Police Officer-Entry Level

City of Eugene, OR

$80K — $103K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Must be 21 years of age by December 30, 2026
  • No felony or Class A misdemeanor convictions within the last 24 months
  • High school diploma or GED required
  • Oregon driver's license or ability to obtain by hire date
  • Two years of work, college coursework, or military experience required
  • Must pass a police background investigation and physical assessment
  • Fluency in a second language is desirable, with preference for Spanish or Sign Language

Responsibilities

  • Respond to incidents as a first responder
  • Serve as a link between the department and the community
  • Investigate incident scenes and assess appropriate actions
  • Enforce laws and ordinances while patrolling assigned areas
  • Conduct arrests and preserve crime scene evidence
  • Summarize events in report format
  • Engage in preventative community policing efforts

Benefits

  • Robust and competitive benefits package offered
  • Bilingual pay available for qualifying employees
  • Shift differentials for certain assignments
  • Union representation through Eugene Police Employees' Association
  • Opportunities for further education and premium pay after three years of service
Full Job Description
Salary: See Position Description
Location : Eugene, OR
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: 04474
Department: Police Department
Division: Police Patrol
Opening Date: 06/25/2026
Closing Date: 8/17/2026 5:15 PM Pacific

General Statement of Duties
Application Deadline:

Monday, August 17, 2026 at 5 p.m P.T.

Accepting Online Applications Only

Beginning on June 25, 2026 EPD is seeking new candidates to come serve with us. Invitations to the testing phase of the recruitment process will be sent on a rolling basis to those applicants with a complete application who qualify. If you'd like to be eligible to receive an early invitation to schedule your testing, please make sure to submit your complete application as soon as possible. By submitting your application early, you will also be provided access to a paid practice test and a testing study guide as well as the opportunity to participate in an ORPAT practice session.

Please find additional information about the Eugene Police Department's police officer hiring on our website, under the suitcase icon or jobs information.

We run the testing process with a "first-come, first-served" approach to provide candidates a quick and efficient recruitment process. Our recruiting process takes approximately 90 days from the date of testing to the first day of employment.

For applicants who are not local to the City of Eugene, we only require one trip to the Eugene area for testing and interview. If you are successful in testing, interview, and the background process, we will issue a conditional job offer before giving you the option to return to the area again for the psychological evaluation and medical exam. If you are unable to return for the psychological evaluation and medical exam, we can accommodate other options.

This position performs a variety of law enforcement duties; first responder to incidents; serves as direct link between the department and the public; responds to, and investigates, incident scenes; assesses appropriate actions to incidents; patrols assigned areas; enforces laws and ordinances; makes arrests; preserves crime scene evidence; summarizes events in report format; and performs preventative community policing for diverse neighborhoods.

Applications received during this application period will be considered for a December 14, 2026 hire date.

Salary Range: All Entry-Police Officers will start at Step 1. Applicants with a minimum of 3 years of full-time police service experience, exercising police powers at a City (Municipal), County or State police agency responsible for responding to emergency 9-1-1 calls, can apply to theposting.

Salary Step Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4Step 5 Step 6 Hourly Rate* $38.87$40.79$42.77$44.92$47.19$49.55Entry Level All Entry Level ----------
Bilingual Pay Benefit: This position qualifies for up to an additional 5% of base salary for bilingual pay. Please see "Supplemental Information" at the end of the posting for more information.

Benefits: The City of Eugene offers robust and competitive benefits. For more info, click the Benefits Tab, or visit this summary page as well as this benefits package page.

Work Location: Eugene Police Department 300 Country Club Rd. Eugene, OR. Must reside within 45 minutes of Eugene, OR

Schedule: Must be able to work various shifts, nights, weekends and holidays. Officers assigned to a patrol team are currently working a 4/10 work schedule. Emergency response time for a Police Officer requires reporting to work and being ready for duty within 45 minutes of notification.

Union Representation: Eugene Police Employees' Association (EPEA)

Living & Working in Eugene
For more information on living in Eugene, how the City of Eugene operates, and more, visit this page.
Examples of Duties Performed - Duties may include but are not limited to the following

To view detailed information on the duties, knowledge, and abilities that may be expected for this position, please see the classification:
Qualifications

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they are able to perform every task in the job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes with relevant transferrable skills from a variety of sources and experiences. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

When screening your application, the City will consider an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience which provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to meet minimum qualifications for this position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
  • At least 21 years of age by December 30, 2026
  • No felony convictions. No Class A Misdemeanor convictions within 24 months of application
  • Must be able to work various shifts; nights, weekends, and holidays. Officers assigned to a patrol team are currently working a 4/10 work schedule
  • Must meet State requirements including vision, hearing, and standards for basic certification as a law enforcement officer by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). To view the standards set by DPSST for certification view
Education
High school diploma or GED
Experience

Two years of work experience, college coursework, or military experience.

License and Certificate
A valid Oregon driver's license, or ability to obtain by date of hire; must pass driving records check and, if hired, maintain a driving record that meets the City's standard. Oregon law requires that an of-state license holder must obtain a valid Oregon license (with appropriate endorsements) within 30 days of becoming domiciled in the state (ORS 803.355).

CPR certification within twelve months of appointment.

Background
MUST PASS A POLICE BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
Please view this list of that will be requested as part of the background investigationand see Oregon Administrative Rule and for more information.

Emergency response time for a Police Officer requires reporting to work and being ready for duty within 45 minutes of notification.

Fluency in a language in addition to English is desirable. Preference for Spanish or Sign Language ability may be given.
Physical
Must pass a physical assessment and drug test.

DRUG SCREEN, HEARING TEST and VISUAL ACUITY TEST - as required by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). To view the standards set by DPSST for certification, please visit DPSST's website and view Oregon Administrative Rule 259-008-0011.

Successful applicants will be required to sign a statement agreeing to refrain from using tobacco products while on duty.
Supplemental Information

Selection Process
Dates at-a-glance:
  • ORPAT practice sessions Saturday, July 25, 2026 9-11 a.m. (optional) Apply by July 23, 2026 to get more information about the ORPAT practice session.
  • Written test* and ORPAT Saturday, August 22, 2026.The City reserves a right to select candidates from a standby list for available testing sessions. Weapons and backpacks are not allowed at any portion of the testing process. You may be subject to a search when entering a facility for testing.
*We will provide a testing study guide and access to practice tests. Apply as soon as possible to get more information on the practice tests/study guide and the ORPAT practice session.
  • Interviews: August 23-25, 2026(Sunday-Tuesday.) Out of state applicants will be given preference for interviews on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
  • Full Background completed by October 22, 2026
  • Chief Interview: October 28, 2026
  • Psychological Evaluation and Medical Exam: November 4-11, 2026
  • Projected Date of Hire: December 14, 2026
City of Eugene requires all candidates to test directly with the City of Eugene for the written and physical abilities test each recruitment process. At this time, we are not able to accept prior results, National Testing Network results, or results from other agencies.
Eligibility List
This posting may also be used to establish an eligibility list of applicants for future vacancies. Candidates that are placed on the eligibility list will be notified via email which will include the duration of the list and how notification of call up will occur.

Salaries and Fringe Benefits
Recruit Police Officers receive a beginning annual salary of $80,849.60 annually; with experience, education, and training officers can advance to the top step of $103,064.00* annually. After three years of employment, officers are eligible for premium pay for education and certification. Premium pay can be worth up to 15% of an officer's base salary. In addition, Police Officers can qualify for a 5% increase for demonstrated fluency in an eligible language (such as Spanish or American Sign Language). Up to 5% shift differential.

Bilingual Pay Benefit
Per the EPEA Contract, the City shall pay an employee at 5% of base wages for a required intermediate or advanced level competency. To qualify for bilingual pay, the employee must have demonstrated fluency in the required language and successfully pass a fluency examination administered by the City's Employee Resource Center division.

For full benefit information including retirement benefits, please view our benefits summaries and see all employee benefits.

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at City of Eugene, OR

More Education, Government & Non-Profit Jobs

Find similar Police Officer-Entry Level jobs: