![[ Serving as a police officer is patirotic like this bald eagle with the Stars and Stripes overlaid on his face feathers. ]](./images/flageagle.jpg)
The Great Falls Police Department offers a challenging career and opportunities to those interested in serving their community as a law enforcement officer. Typically, four to six officer positions are filled each year. Testing for police officers occur on a continuous basis through the Montana Law Enforcement Testing Consortium (more info below). The eligibility of an applicant is maintained for a period of one year.
The testing process, from the time the position is advertised to the time the list is finalized with the top candidates takes two to three months. The final list and ranking order will determine which applicant will be sent to the Montana Law Enforcement Academy for training and when.
All candidates (including Entry level and Lateral Officers) who wish to test for the Great Falls Police Department must pass a written exam and physical fitness assessment. Once this portion of the process has been completed, Lateral Officers will follow a modified hiring process. Details on the Lateral Officer system.
For information regarding the written exam or the physical fitness assessment, please contact Lt. Lockerby, (406) 455-8556.
The hiring process consists of several steps:
![[ Man doing sit-ups (©MicroSoft ClipArt) ]](./images/situp_cMS.jpg)
In simple terms, this is one-stop shopping for the police applicant to apply with multiple (participating) police agencies. MTLETC will conduct testing in nine locations around the state three times a year. The qualified applicant will be eligible for hire for one year from the date of successfully completing the tests. For full details on the process and how to register, follow the link to http://www.bozeman.net/MTLETC/
The Great Falls Police Department only recognizes applicants who are on the MTLETC hiring list. Once you have succeeded with this step, each agency then processes applicants differently as their hiring protocols dictate. The GFPD proceeds with the following…
Formal Oral Board - Each applicant will be asked a series of ten questions, which are worth ten points each (total of 100 points). There is also a pass/fail standard for this portion.
![[ Interview (drawing ©MicroSoft ClipArt) ]](./images/interview_cMS.gif)
Applicants who successfully complete the above three steps will be ranked in order. The list will be determined from each applicant's performance (score) from the following areas:
After the list is compiled, background investigations will be initiated and will be completed in order of ranking on the list. If candidates are successful in passing the background investigation, a Conditional Offer of Employment will be made provided there are openings. Upon acceptance, the candidate will proceed to Step 4.