Detective Lateral Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

Are you a POST-certified Police Officer ready to take your career to the next level? The Shawnee Police Department is now hiring experienced, certified officers who are committed to service, integrity, and community. Kansas officers must have completed one year of service after academy graduation by the date of hire to be eligible. As a Shawnee Police Officer, you’ll play a key role in protecting and serving our community—building trust, ensuring safety, and making a real difference every day. We value experience and offer outstanding opportunities for growth and advancement:

• Lateral Officers may qualify for special assignments after just one year of service with Shawnee Police.
• Promotion to Sergeant is possible after three years with Shawnee Police, provided your total law enforcement experience equals five years.
• Certified officers may receive up to five (5) years of prior service credit, based on experience and at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

Our competitive pay structure rewards both dedication and performance. Officers receive annual step and merit increases, with the potential to earn up to $104,250 annually after eight years of service.  The 2026 Police Officer Pay Plan provides a clear path for professional growth and financial success.

Daily routines require taking calls for service, patrolling to deter and detect crime, investigating crimes and complaints, citing and arresting law violators, preparing and following up on reports and cases, protecting persons and property, and securing and protecting prisoners. When not responding to calls for service, the police officer is expected to use unassigned work time in an efficient manner by self-initiating work on those tasks identified by supervisory personnel as priorities for this job position.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma of the equivalent
• One year of Police Department experience after academy graduation (recruit candidates should apply through the separate PO-Recruit job posting)
• Must be 21 years of age by the date of employment
• US Citizenship is required
• Valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record

*Kansas residency is not required
*For information on automatic exclusions, visit the Police Department website here.

Application Instructions
Information on this application will be used to judge your qualifications and evaluate your education for the position that you are applying for. Please read all the questions carefully and answer all questions completely and honestly.

• Include all past and current employers.  
• Include all education from high school through highest level of education with start and end dates.
• List three-character references that you have known for at least three years, are not related to you and are not listed as a supervisor in the Employment History section.

Do not leave any blank spaces. If a question does not apply, write "DNA" in the answer space. All information in this application is subject to verification. Any false, misleading, or incomplete information will result in your application being eliminated. Your ability to completely and honestly fill out this application is part of the process to determine your suitability for employment. If you intentionally leave out any information that you think might be detrimental to you obtaining a job such as past drug use, any incidents of theft or other crimes, it will automatically eliminate you from consideration for employment. The fact that you may have used drugs, committed theft or another illegal act will not automatically eliminate you, but the omission of it during the application process will.  Once submitted, this application becomes the property of the City of Shawnee.

Application Process and Timeline
Lateral Applicants will participate in all process components.  Lateral Applicants can apply at any time and will either join ongoing recruit officer processes or have a process started with other lateral applicants. This posting is ongoing for the 2026 calendar year.  If you have questions regarding the hiring process components or the timeline, please reach out to the Shawnee Recruitment Team at joinspd@cityofshawnee.org or 913-742-6600.

Interview Day (Initial, Staff, PAT)
Polygraph
Interview with Police Chief
Job Fit Assessment
Background Investigation
Medical Exam / Drug Screen

Please Note: Most correspondence throughout the process will be done electronically. 

Additional Statements
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work performed by employees assigned to this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive list of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications. The City of Shawnee reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities of job descriptions to meet business and organizational needs as necessary. The job description is not a contract or guarantee of employment.

The City of Shawnee complies with federal and state equal opportunity laws. It is the City's policy to provide an equal employment opportunity for all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to ancestry, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability, socioeconomic status, genetic information, citizenship, veteran status or familial status, or any other basis protected by state or federal law, in regard to hire, training, promotion, transfer, layoff, dismissal, discipline and other conditions of employment. If reasonable accommodation is necessary to apply or further information is needed, please contact Human Resources at (913) 742-6253.