Lateral Entry Pay Program#

POST certified and lateral police officers are eligible to receive a higher starting salary than non-certified officers. 

• Non-POST Certified Entry Level - $81,751
• Post Certified Officers - $94,820
• Lateral Officer Pay Program - $101,404
• Top level - $111,264

*An officer is eligible for the Lateral Entry Pay Program if they meet the following criteria at the time of hiring:

1. They are a fully certified police officer in the state of Colorado or another state and are able to meet the Colorado POST requirements for certified officers; and
2. They have served as a full-time police officer for a minimum of two years; and 
3. They have been employed in good standing within one year of application date as a full-time police officer.

Lateral Academy#

Lateral officers are eligible for a shortened 15 week academy upon hire. Certified and lateral hires have the option to attend the full 22 week Fort Collins Police POST Academy. The Fort Collins Police POST Academy is completely in-house with expert instruction from FCPS employees. The hours are primarily 7:45 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday with a few night or weekend classes. Cadets get to go home each night.

Disqualifiers#

The following is not an all-inclusive list of instances that may disqualify you from being a Police Officer with Fort Collins Police Services. Other standards may make you subject to disqualification as well.

• Felony conviction
• Conviction, deferred prosecution or deferred judgment of a misdemeanor within three years of application date.
• Any driving arrest or conviction within three years of the candidate's application that involve alcohol, controlled substances, drugs, or other illegal substances
• Any pending or prior convictions of, deferred prosecution or deferred judgments for, reckless driving or careless driving resulting in injury within three years prior to application deadline date.
• Release or discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions.
• Certain misdemeanor criminal convictions, as defined by P.O.S.T., which would affect peace officer certification in Colorado.
• https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/post/decertifying-misdemeanors
• Tattoos on head, neck, and hands (excluding wedding band tattoo)

Out of Area Testing#

Applicants who are invited to test, and reside over 200 miles from the City of Fort Collins may be offered the opportunity to participate in an out of area testing week in which several testing components are offered during a condensed time period. If the applicant successfully continues in the process and is invited for a final interview, another week would be scheduled at that time for additional testing components. Ideally, the out of area applicant would only have to travel to Fort Collins twice if they continue to the end of the hiring process. Further information will be provided to out of area applicants who are invited to test with the agency during the open application period.