• Contact Information

    Olympia Police Department
    601 4th Ave E
    Olympia, Washington 98591
    Phone: 360-753-8419
    Department Website

Agency Added: 06/01/2011 | Last updated: 12/03/2012

Community Information

Olympia – the Capitol City of Washington State – enjoys the benefits of a stable work force, an engaged and educated community, and a well-supported school system. In addition to public and private primary and secondary schools, Olympia features a community college (South Puget Sound C.C), a state college (The Evergreen State College) and a private Catholic university (St. Martin’s University).

Mild winters and pleasantly warm summers make the Olympia area an ideal place for outdoor recreation. Olympia’s geographic location puts one within two hours or less of regional recreational attractions – from hiking, skiing and hunting in the mountains to beachcombing along ocean shores to biking in the Capitol State Forest. Olympia is the home to several community-wide and diverse celebrations such as Lakefair, Arts Walk, Harbor Days, Pet Parade and the Christmas Parade among others.

Olympia has been voted as the Best Place in Western Washington to raise a family and recognized as the most secure and livable mid-sized metro area in the nation. Referred to as the “Hippest Town in the West” by Time Magazine, Olympia is the place to discover creative communities, fresh air and affordable living. It is a great place to serve as a Law Enforcement Professional.

Visit http://www.olympiawa.gov to view more information about our Department.

Department Information

The Olympia Police Department is housed in City Hall in downtown Olympia. Our new City Hall building opened in March of 2011 and our police facilities are roomy and modern. The department employs 94 personnel total with 12 corrections officers and 68 commissioned law enforcement officers. The corrections staff maintains a 28-bed facility used for the housing of misdemeanor offenders. The Department offers several specialty assignments for commissioned personnel to include Detectives, Traffic Unit, K-9, School Resource Officer, S.W.A.T. and Instructor Teams for Firearms, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Vehicle Operations and Recruit Training (PTO).

The Olympia Police Department offers salaries that are competitive with other Western Washington police agencies and a benefit package for commissioned personnel that includes: 100% City-paid employee medical, dental and vision insurance; 11 paid holidays; a generous leave accrual schedule; specialty assignment pay; education incentive pay; bilingual incentive pay; longevity pay; fitness incentive pay and a cleaning/clothing allowance.

Officers work an enviable patrol schedule with 10 hour, 40 minute shifts. This allows for a work rotation that is 5/4, 5/4 and 5/5 (days on/days off).

Area Information

  • Population Size:46,478
  • County: Thurston

Agency Requirements:

 
Category Requirement Required at time of..
Test Hire
Minimum Age 21   X
US Citizen Yes   X
High School Grad/ GED Yes X  
Drivers License Required Yes   X
Felony Conviction(s) as an Adult None X  
Felony Conviction(s) as a Juvenile None. X  
Ability to Read & Speak the English Language Yes X  
Vision Requirements Correctable to 20/20   X
Other If you were in the Armed Forces and you were discharged under honorable conditions: must provide DD-214 upon request by the City after testing with PST.
Applicants must pass all portions of the exam process, the physical ability test, and a Suitability Assessment in order to be placed on the Olympia Civil Service Eligibility List.
As openings occur, applicants on the Eligibility List will be interviewed and a background check will be conducted. If given a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be polygraphed, undergo a Phase II psychological examination and a medical examination.		    
Multiple Scores from Same Applicant We only consider the most recent score    

Agency Disqualifiers:

THE FOLLOWING ARE AUTOMATIC AND POTENTIAL DISQUALIFIERS. APPLICANTS SHOULD NOT APPLY TO OUR AGENCY IF THEY INDICATE ANY OF THE AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFIERS. POTENTIAL DISQUALIFIERS WILL BE CONSIDERED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

Category Disqualifier
Driving
Automatic 1 or more traffic crime convictions in last 3 years (DWI, Suspended, Reckless, etc)
Automatic Suspension of driver’s license within past 3 years
Criminal Activity
Automatic Any adult felony conviction.
Automatic Any misdemeanor, or felony conviction while employed in a criminal justice capacity
Potential Adult misdemeanor convictions will be carefully reviewed
Potential Juvenile felony conviction will be carefully reviewed
Automatic Been convicted of any crime under a domestic violence statue
Automatic Unlawful sexual misconduct
Employment
Automatic Lied during any stage of the hiring process.
Automatic Falsified his or her application, personal history questionnaire, or any other forms during hiring process.
Automatic Previous revocation or denial of (CJTC/POST) certified status, or suspension of current (CJTC/POST) certified status.
Financial
Potential Current credit accounts, or unresolved accounts in collection will be carefully reviewed
Other
Automatic Must have been discharged from the Military under honorable conditions.
Automatic ***Other than the listed disqualifiers, the Olympia Police Department does not discuss disqualifiers, prior to the hiring process, with candidates.***

Current Hiring Status

Number of Current Vacancies: 6

As openings occur, applicants on the Eligibility List will be interviewed and a background check will be conducted. If given a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be polygraphed, undergo a psychological examination and a medical examination.

As of December 3rd, 2012, the Olympia Police Department is looking to fill 6 patrol vacancies.

 Salary Information

Starting Salary Range:
Entry Level: $5390.41- $6807.34

Benefit Information

Visit http://www.olympiawa.gov to view the current Police Guild Labor Agreement