Interested in a career in law enforcement?
The Gresham Police Department is committed to developing a team that reflects the community we serve, and that means boosting our female membership.
Women police officers bring a unique and beneficial style of policing to the community and the department is always looking for qualified applicants to join our team.
Read more about becoming a police officer.
Police force opportunities
There is a wide variety of positions and specialty assignments available in the organization, including leadership roles. Gresham Police offers professional developmental opportunities to succeed.
Benefits of becoming a police officer
- Officers know their schedules six months in advance
- Excellent insurance benefits
- Competitive retirement plans
- Comprehensive training
- Job security
- Pre-tax medical and dependent care accounts
- Equal opportunities for advancement
Police officer compensation and benefits
Changing times
Policing has changed over the last couple of decades. So has the type of officer agencies are looking for.
- Gone are the days focusing on physical attributes such as height, weight and strength.
- The job still requires a high level of physical fitness.
- More important is good moral character and excellent interpersonal, problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.
Training and patrol
New recruits will complete a 17-week academy at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training facility. Training topics include:
- Physical fitness
- Criminal justice system
- Patrol procedures
- Ethics and professionalism
- Cultural awareness
- Tactical communication
- Procedural law
- Civil liability and civil rights
- Use of force
- Defensive tactics
- Report-writing
- Community policing
- Investigations
- Traffic laws
After graduation, carry out policing duties in a patrol role while partnered with a trained Field Training Officer.
Candidate qualities
- Officers must be honest and have the utmost integrity when responding to challenging calls.
- Members are often required to exercise courage and perseverance, along with compassion and understanding.
- You must have the ability to work within a diverse community.