But the differences between expectations and reality often begin as early as the police academy. Did you know that the physical fitness standard in the police academy can often be much harder than the basic entry-level physical fitness exam (known as the WSTB) that you’ll take? That means that while you might pass the physical fitness test with flying colors, you may find the academy standards challenging. Those differences continue once you graduate the academy. Although you may excel in the controlled environment of the police academy, once you graduate you’ll have to apply your knowledge in the real-world which is much more challenging.

Our job is not entirely made up of simply helping people. Our job requires you to be firm, assertive and to use force when its called for. As a police officer you will be involved in confrontations. You will physically have to subdue dangerous persons. It will be your job to step in and get between would-be victims and criminals who want to harm them.  It isn’t mellow dramatic to say that you will risk your life every day you come to work.

You will have to exercise extreme self-control when other people are out of control and trying to provoke you. You will have to learn to make sense out of confusion and ambiguity. You’ll have to memorize volumes of law and procedure and apply that knowledge in challenging circumstances.  You will work late at night and early in the morning, in the cold rain and when it’s really hot, on holidays and birthdays and when you are all done with that, you’ll go back to work because you were called in to testify at a court proceeding. Put plainly, you are going to work a lot.

You may be thinking to yourself, for a website dedicated to recruiting police officers, we sure are doing a good job of talking you out of applying! There is a good reason for why we share with you the realities of police work. While other agencies may just want you to see all the positive parts of being a police officer, we’d rather be completely honest with you and help you make a well-informed decision. If you are still reading this, that means you are our kind of person. You are the kind of person who is responsible enough to do all the research before jumping into one of the most challenging career fields imaginable. The fact that you are still reading this, also means there is a good chance that no matter what the challenge, you are passionate and committed to becoming a police officer. We want to hire that kind of person!

You might be wondering if there is a specific type of person we are looking for. The answer is yes and no. We’re looking for candidates who are not only emotionally intelligent and resilient but who also have a deep internal drive to serve our community as Santa Clara Police Officers. Where we find those types of people is as vast as this great country. Our officers are people, just like you. They are men and women of different races, religions, sexual preferences and backgrounds. They are former military officers, athletes, salesmen, attorneys, engineers, college students and more. Santa Clara is a diverse and vibrant city, and we want our police force to be the same. That’s why we need people of all types join our team.

Here is what you can expect as a Santa Clara Police Officer

After graduating the police academy and the Field Training Program, you will be a full-fledged solo police officer. You’ll spend the rest of your probation period being assigned to various patrol teams so you can gain experience. Most officers say they really didn’t feel like they were good at this job until they had five years of service. Even then, it will take many more years to develop a true mastery of the work. As a new solo police officer, you will continue your journey to mastery by working around senior officers, receiving guidance from your sergeant and attending regular training sessions. Whether you are honing your firearms skills at our indoor firearms range, gaining strength and endurance in one of our gyms, or attending specialized training in a quarterly Advanced Officer Training, we’ll present you every opportunity. In return, we require you remain humble and exert maximum effort.

You will spend several years assigned to the uniformed patrol division, which is the building block for your career. No matter what you choose to do in the future, it all starts with you becoming competent and effective in the patrol division. You will work closely with your teammates and develop strong bonds and new friends. You’ll spend a great deal of time together, handling calls for service and conducting self-initiated activity. During significant investigations you’ll interface with detectives and learn about how they solve cases. You’ll work alongside K9 teams and the SWAT team as they apprehend fleeing suspects and resolve critical incidents. Perhaps you’ll be in the perfect spot to make the arrest when our plain clothes officers broadcast on the radio that they need assistance from a patrol officer. From routine calls to emergency situations and everything in between, you’ll have a front seat to one of the most exciting careers fields imaginable: being a police officer.  

But, you won’t just be a police officer, you will be a Santa Clara Police Officer. Our culture is very unique.  Our culture, in a word, is one of support. Our community supports us, our department’s senior administration supports us, our City Council supports us, and we support each other. Being a police officer is hard enough without the added pressures of feeling unsupported. We feel very fortunate to work in a city where the citizens are so overwhelmingly supportive of us. We have gained that support through years of selfless service and always going the extra mile for our community. With all the vitriol aimed at law enforcement, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support from our citizens. Don’t be surprised when our citizens wave to you as your driving by or they want to stop to shake your hand. They’ll want to thank you not for being a police officer, but rather for being their police officer. That’s not to say that they don’t expect a lot because they do. Our citizens expect you to live up the standards that generations of Santa Clara Police Officers have established well before your time. We expect the same of you. Our citizens will hold you accountable, we will hold you accountable and we expect you to hold yourself accountable. 

As you start to develop competency with your basic police skills, you will feel ready to start taking on additional responsibilities. You can find additional ways to serve while also developing yourself by being selected for a part-time or full-time specialty position. Because our city and department are always growing, we continue to add specialty positions whereas other departments reduce them. Here is a partial list of some of the incredible opportunities for police officers:

As a Santa Clara Police Officer, you are going to receive a fantastic pay and benefits package. That package will allow for you to take care of your family, enjoy a rich and fulfilling life away from work and build a future. If you enjoy working overtime, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so. Not only can you work extra patrol shifts, but you can work overtime at the Levi’s Stadium during sporting events and concerts. You can work on Team 200, which is an overtime assignment patrolling the Santa Clara University area. There are also plenty of special events and other overtime assignments that are routinely available to you.

Being a police officer is going to give you a front row seat to life. You will never have to search for meaning in your job, because this career field comes with gravity, purpose, and the chance to be part of something much larger than yourself. As an individual and as a team member, you will be challenged like never before. Whether this has been your life-long dream or you are ready to make a change and become a police officer, it all starts with pushing the Apply Now button. So, what are you waiting for?