Atlanta Police Department Hiring Process and Job Overview

How to Join Atlanta PD

Being part of the Atlanta Police department makes you part of a high profile, dedicated force that is Georgia’s largest agency for law enforcement. They have one bureau and three divisions, working in collaboration with the community to ensure safety and protection from all kinds of violence and emergencies.

The force relies on its Herbert T. Jenkins Police Training Academy to train and prepare the officers. Since 1947, the facility with its state of the art infrastructure, equipment and technology has been the threshold for all recruits before they are sworn into the Atlanta Police Force. The online application process sets the ball rolling for an action packed career ahead.

Atlanta PD Eligibility Requirement

The following conditions are mandatory for anyone who wants to apply for recruitment to the Atlanta Police Department:

• Must be a Citizen of United States
• Minimum age to apply is 20 years
• Possess a valid Driver’s License
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Should have the required scores on a Compass Test/ SAT/ACT Tests or have passed the Georgia Post Entrance Exam.
• If applicable, Honorable discharge from any other military branch
• Must pass the visual ability test, medical examination and physical agility tests
• Successfully complete the personality assessment and the cognitive skills test.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The entire process is based on an online application form that needs to be filled completely and truthfully.After submitting this form, applicants are called to a job fair where they need to bring along all their required documentation in order to start the testing process. The documents are to verify the true identity, personal information and qualification of the candidate. Once the document verification process is complete, applicants proceed for an interview and a Psychometric test.

Criminal Background Check, Fitness Test & Oral Board Interview

The next step is a thorough background check conducted on the candidate.The Chief of Police takes the final call on hiring people for the Atlanta Police Department.After passing all levels, and accepting a conditional employment letter, the applicant must clear the pre- employment psychological, medical and physical agility tests.

The Chief of Police then reviews the file of the applicant for final approval.The applicant is then intimated by the Human Resource Department on the date of joining and other formalities.A rigorous training program at the Training Academy follows the selection process before the candidates are sworn in as officers of the Atlanta Police Department.

TRAINING at the Herbert T. Jenkins Police training Academy

The new recruits have to display high levels of physical agility during a 22 week rigorous training at the Atlanta Police Academy. Besides this, there are also high standards expected during 3 months of field training and classroom sessions. The academy experience consists of a minimum of:

80 hours- defensive training
80+ hours- physical training
48 hours- firearms training
Several hundred hours of classroom instruction

For most recruits, the academy training is exhaustive, challenging them on all counts of emotional, physical, psychological and academic undertakings. As they take on their roles of officers after the training, they are physically and mentally equipped to protect themselves and the communities they serve.

AVERAGE SALARIES AND BENEFITS

Being an officer in the Atlanta Police Academy (APD) comes with numerous benefits.
They are entitled to life insurance, health and medical care, family health benefits, leave plans, a housing incentive program that covers relocation, discounted rental opportunities, down payment assistance programs, etc.

Besides these the annual starting salaries for officers of different ranks are:Police recruits during their initial assignment and academy training draw approx. $ 34726Police officers possessing high school diploma or equivalent get approx. $39327Police officers possessing Associate Degree of 2 years from college draw approx. $40704Police officers possessing Bachelors Degree of 4 yrs from college get an approx. $42128

Promotional Structure at APD

After serving the department for three years, officers become eligible to be promoted as Supervisors, Senior Police Officers, Field Training Officers, Investigators or into other specialized units like school detectives, deployed in youth/community services, cyber crimes, intelligence squads, electronic surveillance, financial investigations, homeland security, helicopter patrol, mounted patrol, criminal investigations, K-9 Units, S.W.A.T etc.The APD Foundation also offers many trainings and scholarships to help its officers select and rise in their individual career paths.