Community Service Officer

Summary/Class Characteristics

Community Service Officer

The Petaluma Police Department is looking to fill one (1) Community Service Officer vacancy. The successful candidate must be available to work rotating evening, night, weekend and holiday shifts. This recruitment may be used to fill future Community Service Officer vacancies that may occur within the next 12 months.

SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE

• SALARY RANGE :
  • $65,624.00 - $79,830.40 annually
• FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING:
  • MEDICAL INSURANCE: Choice of a variety of CalPERS Health Plans. City pays ~95% of the Bay Area Kaiser premium for employee & eligible dependents; or alternative option to receive Medical Cash Back (if you have medical coverage elsewhere). Please see the 2025 Health Plan Contribution Memo .
  • DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE: Coverage for employees & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
  • LIFE INSURANCE: Competitive life insurance & Long-Term Disability benefits. Option to purchase additional life insurance.
  • EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Support and benefits, for you & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
  • WELLNESS BENEFIT: $500 annual allowance (subject to the annual budget approval process and may change in the future)
• FOR YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:
  • CALPERS RETIREMENT PACKAGE
    • 2% at 60 for Classic CalPERS members
    • 2% at 62 for PEPRA CalPERS members
  • DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: voluntary participation in your choice of three plan offerings.
• FOR YOUR WORK / LIFE BALANCE (annual amounts):
  • Vacation: 80 Hours, increasing with years of service
  • Sick Leave: 96 hours
  • Holidays: 12 fixed days
  • Personal Leave: 8 hours
• Other Exceptional Benefits:
  • Paid Parental Leave - up to 8 weeks of paid time for qualifying family bonding
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Employer

For more information regarding the benefits and other information associated with this position, please visit our website and look at the Unit 6 Memorandum of Understanding .

About The Police Department Petaluma Police Department is dedicated to providing the best law enforcement services to the community and it prides itself on community involved programs. Petaluma has a population of approximately 59,000 and encompasses nearly 13 square miles situated 40 miles north of San Francisco Bay Area on U.S. 101, and 30 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. The Police Department staffing includes 84.5 full time employees, including one Chief, one Deputy Chief, four Lieutenants, one Technical Services Manager, ten Sergeants, fifty Officers, and other support staff. In addition, the department has K-9 Officers, Traffic Unit, Motorcycle Patrol, SWAT Team, Investigations Unit, and Reserve Community Service Officer Program (Volunteer). The Petaluma Police Department is proactive in Community Oriented Policing Philosophy.

Summary
Relieve sworn police officers of non-hazardous police related duties in the field and office.

Class Characteristics
General supervision is provided by a Police Sergeant or designee; responsibilities may include the indirect supervision of support staff.

Duties

Respond to calls for service, investigate non-suspect police reports, and take and complete reports of crimes where there are no suspects at the call location.

Receive and respond to citizen inquiries and requests for police services at the police counter and by telephone.

Relieve sworn police personnel by handling time-consuming, non-hazardous calls and receiving information from the public.

Perform selective enforcement for designated problems.

Respond to parking violations and enforce City and state codes as needed.

Handle abandoned vehicles and vehicle abatements; issue abatement notices and tow vehicles as needed.

Read and prepare information related to environmental impact reports for City Council review.

Provide crime prevention orientation for City schools, businesses, and residents; coordinate and participate in various community and inter-agency programs and activities.

Provide traffic control for emergencies, collisions, floods, hostage situations, and fires.

Transport evidence and other items to outside agencies and persons; transport non-combative prisoners to designated locations.

Respond to citizen’s letters to the police department.

Photograph and fingerprint individuals, as assigned; conduct background checks on offenders.

Provide relief for dispatch, property, and front counter areas.

Transport police vehicles and conduct radar speed studies.

Respond to property related crime scenes and conduct basic evidence collection.

Coordinate special police department functions, community projects, speakers, and bureaus; assist with special projects and assignments.

Use a computer to enter and retrieve data; prepare data for crime prevention in targeted City areas; maintain basic records of work performed.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

Basic law enforcement organization, activities, terminology, practices, and regulations.

Basic interviewing methods and principles.

Safe work methods and safety regulations pertaining to area of assignment.

Basic recordkeeping principles and practices.

Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Education and Experience

Any combination equivalent to the education and experience likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to gain such knowledge and abilities would be:

Education:

Equivalent to graduation from high school.

Experience:

Two years of experience that has included both substantial public contact and general office clerical work.

Certifications/Licenses:

Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license.

Additional Requirements:

Ability to pass a detailed background investigation.

Must be available to work rotating evening, night, weekend, and holiday shifts.

Physical Demands and Working Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or move weight up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee occasionally works with use of vehicle. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The City of Petaluma offers a wide-ranging, comprehensive benefit package including CalPERS retirement, medical, dental, vision, life, LTD, etc. For moreinformation regarding the benefits associated with this position, visit our website: https://cityofpetaluma.org/employee-benefits-information/

Closing Date/Time: 9/7/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of Petaluma

• 707-778-4534

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