Communication Officer Jobs Near Me

Salary: $56,160.00 Annually
Location : 1 S Grove St, Westerville, OH
Job Type: Support Staff
Job Number: 00493
Division: Student Affairs
Department: Campus Police
Opening Date: 05/22/2026
DESCRIPTION
Otterbein University is in search of a Police Officer who will be responsible for safety and security of persons and property on campus. Officers shall positively interact, build rapport by enhancing community relations, and represent the University with local law enforcement and fire protective agencies. Officers must work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures. Officer must be able to reason logically and make valid conclusions about issues without cultural bias. This is a full-time non-exempt position working 40 hours per week, 12 months per year.
Otterbein offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Tuition benefit to employee, spouse or domestic partner and dependents
• Accrue 4 weeks of paid vacation
• 10 days paid sick time
• 12 paid holidays plus bonus days
• Medical, dental and vision insurance to you, dependents or domestic partner
• Life Insurance
• Defined contribution retirement plan
• and much more

RESPONSIBILITIES
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Enforcement: Officers will enforce all local, state and federal criminal laws, as well as University judicial rules and regulations; traffic and parking regulations; officers will obtain warrants, apprehend, arrest, search, pat down, handcuff, pursue, physically secure resisting suspects with the appropriate amount of force. Officers will safely transport prisoners and professionally testify in criminal court or University judicial hearings as required.
Investigation: Officers will investigate criminal violations, judicial violations, traffic crashes, and citizen complaints. Officers will protect crime scenes and preserve evidence.
Patrol: Officers will patrol on foot, in motor vehicles including University owned golf carts. They will protect persons and property and provide assistance as needed. Officers will lock and unlock buildings, provide escorts for citizens on campus, manage traffic and parking, and report any safety or security concerns to supervisors and appropriate campus personnel.
Operation and Maintenance of Police and Campus Equipment: Officers will correctly maintain and safely operate patrol vehicles, and all departmental equipment including but not limited to: firearms, tasers, pepper spray, batons, handcuffs, radios, computers, copiers, fax machines, telephones, and first aid equipment. Officers will also correctly operate the campus emergency notification system, the Clery notification system, all panic alarm systems, fire panel systems, WOCC TV system, and camera system on campus. Officers will enter work orders as needed.
Language and Written Communication: Officers will demonstrate competency in verbal and written communications with all constituencies; will use proper spoken English, grammar, spelling and punctuation on all University documents including but not limited to reports, tickets, daily logs, and property/person receipts.
General Conditions and Work Environment: Officers must be able to occasionally work overtime, change shifts, work special duty events, be called in while off duty for a crisis on campus, perform dispatch or administrative assistant responsibilities, fire prevention responsibilities, train new officers and student workers, attend meetings, research and conduct safety presentations on campus. Officers shall positively interact, build rapport by enhancing community relations, and represent the University with local law enforcement and fire protective agencies.
Training Requirements: Officers will fully participate in required training operations to include any methods of instruction such as, but not limited to: lecture, practical hands-on training including first aid, self-defense, firearms, taser, pepper spray, tactical training, and computer based training. Instruction may be on or off site.
The above statements reflect the general duties considered necessary to perform the essential functions of the position and shall not be considered a detailed description of all duties and responsibilities that may be inherent in the position of an Otterbein University Police Officer.
QUALIFICATIONS
QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Employee must desire to build trust and partnerships with culturally diverse populations through respect, dialogue, cooperation, appropriate and effective consultation and communication. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION/MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Officers shall possess a minimum of a High School diploma or equivalent, pass an extensive background investigation to include a criminal history and credit check; must be at least 21 years of age, and have both eyes corrected to 20/20 vision and no color blindness; must successfully complete and meet all standards to include: academic, physical fitness, medical, psychological, and truth verification.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Officersmust possess and maintain a current Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission certificate in good standing with the State of Ohio. Must possess and maintain a valid Ohio driver's license. The current driver's license record must not reflect six points or more.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Required to be able to accurately manipulate data using basic addition, subtraction, multiplications, division, skills
REASONING ABILITY: Officers shall have the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in an academic and law enforcement environment. Must demonstrate sound judgment and appropriate decision making skills. Must maintain confidential information. Must demonstrate a high degree of initiative, independent judgment, and flexibility. Must be able to read and understand a map. Must be able to give and follow instructions according to established protocol.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Officers shall be in good physical and mental condition to make arrests and secure uncooperative/resisting violators, as well as utilize and be proficient with all the protective equipment provided by the University. Officers shall fully be able to participate and satisfactory complete any physical training requirements as set forth by the agency. Strength demands include the ability to drag or carry human bodies in emergency situations, sit in a vehicle or stand for long periods of time, walk up and down at least 4 flights of stairs without pause. Must be able to run, stoop and bend, on an occasional basis. Must be able to sit regularly for 2-4 hours at a computer desk.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a police officer encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Duties are performed in a variety of settings across campus and in the Westerville, Ohio area; also exposed to environmentally controlled office conditions, as well as seasonal weather conditions including heat, cold, wind, precipitation; sound levels consist with alarm sirens; conditions present at emergency scenes including smoke, hazardous materials, various sound levels, etc.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SELECTION PROCESS:
The selection process for the position of Otterbein Police Officer includes the following. Successful completion of each area is required to advance to the next level of the application/selection process.

• Application
• Written Examination
• Police Department Oral Review Board
• Personal History Questionnaire
• Truth Verification Examination (Polygraph )
• Conditional Offer of Employment
• Background Investigation
• Psychological Examination
• Human Resources Overview
• Medical Examination
• Physical Agility Test
• Student Affairs Interview

Selection procedures for direct entry of officers with a current OPOTC Peace Officer certification shall be the same as the above list; however, the written examination, truth verification (polygraph), psychological examination, and/or physical agility test may be waived at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
Application:
The application documents the intent of the applicant to seek employment as an Otterbein Police Officer, and obtains essential information to initiate the application process. Please review the minimum hiring qualifications and removal standards on the page four (4) of this packet. Completed applications are to completed on-line, be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to Otterbein Human Resources at:
Online:
Written Examination: (approximately 2 hours)
Consists of the following three examinations:

• Human Relations Video Test: Evaluates the applicant's judgment; human interaction; responding calmly to provocation; unbiased enforcement; ethics and social maturity; handling authority; gaining cooperation; and observation and analysis
• Reading test: Officer Standard reading Level
• Incident Observation and Report Writing Video Test: Evaluates the applicant's observation skills, accurate report writing skills, and basic writing competency.

Police Department Oral Review Board: (approximately 2 hours)
Measures the ability of the applicant to communicate information or ideas to other people in the areas of reasoning, oral expression and comprehension.
Personal History Questionnaire:
Completed by the applicant in their own handwriting, the questionnaire provides Otterbein with documentation and references as to the applicant's qualifications for the position; and the applicant's personal, family, social, employment, military, education, traffic, criminal, and financial histories.
Polygraph Examination: (approximately 5 hours)
Focuses on the applicant's character and honesty in the areas of criminal activity, drug usage, employment, financial, and driving histories.
Conditional Offer of Employment:
An offer of employment to selected applicants, contingent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive background investigation, psychological examination, and medical examination.
Background Investigation: (approximately 3 weeks)
Focuses on the applicant's character and includes interviews with the candidate's family, friends, neighbors, supervisors, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. The investigator will also verify the candidate's personal, family, social, education, employment, military, financial, criminal and traffic histories.
Psychological Examination: (approximately 2 hours)
Focuses on the applicant's psychological fitness for the position.
Human Resources Overview: (approximately 2 hours)
Provides the applicant with a through overview of benefits associated with employment at Otterbein.
Medical Examination: (approximately 2 hours)
Focuses on the applicant's physical and medical fitness for the position.
Physical Agility Test: (approximately 1 hour)
Applicants are evaluated utilizing a series of job simulated physical agility events to include the following:

• Running
• Ascending and descending stairs with weighted object
• Body drag
• Performing CPR on mannequin
• Trigger pull
• Push / Pull exercise
• Tire change
• Vehicle push

Student Affairs Interview: (approximately 2 hours)
Measures the ability of the applicant to interact and communicate information or ideas to other people in the areas of reasoning, oral expression, maturity and ethics.
Selection:
The Chief of Police, in consultation with Otterbein's Vice President for Student Affairs, will select the most qualified candidate. Depending on the number of applicants, the expected duration of the application/selection process is four months.
Reapplication:
Those not selected may reapply for future available positions by submitting an application form stating their intent to seek employment as an Otterbein Police Officer for the available position. Should the application/selection process for the new position begin less than one (1) year from the completion of a previous application made by the applicant, the Chief of Police, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Director of Human Resources will determination which section(s) of the application/selection/ process the applicant will need to be re-evaluated by.
REMOVAL STANDARDS - The following items will be cause for automatic removal of the applicant from the hiring process:

• Any felony conviction.
• Any misdemeanor conviction (other than minor traffic violations) within the past five (5) years.
• More than three (3) moving violation convictions in the past three (3) years.
• Any driver's license suspension within the past 12 months.
• Any Dishonorable, General, or Other than Honorable Discharge from any branch of the Armed Forces.
• On probation or parole with any city, county, state or federal agency for any offense.
• Used, tried, tasted, experimented with, delivered, sold or possessed any illegal controlled substance that would constitute a misdemeanor violation of Ohio Revised Code within three (3) years prior to application.
• Any lifetime use, trial of, taste of, experiment with, delivery of, sell or possession of any illegal controlled substance that would constitute a felony violation of Ohio Revised Code, whether detected or undetected.
• Have two or more convictions for driving under the influence within a candidate's lifetime or one conviction within five (5) years of the application date.
• Have any lifetime conviction