Minimum Qualifications
Sworn Positions
All applicants must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for a position with the police department:
- Must possess a High School Diploma or GED
- Must be 21 years of age at the time of application
- Possess a valid driver's license; and obtain a Kansas driver's license within 10 days of employment if out of state
- Must be a U.S. Citizen (by birth or naturalized)
- Must be able to read, write and speak English
- Have no felony or serious misdemeanor convictions; and be of good moral character
- Have not used illegal drugs; which includes:
- Unlawful possession or use of a controlled substance which would be a felony within the recent past
- Unlawful sale or use of prescription drugs
- Sale of illegal drugs or possession with the intent to sell illegal drugs
Starting Pay
$26.30 to $35.40 an hour
See compensation information.
Non-Sworn Positions
All applicants for non-sworn positions must meet the following requirements to be considered for a position with the police department:
- Must possess a High School Diploma or GED
- Must be 18 years of age at the time of application
- Possess a valid driver's license; and obtain a Kansas driver's license within 10 days of employment if out of state
- Must be a U.S. Citizen (by birth or naturalized)
- Must be able to read, write and speak English
- Have no felony or serious misdemeanor convictions; and be of good moral character
- Upon employment, reside within a 15 mile radius of the city limits of Garden City
- Have not used illegal drugs; which includes:
- Unlawful possession or use of a controlled substance which would be a felony within the recent past
- Unlawful sale or use of prescription drugs
- Sale of illegal drugs or possession with the intent to sell illegal drugs
Hiring Process for Non-Sworn Positions
There are several steps that must be completed prior to receiving an offer of employment with the Garden City Police Department. For some candidates, these steps might be arraigned in a different order, but all the steps must be completed.
- Submit an Application - View available positions
- Take the Entry Test - You will be contacted with an available testing date. A score of 80% or greater is needed to pass the entry test. There will also be a typing test. 40 words per minute or greater is a passing score.
- Oral Board - Upon the successful completion of the entry-level test, an Oral Board interview will be conducted. Typically, this is on the same day as the Entry Test.
- Fingerprints and Background Packet - Your fingerprints will be taken, and you will be provided a background packet. This background packet will need to be completed and turned in by a specified date in order to continue with the hiring process.
- Computer Voice Stress Analysis - In order to verify the information that was provided through the application and background process, a computer voice stress analysis will be conducted.
- Conditional Offer of Employment - A conditional offer of employment might be extended by the Chief of Police. A candidate will then need to complete the medical physical evaluation, a psychological examination, and pass a drug examination screen.
- Welcome to the Team - Once all of these items are completed, a candidate will be offered a start date to begin their new career with the Garden City Police Department. Upon employment every employee must reside within a 35-mile radius of the city limits of Garden City
Hiring Process for Entry-Level
There are several steps that must be completed prior to receiving an offer of employment with the Garden City Police Department. For some candidates, these steps might be arraigned in a different order, but all the steps must be completed.
- Submit an Application - View available positions
- Take the Entry Test - You will be contacted with an available testing date. A score of 70% or greater is needed to pass the entry test.
- Oral Board - Upon the successful completion of the entry-level test, an Oral Board interview will be conducted. Typically, this is on the same day as the Entry Test.
- Fingerprints and Background Packet - Your fingerprints will be taken, and you will be provided a background packet. This background packet will need to be completed and turned in by a specified date in order to continue with the hiring process.
- Computer Voice Stress Analysis - In order to verify the information that was provided through the application and background process, a computer voice stress analysis will be conducted.
- Conditional Offer of Employment - A conditional offer of employment might be extended by the Chief of Police. A candidate will then need to complete the medical physical evaluation, a psychological examination and pass a drug examination screen.
- Welcome to the Team - Once all of these items are completed, a candidate will be offered a start date to begin their new career with the Garden City Police Department. Upon employment, every employee must reside within a 15-mile radius of the city limits of Garden City
View the physical requirements needed to attend the training academy.
Hiring Process for Lateral Officers
To be considered for employment as a lateral police officer, you must be currently certified as a police officer in Kansas or any other state. If you are a certified law enforcement officer from another state, your certification will be evaluated by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC). This is to verify that your training will be considered and accepted in the State of Kansas.
Lateral officers will complete the same hiring process as an entry level officer, except they are not required to take the entry level test. If your certification is accepted and transfers to Kansas, once hired, you will be sent to an accelerated academy class. This class is approximately 5 days long and held at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) in Hutchinson Kansas.
If you are accepted as a lateral officer, laterals are credited for each year they worked at another agency on our pay scale. For each year you worked for a law enforcement agency, it is equal to a year on our pay scale.