Company Profile
Company Overview
Mission
Protection and service through partnerhsip with the community.
Value Statement
In our pursuit of excellence in policing, the Saint Joseph, Missouri Police Department will hold itself and its members accountable for our actions; perform our duties with integrity; serve our community with the highest degree of professionalism; let honesty be our guide; and uphold the public's trust in our agency.
The St. Joseph Police Department started with forty-two officers on June 1, 1887 and has grown to 116 sworn officers and 46 civilian support personnel. It serves over 76,000 residents; officers patrol 46.5 square miles and answers an average of 70,000 to 75,000 calls for service per year. We are located within the Law Enforcement Center in the downtown area. Officers patrol 46.5 square miles, broken into districts and answer and average of 70, 000 calls a year.
Company History
The first known lawman was Constable Howell Thomas in 1845. On April 14, 1851 the first Marshall Francis Wright was employed and in 1858, one deputy and six men were styled as the "City Guard". June 1 of 1887 the Missouri Legislature passed a law forming a Metropolitan Police Department. John Broder was the Chief of Police, there were 46 officers at this time. By 1904 the force had grown to having a Chief, Captain, two Sergeants, five Detectives and 58 officers.
The Central Police Station was built at 7th and Messanie St. in 1891, it then moved to 710 S. 9th St.. In 1986 the Department moved to the combined Law Enforcement Center at 501 Faraon, with the Buchanan County Sheriffs Department.
In 1891 patrolmen used signal boxes that were placed in 37 various locations throughout the city, they were required to call the station every hour. By 1910 a signal phone was provided and patrolmen made frequent calls on call boxes. They were alerted of their calls by the use of several red lights placed at various locations. In 1936 the first one-way radio communication was installed.
Benefits
? Opportunities to test for advancement/promotions
? Opportunities to test for specialized positions
o CSI –Crime Scene Investigator
o SRT – Special Response Team
o Detectives
o K-9
o SRO – School Resource Officer
o FTO – Field Training Officer
o Warrants Officer
o Instructor positions
Eleven paid holidays
Uniform allowance
20 year retirement option
2 Deferred Compensation Plans
Salary – While in the probationary period $36,621.98/year. After successfully completing probation salary increases to $40,243.93/year.