test (Standard – complete 25 push-ups with no time limit) • 1.5 Mile Run (Standard – complete in 16:28 or less) • If all physical fitness standards are met, the applicant will be eligible to take the written test. • Click HERE for more information on the Physical Assessment. Written Exam • Created by a professional consulting firm using job-related criteria. • Is four sections: Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Incident Report Writing • Must score 80% or higher to continue on to interview and assessment phase • Written test score accounts for 30% of the applicant’s total score. • Study guides for the written test will be given out after successful completion of the physical fitness assessment. • Click HERE for more information on the Written Test. Structured Oral Interview • This is a structured interview in front of a selected board of sworn police officers and member(s) of the Police Merit Commission. • Each applicant is asked the same questions and responses are graded. • The oral interview score accounts for 50% of the applicant’s total score. Assessment Center Written Exercise • The written exercise is completed right after the structured oral interview. • Each applicant is asked to write a written response to the same topic or question. • Written exercise is graded based on content, spelling, grammar, etc. • The written exercise accounts for 20% of the applicant’s total score. Applicant scores will then be compiled from the above and added to an eligibility list that will be in descending order from highest to lowest passing