Anybody wishing to become an officer with Fort Smith PD has to complete an application for employment.

Click HERE to be taken to the City of Fort Smith HR page.  Search "Police Officer"

The next step is a written civil service examination, followed by a test of your ability to complete typical daily tasks a FSPD officer will encounter.

The written exam is scheduled for specific dates and times.  The Recruiting Coordinator will work with you to set up the date/time you should report for testing. 

We use the NCJOSI2 study guide, which can be purchased here.

The physical agility examination (along with the written examination) is typically held at the Fort Smith Police Training Center located at 8400 Zero Street. The examination involves negotiating the following in less than Two (2) minutes, forty-three (43) seconds:

• 5 baton strikes
• Push a car 60 feet
• Run 370 yards (1,110 feet)
• Stair obstacle
• Two (2) 4-foot walls
• Dry fire weapon three (3) times, with each hand
• Drag 125lb dummy 24 feet

All applicants will be required to sign a waiver before participating in the physical agility exam.

Here is a video showing how to complete the physical agility exam:

Applicants who successfully pass the written and physical tests will move into the background investigation.

The Recruiting Coordinator will send you a link to online software where you will be invited to accept an invitation and enter many aspects of your background.  You will have to sign waivers and complete questionnaires before being assigned a background investigator.  The Background Investigator will contact you and set up a meeting (in-person or virtual) to discuss your background.

According to Federal Law, applicants for police officer cannot have any domestic abuse conviction regardless of the date committed, nor any DWI/DUI conviction within the past 5 years.

All background investigations are reviewed by command staff to be selected to move on in the process.

 

After the successful completion of your background investigation, the Recruiting Coordinator will schedule you for a panel interview.  The panel is made up of police officers of varying ranks.  The interview consists of a computer exercise in which you type a report narrative.  Then the panel asks you questions about your ability to perform the duties of police officer. 

After the interview, the FSPD Command staff will review your application and determine if you will be selected for hire. If you are selected, you will be put on an eligibility list, ranked by your written test score.  The City of Fort Smith Civil Service Commission will review the list and certify it for eligibility. Applicants on the list will be valid for one year or until the list is exhausted, whichever occurs first. 

Next, the list is presented to the Chief of Police to select applicants from the list to convey a conditional offer of employment.  The Chief may pick any one of three applicants for an open position per AR state law.

The Recruiting Coordinator will contact you to inform you if you have been selected for hire or not selected. If you are selected, you will come meet with the Recruiting Coordinator where you will sign your offer of conditional employment.

Conditional employment means you will be hired on the condition you pass a drug test, physical, polygraph examination, and mental evaluation.  The Recruiting Coordinator will schedule you for these final tests before hire. 

Welcome to the Fort Smith Police Department!!!

You will be told the date and time in which to report for duty.  During your first week you will catch up on entry paperwork with the City of Fort Smith Human Resources, get sworn in as a police officer, and meet with the Chief of Police to discuss your new career. You will have many activities during this first week to prepare you for employment and the basic police academy, which is the next step. 

After the first week of orientation, you will begin paid training at our Basic Police Academy.

This 17-week regional program is held at the Fort Smith Police Training Facility, where you will gain strength and knowledge on the principles of police work. The Academy culminates with a graduation ceremony at the end of your 17th week.

After that, you hit the streets in your Field Training Program! General hours for the Academy are Monday-Friday from 7am - 5pm.

The next 16 weeks of your journey will be spend in field training.  This is where you will be assigned to a Field Training Officer (FTO) and will work alongside this senior officer learning the streets of Fort Smith.  You'll be evaluated on your performance on multiple objectives that your FTO teaches you during your time in field training.

This program concludes with an observation period in which your FTO determines if you are able to satisfactorily perform the job duties as a Fort Smith Police Officer.  If so, you are finally released to work the street on your own!

Typically, you can expect to go from hire to on your own in approximately 10 months.  You are considered a probationary officer for one year after your hire to be able to evaluate your ability to perform the job duties safely and professionally.