In order to begin the hiring process for Certified Police Officer or Non-Certified Recruit (Sponsorship Candidates) with the Palm Bay Police Department, a candidate must submit an application through the City of Palm Bay Employment Opportunities website.

Step One: Application Review

There will be a review of the application submission and position specific pre-screening questionnaire to ensure a candidate meets the required qualifications for the State of Florida and the Palm Bay Police Department. If a candidate’s application and pre-screening questionnaire are disqualified, a notification will be sent through the Human Resources Department.

• Certified Police Officer:  If the applicant meets the minimum requirements, the individual will be referred for a secondary review.
• Non-Certified applicant: The Human Resources Department will invite the applicant to take the Frontline Test.

Step Two: Frontline Testing

• Non-Certified applicant: The Frontline Test is a three-component testing system to evaluate a person’s judgment in enforcement to include public relations and teamwork, reading and incident observation, and report writing. For more information regarding the Frontline test and to take an optional practice test visit their website: www.ergopracticetests.com
• If the applicant receives a passing score in all three components, their application will be referred to the police department’s background investigator for a secondary review.

Step Three: Oral Board Interview

• Certified Police Officer and Non-Certified Recruit applicants: If the application meets the minimum hiring standards for the Palm Bay Police Department, the applicant will be contacted and scheduled for an Oral Board Interview.

Step Four: Selected or Not Selected

• If selected to move forward in the hiring process, an interviewee will be issued a Conditional Offer of Employment. 
• If not selected, the interviewee will receive a letter from the Human Resources Department.

Step Five: Background Process

Those applicants extended a Conditional Offer of Employment will submit to a thorough background investigation to collect and verify job relevant information concerning an individual’s past behavior, experience, education, employment, performance, and other critical factors to determine the suitability of the applicant for a position in law enforcement.  In addition to the background investigation, the applicant will be required to satisfactorily pass a:

• Physical Abilities Test (PAT)
• Polygraph Examination
• Psychological Evaluation
• Medical Evaluation
• Drug Screen

Step Six: Final Review

If the applicant successfully completes all previous steps, the individual’s completed background will be referred to and subjected to a final review by all agency department heads. If the applicant is selected to fill a position, they will receive an Offer of Employment through our Human Resources Department.