careers
Benefits
- 100% Tuition Reimbursement (successful passing of course) up to $3,000 per year
- 17 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) Accrued In a Year
- 457K and 401K Retirement Plan
- All Uniforms and Equipment Furnished
- Basic Life Insurance
- Competitive Salary
- Deferred Compensation Plan
- Medical and Dental Coverage Plans
- Paid Basic Academy Training
- South Carolina Police Officer’s Retirement System Currently 27 Year Retirement
- Take Home Car Program (with restrictions)
Minimum Requirements
View the South Carolina Minimum Requirements Act (23-23-60). Applicants must meet all qualifications for employment consideration:
- Must be a minimum of 21 years of age
- Must have a clean driving history: No convictions for Driving Under Influence (DUI), Driving Under Suspension (DUS) within the past 10 years, and minimum convictions for speeding
- Must have a current South Carolina drivers license
- Must have good credit history, no judgments, no liens, no recent bankruptcy. Each applicants history will be considered prior to employment
- Must have a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) equivalent
- Must successfully complete a polygraph exam
- Must successfully complete a psychological evaluation
- Must successfully pass a background investigation
- Must successfully pass a medical physical exam and drug screening
- Must successfully pass an oral interview board
- Must successfully pass the Police Officer Entry Level exam
- No convictions of Domestic Violence
- No convictions of felonies, misdemeanor crimes or crimes of moral turpitude
Patrol Officer Duties
Certified Police Officers have the power and authority to arrest others, retain them in secure custody, search and seize individual person, places, house, and effects.
An Officer is required to do the following:
- Assure citizen safety
- Maintain order and control
- Prevent crime
- Protect personal freedoms
- Provide service support to the entire community
Problem Solving
Officers are required to engage in deductive reasoning when dealing with citizens and while seeking solutions to community problems. Officers will investigate and report community or citizens problems whenever possible to members of the command staff or their supervisor. Police Officers resolve crimes and citizens problems whenever possible. Officers will engage in directed and proactive patrol to reduce crimes and traffic crashes. Officers are to enforce the traffic laws by producing citations and directing the affected citizens to traffic court, and they will investigate crime, traffic collisions, and unusual occurrences as required.
Physical Abilities
- Officers must have hearing ability sufficient to hear radio transmissions, in person conversations and telephone conversations.
- Officers must be able to lift and move heavy objects/people in rescue activities.
- They must be able to physically restrain arrestees and to chase on foot when making an arrest.
- Officers must have the ability to safely operate a vehicle both by day and night while observing for criminal activity.
- Officers must maintain weapons, equipment, and vehicle in functional and presentable condition.
- Officers are required to maintain proficiency in the use of firearms, and evasive action/driving skills.
- Officers must be able to withstand working outside, in extreme weather conditions and be able to report to duty during state of emergency conditions.
Hiring Process
The steps in the selection process take approximately five to eight weeks to complete and are as follows:
- Online Application
- Applications reviewed for automatic disqualifiers
- Criminal history, driving record review
- Agility Test
- Written Exam
- Panel Interview
- Placed on Eligibility List
- Background Check
- Polygraph
- Command Staff Interview
- Physical
- Psychological Test
- Drug Screen
- Conditional Officer of Employment
After Hired
Once hired:
- Basic training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy
- Pre-service training
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Town of Bluffton is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of Race, Sex, Age, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Physical/Mental Disability (except where physical requirements constitute a bona fide occupational qualification). All terms and conditions of employment such as compensation, benefits, work assignment, availability of facilities, and privileges of employment are administered on the same basis of equality.