Recruiting

If you are pursuing a career that offers meaningful work, a chance to make a difference in your community, the excitement of responding to a broad range of unique and challenging experiences, and the opportunity to forge lifelong friendships, the Dayton Police Department is looking for you.

Contact us

We will be accepting applications beginning October 1, 2024. Applications will be filled out online at jobs.daytonohio.gov. If you have further questions or need assistance filling out the application, click the button below.

Recruits apply here!

Benefits

Paid training, opportunities for specialization and advancement are just a few of the benefits which make the Dayton Police Department a great choice for anyone seeking a career in law enforcement.

Compensation rates for 2024 – 2026 are as follows:

Year Appointment 12 months 24 months 36 months 48 months
2024 $34.40 per hour

$1,376.00 Weekly

$71,557.45 Annually

$35.44 per hour

$1,417.16 Weekly

$73,719.17 Annually

$36.48 per hour

$1,459.20 Weekly

$75,880.90 Annually

$37.56 per hour

$1,502.40 Weekly

$78,130.85 Annually

$38.80 per hour

$1,552.00 Weekly

$80,711.69 Annually

2025 $35.96 per hour

$1,438.40 Weekly

$74,788.16 Annually

$37.04 per hour

$1,481.60 Weekly

$77,047.48 Annually

$38.13 per hour

$1,525.20 Weekly

$79,306.81 Annually

$39.26 per hour

$1,570.40 Weekly

$81,658.34 Annually

$40.56 per hour

$1,622.40 Weekly

$84,355.70 Annually

2026 $37.22 per hour

$1,488.80 Weekly

$77,411.27 Annually

$38.34 per hour

$1,533.60 Weekly

$79,749.84 Annually

$39.47 per hour

$1,578.80 Weekly

$82,088.40 Annually

$40.64 per hour

$1,625.60 Weekly

$84,522.42 Annually

$41.98 per hour

$1,679.20 Weekly

$87,314.38 Annually

All sworn Dayton Police personnel receive the following benefits:

Anthem Health Insurance:

  • Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) options: $1,500 [single plan] or $3,000 [family plan] provided annually by the City of Dayton
  • Prescription coverage
  • AFSCME Vision and Dental Insurance:
  • Eye exams and glasses/contacts
  • Dental contains orthodontic coverage

Life Insurance:

  • Group life insurance in amount of $20,000
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment in amount of $20,000
  • Also available to family members

Working Hours:

  • Patrol Officers work four 10-hour shifts, with three days off per week
  • 12 paid vacation days per year
  • 15 paid sick days per year
  • 12 paid holidays per year

Seniority/Longevity Incentives:

  • Yearly bonus of up to 2% of base pay
  • Additional vacation days added every 4 years of service, up to 96 additional vacation hours
  • Up to $400 yearly for physical fitness incentive

Educational Incentive:

  • $550 – $1350 for officers for post-secondary education degree

Paid Court Attendance:

  • Day off premium

Overtime Opportunities

Compensatory Time Option

Night Shift Differential Pay

Ohio Police & Fire Pension Plan with D.R.O.P. Option

Equipment and Gear Provided:

  • Two Glock handguns
  • Full duty belt and duty rig holders
  • Asp Baton, OC, Radio, and Taser
  • Ballistic vest (Replacement vest every 5 years)

First three summer uniforms and three winter uniform shirts

Uniform Allowance


Career Advancement

At the Dayton Police Department, Officers have many opportunities to specialize and develop within a chosen career path, and there are plenty of chances to promote into a supervisory position.

SPECIALIZED UNITS

While entry level officers are assigned to patrol duty, the Dayton Police Department maintains a broad range of specialized units that will allow you to tailor your career to a specific area of interest:

  • SWAT*
  • Forensic Services Unit
  • Bomb Squad*
  • Crime Prevention and Analysis
  • Hostage Negotiation Team*
  • Canine Handler
  • Bike Patrol*
  • Motorcycle Unit
  • Crash Reconstruction Unit
  • Community Problem Response Team (CPRT)
  • Special Investigations/Detective Bureau
    • Homicide
    • Financial Crimes
    • Vice
    • Narcotics
    • Special Victims Unit
    • Division Detectives
    • Metal Theft

*Not full-time units. Duties are done concurrently to regular assignments.

PROMOTIONS

Several options are available for those interested in advancing through the ranks. The ranks of Sergeant and Lieutenant are attained by way of a competitive Civil Service promotional examination. Persons in these positions are covered by a Bargaining Unit contract.  The ranks above Lieutenant are made by appointment, and are not part of the collective bargaining process.

Officers and Detectives are eligible to take the Sergeant’s exam after five years of consecutive accredited service as a sworn Dayton Police Officer. Those with an Associate, Bachelor or Post Graduate degree will receive additional percentage points on promotional examinations. Our rank structure is:

  • Chief of Police
  • Assistant Chief of Police
  • Major
  • Lieutenant
  • Sergeant
  • Officer/Detective




Academy Training

All Dayton Police Officers begin their career at the Dayton Police Academy, with a paid training program that lasts approximately six months. The academy is a “business academy,” meaning recruits attend the training during the day and go home at night. Recruits report to the academy every day at 0800 hours and are expected to be lined up in the morning when Reveille plays over the loudspeakers. The training day lasts until 1700 hours.

Training covers extensive topics and skills, including Ohio Revised Code statutes, firearms, pursuit driving, physical control techniques, and more. Over the six months in the academy, recruits accumulate more then 1,000 hours of professional instruction, leading to an exciting career and camaraderie forging lifelong friendships with a bond that not many people experience.

Hiring Process

The Dayton Police Department is seeking a wide range of applicants to reflect the diversity of the city’s citizenry. The police hiring process is multi-faceted and intensive, consisting of the following steps:

Application

Written Civil Service Exam

Background Investigation

Polygraph Examination

Physical Fitness Assessment

Psychological and Medical Examination

Candidates who successfully pass each of these phases may be recommended for hire.

Qualifications

AGE:  Must be at least 20 years of age at time application is filed. Must be at least 21 years old on or before the day of completion of the Dayton Police Academy. Must not have reached one’s 69th birthday by the date of original appointment to the position of Dayton Police Officer.

EDUCATION:  Must be a high school graduate or possess a GED.

LICENSE:  Must possess a valid driver’s license at the time of appointment and maintain as a term and condition of continued employment.

CHARACTER: Must be able to pass an extensive background investigation including criminal history, driving record, credit history, drug use, employment history, military service record, educational transcripts, and a polygraph test conducted by the Dayton Police Department.

PHYSICAL: Final appointment is contingent upon the applicant passing a job-related medical examination which includes a drug screen and cardiovascular and pulmonary fitness testing.  Vision without correction must be a minimum of 20/100 in each eye. Corrected vision must be 20/40 in each eye.  Must not be color-blind.

Failure to meet designated standards will result in elimination from appointment to the Police service.

IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFIERS

  • Any felony conviction
  • Any first degree misdemeanor conviction
  • Sexually oriented offender status
  • Suspended driver’s license at time of background interview
  • Dishonorable discharge from military service
  • Domestic violence conviction
  • Active Temporary Protective Order or Civil Protection Order

Drug history involving:

  • Use, possession, sale, distribution of any “controlled substance” or “dangerous drug”, as defined by Ohio law, three (3) years or less from the date of written examination

Any conviction for a crime involving any of the following:

  • Use of L.E.A.D.S. information in the commission of the offense
  • Theft, identity theft, fraud or forgery
  • Physical harm or threat of physical harm against a person
  • Impersonation of a Law Enforcement Officer
  • Use/misuse of computer or computer system

POSSIBLE DISQUALIFIERS

The following is a list of behaviors/histories that may also disqualify an applicant, but the final decision will be made after completion of the background investigation:

  • Lesser degree misdemeanor conviction
  • Poor driving record
  • Poor work history
  • Arrest history
  • Previous warrants
  • Non-support of Dependents
  • Less than honorable discharge from military service
  • Any behavior which demonstrates a lack of respect toward the law, or law enforcement officers
  • History of Deceptive Behavior

Qualifications and disqualifiers are listed for informational purposes only. Official job postings as authored by the Civil Service Board, Civil Service rules and regulations, and Dayton Police Department policies and procedures are the authorized sources regarding who may be hired and/or retained for service with the Dayton Police Department.




Contact Us

Do you have questions about joining the Dayton Police Department?
Please contact us:

Email937-333-1024Apply now! (Recruit)