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BECOME A POLICE OFFICER
Becoming a police officer is more than a job or career; it is a calling. A call to serve, protect and ensure justice to all, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Law enforcement, while demanding, and often unpredictable, offers the opportunity to observe the depths of humanity and the strength of compassion.
To be a police officer is to walk alongside those fearful, suffering, and lost, and to be rewarded by the ability to offer them hope, comfort, and assurance. A police officer will proudly wear the badge earned, and abides by the oath they swore to uphold, with dignity and strength.
In times of peril, a police officer runs towards the danger; giving the ultimate sacrifice of oneself to protect the lives of others. Law enforcement requires discipline, sound judgement, discernment and most of all, the desire to serve others over self. This creates a law enforcement family, bound by honor, knowledge, courage, and integrity.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department is an equal opportunity employer.
Start Your Career Here
- Hiring Requirements
- Hiring Process
- Training
- Pay & Benefits
- Disqualifiers
- Hours of Operation
- Contact Information
- Important Documents
To be considered for employment, all applicants must, at a minimum:
o Be at least 21 years of age
o Be a United States citizen
o Have an associate degree (or 55 credit hours) or higher from an accredited university of college.
o Have or be able to obtain a valid South Carolina driver's license
o Have never been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude
o Have not defaulted on a government or student loan
The Mount Pleasant Police Department will also need from each candidate the following information:
1. Applicant’s Birth Certificate (photocopy)
2. Social Security Card (photocopy)
3. Driver's License (photocopy)
4. Certified driving record for all states in which the applicant was/is licensed
5. Highest college degree earned (photocopy)
6. High school diploma or transcript (photocopy)
7. An official transcript from the college from which the applicant graduated, sent directly to the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
8. If the applicant served in the U.S. Military for any period of time, DD-214 (Member 4 Copy listing Characterization of Service, Separation and Re-Enlistment Codes) (photocopy) or Discharge Certificate (photocopy).
9. Licenses or Certificate which show special qualifications or skills (photocopy). If the applicant is a certified law enforcement officer from outside South Carolina, a State Certificate and training academy curriculum with hours must be submitted (photocopy).
Steps in the hiring process include:
o Application
o All applicants must submit an application through the Town of Mount Pleasants jobs portal online (www.tompsc.com/jobs).
o Physical Agility Test (PAT)
o This is required for admission into the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and is the first test all applicants take after applying to the Mount Pleasant Police Department. The course and all obstacles must be successfully completed in under 2 minutes and 6 seconds. (Description and diagram under Training)
o Written Exam-The National Police Officer Selection Test (POST) tests entry level police officers on four components: arithmetic, reading comprehension, grammar and report writing. The tests have been developed by Stanard & Associates specifically for law enforcement agencies to assess incident report writing skills and predict training and job success.
o After passing the PAT, applicants immediately take the National Police Officer Selection Test (POST Exam). The exam is proctored at the Mount Pleasant Police Department by a member of the agency. Applicants must score 70% or better on this exam.
o Interview Board
o After successfully completing the written exam, applicants are scheduled for an interview board in front of 3 Mount Pleasant Police officers. The Board scores applicants based on their responses to a series of questions.
o Polygraph Exam
o All applicants who pass the interview board are scheduled for a polygraph examination. This test is administered at the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
o Drug Screen
o Applicants are given a drug screen during their pre-employment testing phase.
o Background Investigation
o A thorough background investigation is completed on all applicants. This includes (but is not limited to) contacting former and current employers and references, a credit check, and a criminal history check.
o Psychological Evaluation
o All applicants meet with a licensed psychologist, who makes a recommendation to the Mount Pleasant Police Department about whether the candidate should advance in the hiring process.
o Medical Screenings
o Applicants meet with a physician at Pro-Activ Health, who will administer the physical examination.
Applicants must successfully complete each step in the process before being extended an offer of employment.
Once employed as a police officer with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, all new hires register to attend the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) in Columbia, SC for 8 weeks. Prior to the 8-week class, recruits receive 4-6 weeks of training via the online SCCJA training program at their home agency, and then must pass a cumulative test on the material. They will also complete their initial firearms qualification, taser certification, and OC spray certification at their home agency before attending the SCCJA.
Certified officers from other states may qualify for a shortened 1-week class at SCCJA after receiving 2-3 weeks of training via the online SCCJA training program and qualifying with firearms, taser, and OC spray at their home agency.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department is currently accepting applications for lateral hires, both in-state and out-of-state, who are interested in transitioning to our organization.
A lateral hire is considered someone who has one year of sworn law enforcement experience and a valid state law enforcement certification.
If offered employment, the lateral officer would take part in an expedited process to acquire his/her South Carolina law enforcement certification and a training period with a Patrol (FTO: Field Training Officer)
The Mount Pleasant Police Field Training Officer (FTO) program is 560 hours or 56 workdays (may be abbreviated for prior experience) and the probationary period is one year.
Course Description:
The course measures a total of 870 feet (290 yards/ 265.2 meters). The course consists of a series of nine interspersed individual tasks, arranged in a continuous format that are viewed as being essential (physical) job-tasks for law enforcement training:
running;
jumping (low hurdle);
climbing stairs;
low crawling;
jumping (broad-type);
climbing a fence (chain-link/four feet);
climbing through a window;
moving/dragging a weight (150 pounds);
changing direction on the run.
The trainee starts the course at a point, indicated in green on the course map.
The course is outlined as such:
The candidate runs one and ¾ laps around the perimeter of the course
The first obstacle encountered in the interior consists of two low hurdles, one and a half feet high and four feet long, placed 13 feet apart.
After clearing the hurdles, stairs (five steps up to a 32-inch wide landing, 45 inches above the floor, and five steps down) must be negotiated twice (note that each step has a 7.5 inch rise and tread that is 11 inches wide).
Once the stair event is completed another low hurdle must be cleared; the trainee must then successfully negotiate a low crawl under an obstacle set at 2 ½ feet above the floor.
Make a turn and clear a ditch simulation that is six feet in width.
After another turn, a chain-link fence (four feet in height) must be climbed.
Two additional turns made, and a four-foot high window (opening is 3' wide x 4.5' high) must be successfully entered.
The candidate must then drag a 150-pound dead weight a distance of 20 feet.
After the weight drag, the candidate exits the course, completes one final lap around the perimeter and completes the course.
PAY SCALE:
2-year degree (Associates): $48,048.00
4-year degree (Bachelor’s): $49,566.00
Off-Duty Assignments: $30.00/hr. plus. These are assignments officers choose to sign up for on their days off and may not be worked in conjuntion with an officers scheduled shift.
Career Incentive Pay: Officers select a career tract within our agency: Investigations, Narcotics, Traffic, Crime Scene Investigations, etc. Officers take specific courses tailored to their career choice and receive 3% at the completion of each 40-hour course, with a maximum of 3 years, totaling 9% overall and 120 hours of total training. This is separate to the pay for performance and cost of living increase.
***All officers upon successful completion of field training will be issued a departmental vehicle and have access to a 24 hour fully equipped gym, for personal well-being***
For all inquiries into Police Retirement, please connect with PORS-Police Retirement System
IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFIERS
Criminal History
• Adult commission of undetected crimes of a serious or repetitive nature
• Any conviction of domestic violence, including simple assault against a domestic partner, spouse, child or parent
• Conviction of any crime which carries a 6-months jail sentence or more, excluding traffic violations which are discussed separately, or the South Carolina State Law equivalent within the last 5 years
• Conviction of any felony or any crime involving moral turpitude (crimes contrary to justice, honesty, or good morals)
Traffic Violations
• Suspension of driver’s license within the past thirty-six (36) months (Non-traffic related suspensions, such as an insurance related suspension, shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.)
• Four (4) or more moving violations within the past thirty-six (36) months (regardless of adjudication withheld)
• Accumulation of eight (8) points or more within the past 36 months on a South Carolina Operator’s License or the equivalent for out of state licenses. Points may be negated by attending defensive driving school offered by the Division of Motor Vehicles prior to initial testing
• Conviction or case pending for DUI, DWI or Hit and Run within the last five (5) years.
• Any significant negative driving history, which shall be determined by management review of all relevant facts.
Drugs
• Any illegal possession/use of hallucinogens to include but no limited to: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), PCP (phencyclidine), magic mushrooms (psilocybin), ketamine, mescaline (peyote cactus), PCP, MDMA
• Any involvement in the sale or distribution of illegal drugs as an adult
• Illegal possession or use of anabolic steroids
• Illegal possession of marijuana or a derivative thereof within the last 12 months
• Juvenile involvement in the sale or distribution of illegal drugs is an area of concern which will be given careful scrutiny in the context of the full investigation/review.
Credit
• Demonstrated history of financial irresponsibility. (Examples of areas of concern include unpaid collections or unsatisfactory judgments where no payment plan has been established. Bankruptcies will be evaluated based on the time frame, circumstances, other measures pursued, and restoration of credit).
Others
• Cheating on any examination or testing associated with the position
• Dishonorable discharge from any military service
• Untruthfulness and/or intentional withholding of information on any application, interview, or paperwork associated with the position. Examples of intentional withholding of information would include deliberate inaccuracies or incomplete statements.
Our police department operates 365 days a year, weekends, holidays and major events included but not limited to: major weather events (i.e. Hurricanes), major events (Ravenel Bridge Run, 4th of July and Christmas Parade)
The Mount Pleasant Police Department’s is made up of 8 patrol districts. Our patrol officers work 10-hour shifts. The shifts are as follows and rotate every 6 weeks allowing our officers every other weekend off:
1st Shift: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2nd Shift: 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
3rd Shift: 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Each officer is assigned to a patrol team that is lead by a Sergeant. The team Sergeant will assign you to a district for patrol which is your area of responsibility. Get out and meet the people who live and work in your district. This district can and will rotate at the discretion of the Sergeant who is responsible for your team.
In preparation and for the process to run smoothly, a list of documentation candidates will be required to provide is listed below. The Recruiter (SPO. Hairfield) will not collect them personally. Candidates will be sent a link to Background Solutions upon successful completion of the Physical Agility Test, Written Assessment and Hiring Board. This is for our candidate’s knowledge so you can be proactive in obtaining all your information.
1. Applicant’s Birth Certificate (photocopy)
2. Social Security Card (photocopy)
3. Driver's License (photocopy)-all candidates must obtain a valid SC driver’s license to be hired by our agency.
4. Certified driving record for all states in which the applicant was/is licensed
5. Highest college degree earned (photocopy)
6. High school diploma or transcript (photocopy)
7. An official transcript from the college from which the applicant graduated, sent directly to the Charleston Police Department
8. If the applicant served in the U.S. Military for any period of time, DD-214 (Member 4 Copy listing Characterization of Service, Separation and Re-Enlistment Codes) (photocopy) or Discharge Certificate (photocopy).
9. Licenses or Certificate which show special qualifications or skills (photocopy). If the applicant is a certified law enforcement officer from outside South Carolina, a State Certificate and training academy curriculum with hours must be submitted (photocopy).