The population of Ocean City fluctuates from approximately twenty thousand residents during the winter months to over one hundred thousand residents in the summer months.
Ocean City supplements its police force with up to forty-five seasonal officers. Employment begins in May and carries through to Labor Day. Seasonal officers are assigned to the boardwalk units, the patrol vehicle units, and to several of the special units. The duties range from traffic control to full law enforcement duties, depending on their training and experience.
Ocean City hires both Special Law Enforcement Officers Class One and Class Two. Salary for Class One officers begins at $9.00 an hour. Salary for Class Two officers begins at $10.00 an hour.
Newly hired officers are trained at the Cape May County Police Academy in New Jersey Police Training Commission approved curriculums.
Applications for seasonal employment are taken from December through May (to insure a better opportunity at employment, application should be made in early winter months). Applicants must be at least 18 years old, possess a high school or equivalent degree, be able to successfully complete a thorough background check and physical and psychological tests.
The City of Ocean City values its seasonal personnel. The hiring of seasonal personnel affords the City a chance to informally recruit personnel. Many of the city's full time officers came from the seasonal ranks. They established residency, completed the DOP test, and were eventually hired as full time officers.
Many other
seasonal personnel have moved through the criminal justice system to hold
quality positions in other criminal justice agencies, while keeping a link
with associations made with officers in the Ocean City Police Department.
Some of these past seasonal personnel hold administrative positions. In
most cases they look favorably on applicants with the same seasonal employment
background.
The communications unit employs nine full time dispatchers and up to ten part time personnel.
Ocean City draws its personnel from a testing procedure administered by the New Jersey Department of Personnel (civil service). The procedure results in a list of eligible officers. The list that Ocean City has used to hire police officers over the past twenty years is the municipal list. See the New Jersey Department of Personnel web site in regards to municipal law enforcement hiring.
Applicants must first apply for any open full time police positions by taking the DOP test. The applications to the test are posted at the DOP web site, bulletins (available in most public libraries) and through local police departments, when they have posted for a test. The test is given in various locations throughout the state. From this test Ocean City receives a list of candidates to choose. In the past twenty years the city has held the list to being only from Ocean City residents. The city is then required to draw candidates from the top three on the list. The list usually last one year.
As of January 2000, officers start at $31,000 a year. In the fifth year they top out at $53,914, after five successive yearly incremental pay raises. The city also offers incentives for college, longevity, and rank.
DOP regulations require that candidtates be at least 18 years of age, possess a high school degree, a valid New Jersey Drivers License, and reside in New Jersey.
A college degree is not required, however many of the officers have two or four year degrees. The city officers both pay incentives for college and aid in obtaining a degree.
Please contact Sergeant Bill Friend at (609) 399-9111 for employment information as a SLEO Class I, SLEO Class II, or full-time officer.
