Police Communications & Community Engagement Coordinator

Salary : $75,264.00 - $103,416.00 Annually
Location : 1055 South Grady Way Renton WA 98057, WA
Job Type: Regular Full-Time
Job Number: 23-00145
Department: Police - Admin Services
Opening Date: 12/07/2023
Closing Date: 12/20/2023 11:59 PM Pacific
Job Description
The Renton Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency with 169 personnel, comprised of 133 commissioned officers and 36 non-commissioned. It is our mission, through collaboration, to provide professional and unbiased law enforcement services to our community.
The Communications & Community Engagement Coordinator performs professional tasks in the support of Police Communications, Community Engagement and crime prevention programs. Work is performed independently and as part of a team. Tasks are diverse, with discretion and latitude to develop guidelines and procedures. Contributes to the City's vision, mission, and goals. in the performance of all job duties.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Assist the Communications and Community Engagement team, serving as the Public Information Officer as necessary, conducting on-camera, radio, and in-person interviews, providing media briefings, producing news releases, and responding to media inquiries.
• Must be available for callouts to respond during active incidents during off hours.
• Write, produce, and implement department communications to include stories or blog posts about Renton PD, social media messaging, informative videos, public service announcements, public information campaigns, crime prevention campaigns, and other marketing programs.
• Coordinate with Crime Analyst to collect, analyze, and distribute crime data for crime prevention purposes and inquiries from the public.
• Remain current on the best social media techniques and public information procedures; collaborate closely with other City departments to ensure consistency in messaging.
• Develop, prepare, present, evaluate, and update program presentations to educate individuals, business and community groups on crime and crime prevention, the police department, and community involvement.
• Evaluate proposed construction projects and planned developments through a CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) lens to determine potential impact on the department and the community; provide prevention information specific to the construction project and/or planned development.
• Develop and coordinate outreach events and activities, including developing materials in languages other than English and establishing partnerships with the City's culturally diverse communities.
• Build partnerships with community members, business partners and community organizations.
• Plan, coordinate and attend community events to promote police department programs; appear at various community functions to represent the department.
• Operate police radios, audio-visual equipment, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), access and maintain Records Management System, and other police databases.
• Understand and abide by the Police department policies and procedures.
• Contribute to an environment of teamwork and respect.
• Foster a culture of equity and inclusion by recognizing the diverse needs and perspectives of groups and individuals.
• Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• May be assigned to support City priorities during emergencies.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or related field.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in communications, Community Engagement and program development and implementation.
• Or minimum 8 years of relevant education and experience.
• Valid drivers' license.
• Must be able to qualify for the ACCESS (A Central Computerized Enforcement Service System) Certification.
• Stringent personal background investigation including:
  • Criminal background check.
  • Polygraph examination.
  • Psychological evaluation conducted by a psychologist.
  • Medical physical, including a drug-screening test.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Drive to offsite locations to perform essential functions.
• Move throughout City facilities and buildings.
• Operate a computer and other office equipment.
• Communicate with City employees and residents.
• Lift or move items weighing up to 20 pounds occasionally.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Work is performed in an office environment and outdoors in all weather conditions occasionally.
• Work is performed within the right of way, and in high traffic conditions.
• May be required to participate in a standby or on-call rotation.
• Noise level out in the field is moderately loud.
• Noise level in the office is moderately quiet.
• Work evening and/or weekend hours as needed.
• Night meetings may be required.

Approved reasonable accommodation requests will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Selection Procedure
The City of Renton embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce and prides itself on promoting collaboration and teamwork in a positive environment while providing high quality services to the community. For more information about the City of Renton, please visit the following website:
The City has adopted an anonymous application process that prevents hiring managers from seeing personal identifiers, including candidates' names, addresses, and other similar information. This eliminates the possibility of unintentional or implicit bias during the screening of applications. For that reason, you will not have the ability to attach any documents to your application, including a cover letter or resume. Please make sure to submit a complete, detailed, and updated job application.
Communication from the City of Renton:
We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from rentonwa.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders. We also communicate via text and encourage you to sign up for text alerts when completing your job application.
Recruitment Process:
The screening process will include a review of minimum qualifications and applicants selected for an interview will be invited via email to self-schedule a time through the Government Jobs account. At minimum, this position will be subject to a standard criminal background check and professional reference check. This position requires accessing areas that contain Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS). For that reason, this position is also subject to a national fingerprint-based records check. This position requires driving and is also subject to a driving record check from the WA State Dept of Licensing (or other state equivalent). Driving records will be evaluated based on a points system depending on the infraction and severity.
This position is represented by the Police Officers' Guild (Non-Commissioned) and the applicable benefits are as follows:
Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

• Employees are offered a choice of medical/vision coverage through either Kaiser Permanente or the City's self-insured plan. A Preferred Provider Option is available through the self-insured plan.
• The dental insurance plan covers services such as regular checkups, x-rays, fillings and crowns. Orthodontia coverage is also provided.
• One (1) percent of employee's base pay to fund a contracted VEBA plan.

Deferred Compensation Program

• The City contributes 4.5% of the employee's base wage rate into a deferred compensation retirement plan. An additional 3% premium is provided for passing a physical fitness exam.
• Employees may also set aside a percentage of their earnings on a tax-deferred basis.

Retirement Plan

• Employees are enrolled in either the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems Plan (PERS) or the Public Safety Employees' Retirement System (PSERS).
• The following positions are required to be enrolled in PSERS
  • Parking Enforcement Officer
  • Electronic Home Detention Coordinator

• Both the employee and employer contribute to the plan.
• Please note, Police Specialists are not PSERS eligible.

Life Insurance

• A group term life insurance policy is provided at no cost to each employee at a value equivalent to the annual salary, up to $125,000.
• Each eligible dependent is also provided with a $1,000 policy. There is no cost to the employee.
• Optional supplemental insurance is available for employees and their dependents.

Long Term Disability Protection

• Employees are provided with a long term disability policy up to the equivalent of 60% of their salary.

Transportation

• Unlimited free rides on various bus systems as well as various carpool and rideshare options are available for City employees.

Flexible Benefits

• The City offers employees the opportunity to open two separate tax-free accounts through salary reduction. One account is to pay for expenses not covered by health insurance and the other account is for child care costs.

Personal Leave

• Employees accrue paid personal leave time (a combination of holiday and vacation) beginning with the first day of employment in accordance with the following schedule whenever he/she is on paid status: 16 hours per month (0-5 years), 20 hours per month (6-10 years), 22 hours per month (11-15 years), 24 hours per month (16-20 years), 26 hours per month (21 years or more).
• Maximum accumulation of personal leave time shall not exceed 536 hours, except when the employee is unable to use personal leave time as a result of illness, disability or operation or considerations beyond the employee's control.

Sick Leave

• Upon employment, the employee receives a sick leave bank of 24 hours, with an additional 24 hours awarded after three months.
• Thereafter, sick leave accrues at the rate of four hours each pay period.

Employee Assistance Program

• A confidential counseling assessment and referral service is available without cost to employees and family members for help with personal, family or job-related problems.

Paydays

• The City of Renton pays employees on the tenth and the twenty-fifth of each month (24 pay periods each year).

Union Affiliation

• Police Non-Commissioned employees are represented by the Renton Police Guild.

Please see the City of Renton Benefits webpage for more information.
01
Why do you want to work as a Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Renton Police Department?
02
Please provide your level of education in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or related field.

• No relevant education
• Some college
• Associate's degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Master's degree or higher

03
Please describe your coursework or major below.
04
How many years of communications, Community Engagement, and/or program development and implementation do you possess? (Please be sure to include this experience in your job application.)

• No experience
• Less than one year of experience
• 1-2 years of experience
• 2-3 years of experience
• 3-4 years of experience
• More than 4 years of experience

05
Thank you for your interest in joining the team at the City of Renton. You will not have the ability to attach any documents to your application, including a cover letter or resume. Please make sure to submit a complete, detailed, and updated job application. When applying for this position, you must thoroughly complete the education and work experience sections of your application and provide a thorough response to each of the Supplemental Questions. Failure to do so may result in elimination from further consideration.
Have you read and understood the information listed above?

• Yes
• No

Required Question