Police Officer (Entry-Level & Lateral)

Position Information

Application Deadline:

• 06/09/25
• @ 4:00 PM

Salary:

• Entry-Level Officers:
  • If starting in 2025: $85,387 (starting pay); estimated $128,000 (after 4 years)*
  • If starting in 2026: $88,376 (starting pay); estimated $132,000 (after 4 years)* *
  • All salaries beginning in 2026 (and after) are pending current CBA negotiations

  Lateral Officers:

  • For full-time Officers already certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB), they will be placed in the wage schedule based on their years of qualified previous service, not to exceed 4 years, upon completion of the Field Training Program.
  • If starting in 2025:
  • $94,817 (with 1 year experience)
  • $96,057 (with 2 years experience)
  • $100,420 (with 3 years experience)
  • $111,682 (with 4 years experience)

  NOTE: Salaries beginning in 2026 and later are to be determined pending the current CBA negotiations

  Department Benefits:

  • Excellent health, dental, vision, and life insurance
  • Personal, compensatory, sick, and vacation days/time
  • 12 paid holidays (annually)
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Employee assistance plan
  • Special duty stipends
  • City provides all uniforms and equipment; $850 annual allowance
  • Optional flexible spending account and deferred compensation (457) plans
  • Newer police facility
  • Police pension program (Article 3: Downstate pension plan)
  • Union representation through MAP
  • Employee health insurance paid for by the City upon retirement

Sworn:

• 38

Population:

• 12,500

Position Details

Northlake Police Department is now accepting applications for

Entry-Level & Lateral Police Officers

Current Officer Schedule:

6 days on/3 days off rotation (8.25-hour daily shifts)

• Day Shift: 6:45 AM to 3:00 PM
• Afternoon Shift: 2:45 to 11:00 PM
• Midnight Shift: 10:45 PM to 7:00 AM

Minimum Requirements:

ALL applicants—both Entry-Level and Lateral candidates—must meet the following minimum requirements established by the City of Northlake (unless noted otherwise):

• Must be a citizen of the United States and/or legally authorized under federal law to work in the United States and be authorized under state and federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess a firearm (See ILCS 5/3-6033)
• Must be a resident of the State of Illinois
• Must have a high school diploma or equivalent high school education
• Must have a valid state-issued driver's license
• Must possess 20/20 corrected vision
• Must be a minimum of 21 years of age by the application deadline
• Must be under 35 years of age at the time of hire (unless exempt by statute as provided in the Fire and Police Commissioners Act)
• Must not have any felony convictions (NOTE: Certain misdemeanor or serious traffic offenses may disqualify applicants from further consideration)
• Must have completed a minimum of 60 credit hours at an accredited college, university, or junior college -OR- have at least two years of active military or naval service (documented by an honorable discharge) by the application date
• Entry-Level Officers Only: Must possess a valid POWER Test Card obtained from an ILETSB entity (such as NIPSTA, Triton College or Jolliet Junior College) issued within the last 12 months prior to the testing date
• Tattoos allowed—except for on face, neck or hand
• Must pay a $45.00 non-refundable application processing fee

Lateral Transfer Police Officer candidates (only) must meet the following additional requirements:

Must have been employed—whether currently or in the past—as a full-time, non-probationary sworn police officer by a Federal, State, County or municipal law enforcement agency for at least 1 year. (NOTE: Part-time certification does not meet this requirement.)

• Must be certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB)
• Must be in good standing with the agency in which they served

NOTE: Lateral transfer police officer candidates are not required to take the POWER Test, nor are they required to take the written exam.

However, they MUST participate in the oral interviews.

Preference points will be awarded as determined by the City of Northlake for the following:

Each of the following areas may earn you five (5) preference points. However, you may only apply a total of five (5) points (or points from any one of the three categories). Preference points shall not be cumulative.

• Military: Persons who were engaged in the military or naval service of the United States for at least one year (and were honorable discharged) -OR- who are now, or may hereafter, be on active or reserved duty in such military or naval service. A copy of Form DD-214 or equivalent proof of current military service must be submitted with application to qualify.
• Education: Persons who have obtained an associate's degree in criminal justice from an accredited junior college or a Bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited college or university. A copy of unofficial transcripts must be submitted with application to qualify.
• Experience: Persons who are certified as a police officer from the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board (ILETSB) and currently serving in a full-time capacity for a municipality within the United States. A copy of the state-issued certification must be submitted with application to qualify.

Submission of Application:

Applications MUST be submitted online no later than June 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM (CST) at:

https://www.applytoserve.com/Application.aspx?ID=724

• Faxed, emailed, mailed or dropped off applications will NOT be accepted.
• Applications submitted after the deadline will NOT be accepted.
• Only one application per person, per testing cycle, will be accepted.

Important Disclaimer for Potential Applicants:

• As part of this application form, you will be required to submit various documents, records, and/or additional forms.
• Be sure to allow sufficient time to gather this documentation and fully complete the application before the deadline.
• In other words, do NOT wait until a few days before the deadline to start to collect and submit additional required documentation.
• For your application to be accepted, all materials must be submitted and received prior to the application deadline.

The City of Northlake is an Equal Opportunity Employer