Palos Heights Police Department

PLEASE NOTE:  This application is for Lateral Transfer Police Officers only.  Please read the requirements carefully. 

Palos Heights Police Department 

Palos Heights, Illinois 

• Currently employed for at least two (2) years as a full-time, sworn law enforcement officer by a State, County, University, or local law enforcement agency. Applicants must be in good standing with the agency in which they served. (NOTE:  Part-time certification does NOT meet this requirement);
• Must have completed the State of Illinois certified police officer training board requirements;
  • Out-of-state lateral hire applicants must be eligible to be awarded a basic academy training waiver from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board through the Out-of-State Trained Reciprocity Process within 30 days from date of hire.
• Applicants for examination must be citizens of the United States, except that an individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law or is an individual against whom immigration action has been deferred by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process is authorized to apply for the position of police officer, subject to (i) all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject and (ii) the individual being authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess a firearm;
• Possess a valid state-issued driver's license;
• Possess either an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice or related, relevant field -OR- a Bachelor's Degree in any field; At the time of background, candidates must have the actual degree, course hours alone, without the degree, do not count - OR - the applicant has served for 36 months of honorable active duty (or 180 days in combat duty) in the United States Armed Forces and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable; 
  

• No felony convictions and must be of good moral character; (Note: A misdemeanor or felony conviction does not constitute automatic bar from employment. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstance, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for, may however, be considered in assessing qualifications for employment. Applicants may be requested to provide additional information regarding criminal convictions to assist the city in evaluating qualifications for employment in the position sought). The applicant understands that the City is not requesting, nor should the applicant disclose expunged juvenile records of adjudication or arrest;
• Ability to furnish upon request a copy of the following documents to the extent applicable: a resume, professional licenses, training certificates, naval or military service board or discharge papers (DD-214/Copy 4), documents confirming work experience, birth certificate, high school diploma or G.E.D. certificate, last two employee evaluations, two police reports demonstrating best work and any other employment related material as requested or required;
• Successfully pass a written examination, background investigation, oral interview with the Board of Fire and Police Commission, polygraph, medical evaluation (to include drug and alcohol screening), psychological evaluation, and physical ability testing (P.O.W.E.R. Test).

Preference Points: 

To any person who is entitled to military, educational or law enforcement preference points whose name appears on the register of eligible, the Board shall add five (5) points (Sections 5/10-2.1-8 and 5/10-2.1-9) upon request of applicant. Such preference points shall not be cumulative.

Applications must be submitted online by Monday, March 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM (CST). Faxed, e-mailed, mailed or dropped off applications will NOT be accepted.  Only one application per person, per testing cycle will be accepted. Please be advised that technical support is only available during normal business hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

On-line Written Examination Testing  

Following completion of all application materials and review of minimum qualifications, successful applicants will be invited to participate in remote on-line written exam testing starting at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 through Friday, March 27, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Candidates will need to have access to a laptop or desktop computer with internet access. All candidates will receive an email approximately one week prior regarding their status in the process, along with further instructions for taking the on-line written exam. NOTE: Please be sure to check your email spam folder. Many email account providers automatically send our emails there in error (i.e. Google, Yahoo, etc.).  

• Copy of State-Issued Driver's License; 
• Copy of Birth Certificate;
• Copy of Associates -OR- Bachelors Degree Certificate -OR- Official or Unofficial College Transcript,
• Copy of Law Enforcement Certification;
• Copy of Military Form DD-214 (if applicable).