Law Enforcement Officer Position

Kent Police Department - Police Officer

 

PROFILE DISCLAIMER

The information herein is provided by the respective agency and is only as accurate and as up-to-date as the agency representative(s) update this information. PST is not responsible for the veracity of this data as it is provided directly from the agency. It is ultimately the applicant's responsibility to verify any information about the agency with the agency.

Kent Police Department - Police Officer

Last updated on January 23, 2026
PST Partner Agency since October 19, 2011

Vacancies: 10

Important Information

Important Information Related to PST's New Written Exam Beginning March 1, 2025

Our agency will continue to accept candidates from the current test (administered before February 28, 2025) until April 15, 2025. Once this list is depleted or expires, only candidates who have taken the new written exam after March 1, 2025, will be considered.

Our agency will accept new test scores (administered after March 1, 2025) before the current list is expired.

If you are scheduled to the test before February 28, 2025, you may keep your current test date.

If you have not yet registered for a test, please schedule a test date after March 1, 2025.


**Passing candidates are advised to check their email/junk folders for messages from our Hiring Unit. Our hiring process is very fast-paced and our scheduling is flexible for those who are responsive and timely.


Contact for any questions and to schedule a chat:

The Kent Police Recruiting Hiring Unit - PoliceRecruiting@KentWA.gov


www.KentPoliceRecruiting.com

IG: Follow and DM at @ourfuturecops

@kentpolicewa

https://www.facebook.com/kentpolicerecruiting/

Community Information

The City of Kent was incorporated in 1889 and has steadily grown from an area of agriculture and farming into a city of production and manufacturing. The City has 3 main areas: the West Hill is a combination of residential and commercial services; the Valley which is a mixture of residential, warehousing, manufacturing, and commercial services, and the East Hill, which is primarily residential with commercial services. Our static population is approximately 132,000 but grows to approximately 400,000 during the day. We are the 6th largest city in the state of Washington, and the 8th most culturally diverse city in the U.S.

Department Information

For the real deal in a policing career, look to the Kent Police Department.  Significant crime impacts the city, thus, officers and detectives make true impact to help those in need of protection and service on a daily basis.

The Kent Police Department is a full service municipal department consisting of Patrol, Support Services, Investigations, and our own Corrections Facility. We offer a wide variety of law enforcement assignments within the Patrol division including K-9 (the most teams of any city our size in the region), SWAT, riot response, field trainers, hostage negotiations, drone operators, and traffic enforcement positions. 

Investigations includes units focusing on homicides, shootings, major crimes, and sex assault.  Special Investigations focus on utilizing distinct tools and technology to track down violent felons, and our Crime Scene Investigation team comprise of detectives and officers to conduct specialized crime scene investigation.  

Support Services comprises of community response focusing on quality of life issues, crime trends, and outreach.  Kent PD has a robust Community Education Unit and efforts to engage and educate the public on crime prevention and to foster partnership.  We have a full-time training team and our own indoor firearms range to facilitate state-of-the-art training tactics and opportunities.  Our growing Wellness Program which includes in-house fitness trainers and a large Peer Support team work to promote true heath and longevity in all aspects.  We have a training center and two gym's  to further compliment our resources.

Initial assignment will be to the Patrol division where patrol officers work a 10 hour shift: 4 days on, 3 days off  per week. Days off rotate every 13 weeks (so you won't be stuck working weekends all year just because you're new). Officers bid for shifts on a semi-annual basis (there are new officers on day and night shifts alike). 

Benefits include education reimbursement, longevity compensation, excellent medical, dental and vision benefits and the best available training and equipment. Salary enhancements for professional physical fitness and specialty assignments are available. Kent Police Department is state accredited with WASPC. There are 242 employees, 180 commissioned positions and 62 civilian positions.

If you are looking for a fast-paced career where you are doing true police-work that matters, apply with us!

Vacancies are limited so testing is highly competitive.  Please reach out with any questions or discussion on when to test, as we are expecting more openings soon due to growth of our department and planned retirements!

Contact a Police Recruiter via PoliceRecruiting@kentwa.gov


Area Information

County: King
Population: 132000
# of Staff: 180

Hiring Status

Kent Police Department - Police Officer has 10 vacancies.

We are aggressively hiring top-level recruits to join our team.  Bring your trusted colleague and come join the best together.

The eligibility list is on a continuous basis and maintained as scores are received from PST with subsequent testing conducted on an as-needed basis. 

Salary Information

Salary ranges from $100,321 progressing to $129,465 per year. Salary can be enhanced by education level (4% for and AA, 6% for a BA), physical fitness incentive, specialty assignments (4-6%), longevity, trainer roles, and foreign language fluency ( 3%).  Ample overtime opportunities are available for those who want to earn.  


Benefit Information

WE HAVE A TAKE HOME VEHICLE PROGRAM AS WELL AS A RETIREMENT MEDICAL PROGRAM!

Take Home Car after you complete Field Training. You have your car all the time, not just during your work week like some agencies.

LEOFF 2 retirement, deferred compensation program, 4 medical plan options to choose from. 150 hours of sick leave earned annually, 96 hours of vacation earned annually and increasing based on longevity. Employees accrue 13 holidays, 4 of which are bought back by the city at the end of the year. The department provides all equipment and training.

Kent Police Department - Police Officer Requirements

Category Requirement Required at time of...
    Test Hire
Written Examination Yes, required
LEO/CO Physical Ability Test (PAT) Yes, required

Your physical ability test must be completed 180 days (~6 months) before or after your passing written exam.

PST Personal History Statement

We do not require a PHS through PST, however we request the ability to access PHS through PST for a period of 7 months. This is due to the fact that we often compare our PHQ with the PST’s PHS for discrepancies. The reason we ask for 7 months is because candidates can remain on our eligibility list for up to 6 months before their scores expire, and sometimes it can take a month before they land on our eligibility list.

 
Minimum Age Must be 21 years of age by the date of State Certification.  
Citizenship US Citizen / Lawful Permanent Resident / DACA-Recipient
High School Grad/ GED Yes
Driver's License Required Possess a valid Washington State Driver's License, or the ability to obtain one, within 30 days of hire.  
Felony Conviction(s) as an Adult None.
Ability to Read, Speak & Write the English Language Yes
Vision Requirements Correctable to 20/20
Veterans Preference Points Yes
Current Hiring Status We are actively hiring committed candidates to join our team!
Body Decorations The Kent PD is open to visible tattoos and considerations of hair and religious or customary styling/dress.  
Multiple Scores from Same Applicant We consider all the scores from the same applicant

Kent Police Department - Police Officer Disqualifiers

The following are automatic and potential disqualifiers. Applicants should not apply to our agency if they indicate any of the automatic disqualifiers. Potential disqualifiers will be considered on a case by case basis.

Category Disqualifier
Driving
Automatic Currently prohibited from driving a vehicle by virtue of a suspended or revoked driver’s license in Washington or any other state.
Automatic

DUI / DWI (alcohol or drugs) within the past 3 years.

Automatic

The Driver Evaluation Point System is a point system to determine if current employees or potential new employees are eligible to operate a motor vehicle within the scope of their employment, based on their driving history. Compare the moving violations listed on your driver's abstract (a five year record review is used) to this rating guide. Please follow the link below to review the Driver Evaluation Point System:

Click Here!

If your driving record is under 6 points, continue the application.

Questions should be directed to the Civil Service Office (253) 856-5280

Automatic

Revocation of Driver's License, Denial of Driver's License, Reckless driving, DWLS 1 or 2, negligent driving w/ collision, negligent homicide, or hit-and-run (occupied or unoccupied), speeding 25+ within past 3 years.


Drug Usage
Automatic

Use, possession, or purchase of illegal drugs (other than marijuana), including: Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Opiates, Hallucinogens, Club Drugs, Inhalants within the past 3 years.

Automatic

Use of THC or any THC-derived substance, regardless of legality under state law within the past 6 months.

Automatic

Manufacture, cultivation, or distribution of illegal drugs or controlled substances, or any substance represented as illegal or prescription-only within the past 10 years.

Automatic

Misuse of prescription medications (non-therapeutic, recreational, or intoxicating purposes) within the past 3 years. Other reasonable use may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may not result in disqualification.

Criminal Activity
Automatic Any felony conviction in Washington or in any other state.
Automatic Any conviction for a federal criminal offense.
Automatic Any conviction of any domestic violence offense.
Automatic

Conviction of any offense requiring sex offender registration.

Automatic Any conviction for a misdemeanor crime of deception, fraud, dishonesty, or cheating of any sort.
Automatic Any prohibition, by any law, from possessing a firearm.
Automatic

Conviction of any crime after application process begins

Automatic

Ever used the internet as an adult (18 years of age or older) to intentionally search for and access images or videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct outside of an official duty as a law enforcement officer.

Employment
Automatic

Revocation/denial of law enforcement certification or certification under review for disqualifying conduct.

Automatic

Sustained finding of dishonesty while employed in law enforcement.

Automatic

Materially false statement, omission, or fraud in any employment application.

Automatic

Listed on “Brady,” “Laurie,” or similar integrity list.

Automatic Ever received a dishonorable discharge from any branch of the military.
Financial
Potential Current credit accounts or unresolved accounts in collection will be reviewed.
Other
Automatic

Association/affiliation with criminal enterprise, hate group, or violent/discriminatory organization.

Automatic

Any tattoo signifying any prior membership in, association or affiliation with, any criminal enterprise, hate group, street gang, or other group that advocates violence or discrimination against individuals because of their race, religion, political affiliation, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, sexual preference, or disability.