FAQ
Requirements and Benefits
- Education and Experience
- Associate’s degree or equivalent – 60 college credits or 90 college quarter hours at the time of application – OR
- Three years of active duty military service with an honorable discharge – OR
- Three years of full-time law enforcement officer experience recognized by MCPD, i.e., working as a sworn agent with full arrest powers.
- Not less than 21 years old at the time of graduation from the academy.
- United States Citizenship –OR– permanent legal resident of the United States who is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Armed Forces and who has applied to obtain United States Citizenship, and the application is still pending approval.
- Valid driver’s license.
- A comprehensive background investigation conducted by the MCPD.
- A written examination, scored interview, polygraph examination, and psychological and medical examinations.
Selected candidates must demonstrate the following:
- Vision: Corrected vision of 20/20 in each eye. Uncorrected vision of 20/40 in each eye for those who wear glasses or hard contact lenses. Those who wear soft contact lenses are not subject to the uncorrected vision requirement if they have successfully used soft contact lenses for at least six months.
- Color vision: Measured on a Farnsworth D-15 test.
- Hearing: An auditory examination will be conducted.
- Physical
- Exercise capacity of 12 METS (10 min) measured on an exercise treadmill using BRUCE protocol with a maximum target heart rate of 90%, adjusted for age.
- Abdominal stretch 27 inches measured from chin to wall while bending backward with hips strapped against the wall.
- Standing long jump / Plyometrics– 73” minimum
- Sit & reach stretch
- Push-ups – 17
- Sit-ups – 34
- Other exercises or movements required by the Occupational Medical Services (OMS) to demonstrate fitness for duty
Hiring Bonus: $20,000
The starting salary for police officer candidates is $66,815 a year. Starting salaries based on police or military police experience:
- $69,157 – 1 year experience
- $71,576– 2 years experience
- $74,081– 3 years experience
- $76,674– 4 years experience
- $79,362– 5 years experience
Montgomery County Government offers a competitive salary and benefits package.
- 4-day work week for patrol officers
- Permanent shift schedules
- Differential pay for bilingual skills upon certification (average $4,160-$8,320 per year, based on fluency and hours worked)
- Pay differential for evening and night shifts (average $4,160-$8,840 per year, based on shift hours worked)
- Paid Holidays, Accrued Sick, Annual, and Compensatory Leave
- Take-home car program
- Property Tax Credit: $2,500 for Montgomery County Residents
- All uniforms supplied, including cleaning and alteration
- All leather goods supplied, including boots and shoes
- Liberal 25-year retirement plan/deferred compensation plan
- Paid leave to attend military training (15 days per year)
- Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and prescription drug plans
- Medical catastrophe benefits
- Employee assistance programs
- Professional improvement leave
- Workers’ compensation insurance
- College tuition assistance for continuing education
- Promotional opportunities
- Extensive in-service training and specialized career opportunities
- Credit union membership
Hiring Process
All applicants must go through the selection process, which consists of tests and investigations that help the department select applicants who are best suited for police work. This process can take from 3 to 4 months from the date of the initial online application. The applicant must pass the written exam, scored oral interview, and physical assessment before continuing to a background investigation.
- Apply at Police Officer jobs page. (up to 15 minutes)
- Receive confirmation number
- 100 multiple choice questions
- 60% or above is a pass
- Six questions
- 3 officers conduct interview
- All applicants get the same questions
- Applicants are rated either “Well Qualified” or “Qualified”
- Only “Well Qualified” applicants continue to next step
- In-depth interview of applicant
- Interview of references, neighbors, co-workers, and family
- Review of:
- Employment history
- Criminal and traffic records
- Credit reports
- Academic records
- Military records (if applicable)
- Used to confirm information obtained through the selection process
- Covers areas such as:
- Employment
- Crimes
- Falsification of information
- Drug use
Applicants who successfully complete the above steps may be considered for conditional offer of employment
- Medical examination
- Psychological examination
Police Officer FAQ
About three to nine months. This is the period between submitting an employment application to entering the training academy. Processing many applicants requires a lot of time, which includes scheduling and administering tests designed to identify applicants whose backgrounds match the type of people the department seeks. After the initial testing, applicants may be selected for a background investigation, which takes from a few weeks to two months, depending on the applicant’s life history and experiences. Thereafter, a polygraph examination may be scheduled. Applicants successfully completing the polygraph examination may be scheduled for psychological and medical examinations, the final step before joining the academy.
Lateral Officers are encouraged to apply for our entry level academy. Lateral Officers will be paid for their experience, up to 5 years. If you currently participate in a ” Defined Benefit Pension Plan” at your Maryland law enforcement agency, you may be qualified to have your retirement benefits transferred. Officers that attended the Montgomery County Police Academy with another agency, may be eligible to laterally transfer as a “pop-out” with condensed training.
Starting salaries based on police or military police experience:
- $69,157 – 1 year experience
- $71,576– 2 years experience
- $74,081– 3 years experience
- $76,674– 4 years experience
- $79,362– 5 years experience
Yes. The application, written test, oral board interview and submission of your background information is all completed online. You will be required to report to Montgomery County in person for your background interview, polygraph, medical and psychological testing. If scheduling allows, out-of-state applicants will be scheduled to attend some of these appointments on or near the same day.
Yes. We also accept:
- Three years of active duty military service with an honorable discharge or three years of full-time law enforcement officer experience recognized by Montgomery County Police Department The applicant must have worked as a sworn or government agent with full arrest powers.
- A DD-214 is required for proof of military service.
No.
Applicants who have had eye surgery to meet minimum vision standards (as listed in our minimum qualifications) may be required to submit medical data, at their own expense, to demonstrate visual stability.
No. We do not require police officers to live in the county. Officers that live in the county are eligible for the Personal Patrol Vehicle (PPV) program. PPVs are authorized full use 10 miles outside the county. Officers that live outside the county are eligible for the Single Officer Fleet Vehicle (SOFV) program. SOFVs are authorized to travel 10-25 miles to and from the county depending on assigned duties.
Montgomery County is culturally rich and diverse. The need for bilingual employees is critical to the success of our community policing efforts. The county government authorizes pay differential for employees with this critical skill. To be eligible for this pay differential, employees must participate in a language certification program that evaluates the skill level. (Language skills include American Sign Language). Based on the certified skill level and the number of hours worked in a given year, a language pay differential of $4,160 to $8,320 per year, above base salary, may be earned by a police officer.
All officers below the rank of lieutenant are members of, and are formally represented by, the Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) Lodge 35. Lieutenants and above may maintain membership in the Alliance of Police Supervisors, a non-union employee organization.
One to two academy sessions per year, usually starting in January or July. Each session lasts 6 months. After successfully completing the academy, the officer is assigned to a field training patrol shift for an additional 14 weeks. Uniform patrol officers work four 10-hour shifts per week.
The basic schedule during the academy’s training is generally Monday through Friday, eight hours per day. Occasionally, recruits may work evenings and weekends to accommodate certain training components. All recruit trainees will be paid their respective starting salary during these times.
The early hire program is available to qualified applicants.
10% – First day of county employment
30% – Completion of Field Training Program
30% – Completion of probationary period
30% – 3 years from date of hire
Background Disqualifiers
- No felony convictions
- No serious misdemeanor convictions; defined as any crime that would carry more than a 1-year incarceration
- Can not have ever illegally sold, produced, cultivated, distributed, or transported a controlled dangerous substance, narcotic drug, or marijuana
- Can not have ever illegally used a controlled dangerous substance, narcotic drug, or marijuana while employed to enforce federal, state, or local law by any government entity
- No use of heroin, phencyclidine (PCP), or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
- No controlled dangerous substance use within three years of application (including marijuana)
- No more than four (4) uses of controlled dangerous substances in a lifetime and no use after the age of twenty-one (21) (not including marijuana)
Veteran Hiring
- Education and Experience: ( 60 College Credits – OR – Three years of active duty military service with an honorable discharge – OR– Three years of full-time law enforcement officer experience recognized by MCPD, i.e., work as a sworn, government agent with full arrest powers)
- Not less than 21 years old at the time of graduation from the academy
- United States citizenship OR permanent legal resident of the United States who is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Armed Forces AND who has applied to obtain United States citizenship AND the application is still pending approval.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Veterans Hiring Preference
- Salary Increase for Military Police Experience (see chart below)
- Paid Leave to Attend Military Training (15 days per year)
- GI Bill Assistance During Fully Salaried Academy
- Ability to Purchase up to 4 years Military Service Towards MCP Retirement
Starting salaries based on police or military police experience:
- $69,157 – 1 year experience
- $71,576– 2 years experience
- $74,081– 3 years experience
- $76,674– 4 years experience
- $79,362– 5 years experience
Make Your Mark
The department is currently looking for highly qualified police officer applicants who are ready to answer the call for a challenging and rewarding career in law enforcement. Our police officers receive very comprehensive training in a brand new training facility and all uniforms and equipment are provided. We offer many opportunities to serve to include our 6 District Police Stations and over 50 specialized units. Visit the rest of our site to learn more of the many benefits this prestigious agency has to offer.
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