Our officers earn $81,625 - $101,700 depending on years of experience, and can also earn additional salary incentives based on education, languages spoken and/or specialty assignments.

After gaining experience as a patrol officer, you have the opportunity to serve on special teams with incentive pay of up to 10% on top of your base salary. You can also earn another incentive of up to 10% for advanced DPSST certifications and college degrees/credits. 

Officers also earn PERS (Public Employee Retirement System) and receive a pension upon retirement. We have excellent benefits including full medical and dental coverage, as well as savings plans for health expenses and dependent care. 

Internal surveys consistently show our people are one of our greatest assets, from the relationships we build to the ways we intentionally support each other. Our Peer Support and Wellness programs are two examples. Policing comes with a lot of heaviness, so we lift each other up and share laughs as often as we can.

Our Chief and Command Staff are genuine, engaged and well respected in the law enforcement community. They value being a progressive, professional and transparent organization, and it shows from the top down. This is also reflected in internal surveys, which show our team ranks our leadership as one of the reasons they enjoy working here.

The Tigard community has shown their support for our department in a number of ways over the years. Voters supported a Police Services Levy in 2020, allowing us to hire additional police officers and support staff, and voters renewed this levy in 2024 by an overwhelming 78% margin. 

We also regularly get hand-made cards and treats from our residents and business community, the local Rotary club raises money for our K-9 program and officers get waves and thank you's out on patrol. It means a lot to us!

Like going to the beach? We're an hour from the coast. Like snowboarding and mountain activities? We're an hour from Mt. Hood. Ready to explore the Central Oregon desert? It's an easy 2-hour drive.

Tigard is a suburb in the Portland metro area and the perfect place for families to enjoy all the PNW has to offer. Whether you're looking for great shopping options like Washington Square Mall, entertainment venues at local theaters and bars or unique dining options, you'll be sure to find it in our exciting and diverse community.

There are several steps to becoming a Tigard police officer, including a written application, oral interview board, physical fitness test, background check and psychological exam. If you have any questions along the way, email us at AskTigardPolice@tigard-or.gov.

Step 1: Take an Initial Eligibility Exam

Visit either Public Safety Testing or National Testing Network to schedule an initial exam. You can also call 1-866-HIRE-911 for additional information on testing procedures. 

On the website, you can choose a testing date, time, and location that is most convenient for you. Tests are offered regularly at various locations around Oregon and Washington. Candidates must pass this exam before moving forward with the process.

(NOTE: This section only applies to people joining us as a police officer.)

Initial Training

On your first official day with us, you will be sworn in by the Chief of Police as a police officer! Your first few weeks will involve initial orientation in areas including accessing law enforcement databases and learning department policies. You will also begin initial training in areas including CPR/first aid, firearms, Taser and defensive tactics. 

You will also be paired with an experienced officer for ride-a-longs where you will act as an observer on real calls for service.

16-Week Police Academy

The department will schedule you for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) basic police academy, which is required for all police officers in Oregon. This 16-week academy is held on the DPSST campus in Salem and participants live on site (with the exception of weekends) during the training.

This includes a mix of classroom presentations and hands-on activities in areas including Oregon law, firearms, emergency vehicle operations, crisis intervention, police tactics, scenario-based training and more.

Continued Department Training

Once you graduate from the police academy, you will enter a months-long period of field training back at the Tigard Police Department. We break up this training period into three phases as you work with experienced officers to take on more responsibilities in all aspects of police work. These three phases generally take at least four months to complete before you will begin taking calls for service on your own.

The Tigard Police Department is a progressive and professional organization employing roughly 100 people, between sworn officers and support staff.

In May 2020, Tigard voters approved the Police Services Levy allowing for an additional eight patrol officers, one school resource officer, support staff and advanced crisis intervention and de-escalation training. Find out more on the Police Services Levy page.

The Tigard Police Department is committed to a community policing philosophy and works very closely with the public providing a wide range of programs and information. There are three divisions within the Police Department, including Operations, Services and Administration. Operations is the patrol and traffic branch. Services consists of records, detectives, property and evidence, commercial crimes unit, school resource officers and training. Administration includes the public information, crime prevention and business manager functions.

Opportunities within the department:

• K-9 Handler
• Drone Operator
• Bike Team
• ATV Patrol
• Instructor (firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operation, CPR/first aid, Taser...)
• Detectives
• School Resource Officer
• Traffic Safety Unit
• Interagency teams (Crisis Negotiations Unit, Tactical Negotiations Unit, Mental Health Response Team, Major Crimes Team)
• Community Service Officer
• Property & Evidence Specialists
• Records Specialists

Learn More:

• About Tigard Police
• Annual Reports
• Strategic Plan
• Police Newsroom
• Mission Statement

Compensation

The base salary range for a Police Officer can be found here. We offer incentive pay for intermediate and advanced certification as well as a bilingual language incentive. Lateral officers are placed by experience in a commensurate salary range.

Benefits

The Police Officer position is classified under the Tigard Police Officer's Association. The City of Tigard offers an excellent benefits package including health care, offering a choice of Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Kaiser Permanente Health with a defined employee pre-tax deductible contribution, paid vacation, sick and holiday pay, 6% PERS pick up and an optional deferred compensation program. Employee Benefit details can be found on the Human Resources page.

Incentive Pay

The City of Tigard offers pay incentives for education and certification levels for police officers.

Tigard PD offers several specialty assignments with premium pay:

• Detectives (including Criminal Investigations and Commercial Crimes Unit): 10%
• Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force: 10%
• Traffic Safety Officers: 5%
• K-9: 5%
• Interagency Tactical Negotiations Team and Crisis Negotiations Unit: 5%
• School Resource Officer: 5%
• Washington County Mental Health Response Team: 5%

There is also a foreign language incentive for employees that meet acceptable standards of fluency.

Tigard is home to roughly 55,000 people and is 20 minutes southwest of Portland in rapidly growing Washington County. It is situated in the Tualatin Valley 80 miles east of the Pacific Ocean and 70 miles west of Mt. Hood and the Oregon Cascades.

Regional development has resulted in significant growth in daytime populations within the City of Tigard. The area is a popular destination as a result of the Washington Square shopping mall and a host of businesses and other attractions. Considering the added influx of visitors to the area, the average daytime population approaches 100,000.

Washington County and the Portland metro area are nationally recognized as one of the most livable areas in the country. Often referred to as the "Silicon Forest" for its continuing growth in the area of high technology, Washington County is home to renowned companies such as Tektronics, Intel and NEC, as well as the world headquarters of Nike, Inc.

As a community, Tigard strives to manage growth and blend the amenities of a modern city with the friendliness and spirit of a small town. Located close to Portland, Tigard offers its residents the best of big city culture and events as well as a wealth of opportunity for activity and recreation.

All candidates must have the following minimum qualifications.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be 21 years or older at the time of application
• Must possess or be able to obtain a valid driver license by time of hire
• Must be able to meet all Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) Police Officer standards
• Must pass DPSST certified entry level written exam (70% or better)
• Must pass DPSST ORPAT physical agility test
• Must possess a DPSST Basic Police Officer certification within one year of hire
• Must be able to read and write the English language
• Must possess a high school diploma or GED
• Prefer college degree in related law enforcement field
• Prefer bilingual in English and Spanish
• Ability to possess a driver's license

Personal Characteristics

• Dependability
• Strong work ethic
• Integrity and truthfulness
• Ability to learn and retain complex information
• The ability to resolve problems in a way that shows sensitivity of the feelings of others
• Empathy
• Ability to make good decisions under pressure

Oregon will not certify as a police officer anyone who has been convicted of certain crimes, including any felony, domestic violence crime, any crime involving controlled substances, sex abuse and others. To learn more, contact DPSST.

Other disqualifications:

• You cannot obtain a valid driver's license in your state of residence.
• You will not be a U.S. citizen within one year of being hired.
  • Note: Citizenship application requires 5 years of residency.
• You have been convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicants (D.U.I.I.) within the past 5 years or have 2 or more D.U.I.I. convictions. A diversion or similar action is considered the same as a conviction.
• You have had three or more moving violations, two accidents, or a single instance of a major traffic offense within three years of application.
• You have been convicted of Reckless Driving, Attempting to Elude, Hit and Run (Failure to perform the duties of a driver), or Driving While Suspended or Revoked within the last 5 years. DPSST has a 10-year look back period for which they review convictions to evaluate if a candidate will be approved for state police certification.
• You have a dishonorable, bad conduct or other than honorable discharge from the armed services.
• You have been convicted of the illegal possession, sale, distribution, manufacture, or use of a controlled substance within the last five years.