City of Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley, California · Police Department · 64 officers
About City of Fountain Valley
The Fountain Valley Police Department covers a city of about 57,000 people on roughly 9 square miles in central Orange County, working out of headquarters on Slater Avenue. It's a full-service department with more than 60 sworn officers: the chief, 2 captains, 3 lieutenants, 10 sergeants, 9 corporals and 39 officers, backed by dispatchers, community services officers and records staff.
The department runs two divisions. Patrol has 30 uniformed officers led by 6 sergeants and 2 lieutenants, along with traffic, K-9, school resource officers, community resource officers and the Special Weapons and Tactics team. Support Services holds the Detective Bureau, Special Investigations Unit, crime scene investigations, crime analysis, property and evidence, and training. Specialty pay is offered for field training officers, K-9, traffic, school resource officers, detectives, the tactical team and drug recognition experts. Under the current officers' association contract, patrol works a 12.5-hour schedule with four days off in a row.
Fountain Valley hires entry-level recruits enrolled in a California Peace Officer Standards and Training academy, recent academy graduates and lateral officers. Laterals can get a $10,000 bonus and recruits $5,000, an incentive the City Council made permanent in 2026. Officers also get $495 a month in fitness pay and 10 hours of compensatory time a month for meeting wellness standards.
Pay and benefits
- Salary: $99,767.17 - $121,267.61
- Signing bonus: $10,000 for lateral officers ($5,000 at hire plus a 40-hour comp time bank, and $5,000 after probation). Police recruits get $5,000 ($2,500 when sworn in after the academy and $2,500 after probation).
- Education incentive: California Peace Officer Standards and Training certificate pay of 5% of base for the Intermediate certificate and 12% for the Advanced certificate.
- Retirement: PERS - California Public Employees' Retirement System defined benefit pension. New members fall under the 2.7% at 57 formula and paid 13.75% of pay toward it in fiscal year 2025-26; the city contracts for three-year final compensation, a 2% retiree cost-of-living adjustment and credit for unused sick leave. Deferred compensation is available.
- Benefits: Competitive Pay, Education Incentives, Retirement Benefits, Wellness Programs, Signing Bonus, Specialty Unit Opportunities
Open positions at City of Fountain Valley
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Agency website: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/fountainvalley