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Job Description
The City of Foster City is seeking a Police Sergeant to join our Police Department. This leadership position is crucial in maintaining public safety, enforcing laws, and fostering community relations with our diverse city.
Under general or direct supervision, the Police Sergeant plans, schedules, assigns, reviews, and supervises the work of officers and non-sworn staff on an assigned shift within the Police Department. They perform the full range of field and office work in connection with patrol, traffic, investigative, youth services, and training programs. The Police Sergeant assists in the preparation of cases and testifies in court, fosters cooperative working relationships with other City departments, outside agencies, and the public served, and provides complex staff assistance to management staff in areas of expertise.
Education and Experience
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
Education : Equivalent to completion of the twelfth (12th) grade, supplemented by sixty (60) semester units of college level coursework in criminal justice, criminology, police science or a related field at an accredited institution.
Experience : Three (3) years of full-time, increasingly responsible, sworn law enforcement experience with a California Law Enforcement Agency which includes lead responsibility. One (1) year of first line supervisor experience is desirable.
Licenses and Certifications:
- Possession of a valid California Driver’s License, and a good driving record, to be maintained throughout employment.
- Possession of a Basic Certificate issued by the California State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.).
- Possession and maintenance of firearms qualification.
To review the full job announcement click on the "Foster City Police Sergeant Flyer" below.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed for relevant education, experience, training and other job related qualifications. Based upon a review of employment applications and supplemental questionnaires received, a limited number of the qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process.
The process will consist of an Assessment Center which will include two oral board panels and one presentation. The oral boards will focus on Technical Skills and Community Relations, with each panel weighted at 40%. The presentation, based on a topic that will be announced closer to the testing date, will be weighted at 20%. An eligibility list will be established from those who pass the examination process with a score of 80% or higher. Current and future vacancies may be filled from this list. The list will remain in effect for at least one year unless exhausted sooner.
The department will invite the most qualified candidates from the eligibility list to a final department interview. The Police department will make the hiring decision.
Expected Dates for Examinations (subject to change):
Oral Panel Interviews: TBD
Note: Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee that a candidate will be invited to participate in the selection process. The City of Foster City reserves the right, at its discretion, to limit the number of qualified candidates invited to the selection process.
Application Filing Period: Closes at 5:00pm on the date stated in the job announcement; however, it may close prior to the filing end date if sufficient applications have been received. If sufficient applications have not been received, then the filing period end date may be extended.
Job PDF:
https://www.calopps.org/sites/default/files/Foster%20City%20Police%20Sergeant%20Flyer_0.pdf
Benefits
This position is covered under the Foster City Police Officers Association (FCPOA) bargaining unit and receives competitive benefits. A copy of the current MOU can be found
here
. FCPOA is currently engaged in contract negotiations.
Closing Date/Time: 3/11/2026 at 5pm -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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Foster City
Show moreFoster City is located midway between San Francisco and San Jose on the western shoreline of the San Francisco Bay, east of U.S. 101, which provides convenient access to the San Francisco Airport with San Francisco to the north and Santa Clara County to the south. The City encompasses approximately 16 square miles of water, of which includes part of San Francisco Bay and Belmont Slough, and 4 square miles of land area with an estimated population of 34,000.
Based on the idea of a planned community on the San Francisco Peninsula, Foster City was incorporated in 1971. The Estero Municipal Improvement District (EMID) was created in 1960 and granted most of the governing powers associated with an incorporated municipality. EMID provides water and sewer service to Foster City and water service to Mariner’s Island and is a separate legal entity with the City Council serving as its Board of Directors. During the initial stages of Foster City’s development, new growth was mainly residential or residential serving in nature. Since 1980, several major commercial and research and development uses have been completed, adding a substantial daytime work force population to the City and providing employment opportunities to Foster City residents. The largest employers today include VISA and Gilead Sciences.
Foster City prides itself on its well-planned neighborhoods, which includes a wealth of recreational amenities, activities, shopping centers, and public spaces, alongside an engaged local government that recognizes the importance of public safety, fiscal responsibility, and sustainability to provide a high quality of life for the community. -