Become an Officer
In addition to submitting an application for employment, a current applicant for the position of police officer with the City of Fitzgerald can expect the following before being allowed the privilege of service. The applicant must pass the initial background investigation which includes both a criminal history and driver’s history from the state crime computer. Applicants also face a fingerprint check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and acceptance by the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council. The applicant will then have to pass the interview process which consists of a written and oral exam. A psychological exam is administered as well as a polygraph test or voice stress analyzer. The process noted does not include the 400 plus hours of Basic Mandate Training that each and every candidate for the position of peace officer must successfully complete. Fitzgerald Police Officers are then required to complete an additional 160 to 240 hours of Field Training with a Peace Officers Standards and Training Field Training Officer.
Current Officers are mandated by departmental policy to have a minimum of 40 hours of advanced training, which is 20 hours more than the state mandate.
Topics include: Firearms, Use of Force/Deadly Force, Ethics, Legal Updates, Domestic Violence, Racial Profiling, Liability, Interpersonal Communications, Cultural Diversity, and Defensive Tactics.
The Officers employed today are held to the highest standards possible. A large part of these standards can be noted in the Departments goal of state certification. Your city leaders have recognized the importance of this goal, and fully support it.
The truth of Policing is that it, despite the changes, it remains a calling more than a vocation. Police officers are still dedicated individuals who are willing to risk their lives to protect the lives of others. Despite our advances in technology, policing is a work in progress. The ability of one person or group of people willing to sacrifice for others; willing to listen and comfort, defend and protect as needed. The men and women of the Fitzgerald Police Department are just those types of individuals working toward a common goal, a better, safer community. None of this can be done without the support of the people that we serve. The Fitzgerald Police Department takes pride in the strife it has made in community policing. With all the things going on across the nation toward the public and law enforcement, the citizens of Fitzgerald and the Fitzgerald Police Department are committed to make sure the same doesn’t happen here in our community.
Current Officers are mandated by departmental policy to have a minimum of 40 hours of advanced training, which is 20 hours more than the state mandate.
Topics include: Firearms, Use of Force/Deadly Force, Ethics, Legal Updates, Domestic Violence, Racial Profiling, Liability, Interpersonal Communications, Cultural Diversity, and Defensive Tactics.
The Officers employed today are held to the highest standards possible. A large part of these standards can be noted in the Departments goal of state certification. Your city leaders have recognized the importance of this goal, and fully support it.
The truth of Policing is that it, despite the changes, it remains a calling more than a vocation. Police officers are still dedicated individuals who are willing to risk their lives to protect the lives of others. Despite our advances in technology, policing is a work in progress. The ability of one person or group of people willing to sacrifice for others; willing to listen and comfort, defend and protect as needed. The men and women of the Fitzgerald Police Department are just those types of individuals working toward a common goal, a better, safer community. None of this can be done without the support of the people that we serve. The Fitzgerald Police Department takes pride in the strife it has made in community policing. With all the things going on across the nation toward the public and law enforcement, the citizens of Fitzgerald and the Fitzgerald Police Department are committed to make sure the same doesn’t happen here in our community.