STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
HUMAN RESOURCES
CLASSIFICATION: STATE POLICE TROOPER I
Class Code: 8410-19
Date Established: 08-01-97
Occupational Code: 3-3-5 Date of Last Revision: 06-06-07
BASIC PURPOSE: To enforce criminal, motor vehicle and all
other appropriate laws to ensure public protection and safety, maintain law and
order, detect and prevent crimes, apprehend suspects and prosecute violators.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
·
Arrests
suspects, forcibly if necessary, using handcuffs and other restraints; subdues
resisting suspects using maneuvers, approved weapons, and hands and feet in
self-defense.
·
Writes
investigative and other reports, including sketches, citations, affidavits,
complaints, and warrants using appropriate grammar, symbols and mathematical
computations.
·
Assesses
situations to determine when there is reasonable suspicion to detain, when
probable cause exists to search and arrest, and when and to what degree force may
be used, including the application of deadly force.
·
Operates a law
enforcement vehicle during both the day and night, in emergency situations
involving speeds in excess of posted limits, in congested traffic and in unsafe
road conditions caused by factors such as fog, smoke, rain, ice and snow.
·
Gathers
information in criminal investigations by interviewing and obtaining the
statements of victims, witnesses, suspects and confidential informers.
·
Pursues
fleeing suspects which may involve quickly entering and exiting patrol
vehicles; lifting, carrying and dragging heavy objects; climbing over
obstacles; jumping from elevated surfaces; climbing through openings; jumping
over obstacles, ditches and streams; crawling in confined areas; balancing on
uneven or narrow surfaces and using body force to gain entrance through
barriers.
·
Unloads,
loads, aims and fires handguns, shotguns and other firearms from a variety of
body positions under stressful conditions that justify the use of deadly force
and at levels of proficiency as prescribed in certification standards.
·
Intervenes in
disputes to restore peace and ensure safety of the public and parties involved,
including confronting hostile persons, mediating disputes, and advising of
rights and processes.
·
Reads and comprehends
legal and non-legal documents, demonstrates communication skills to prosecute
cases in court and other formal settings.
·
Searches
people, vehicles, buildings and outdoor areas to detect and collect evidence
and substances that provide the basis of criminal offenses and infractions;
detains suspicious persons or vehicles.
·
Performs
rescue functions at accidents, emergencies and disasters to include directing
traffic, administering emergency medical aid, and evacuating people from
dangerous situations.
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DISTINGUISHING FACTORS:
Skill: Requires skill in recommending routine
changes in standardized operating procedures OR in retrieving, compiling, and
reporting data according to established procedures OR in operating complex
machines.
Knowledge: Requires knowledge of business practices and
procedures or technical training in a craft or trade, including working from
detailed instructions, to apply knowledge in a variety of practical situations.
Impact: Requires responsibility for contributing to
immediate, ongoing agency objectives by facilitating the direct provision of
services to the public or other state agencies.
Errors at this level result in inaccurate reports or invalid test
results and require a significant investment of time and resources to detect.
Supervision: Requires no supervision of employees or
functions.
Working Conditions: Requires performing regular job assignments
in an extremely disagreeable or dangerous working environment with continuous
exposure to an uncontrollable number of hazardous elements, including
occupational accidents, injuries, or diseases which result in total disability
or death.
STATE POLICE TROOPER I
PAGE 2
Physical Demands: Requires medium to heavy work, including
continuous physical exertion such as frequent bending, lifting, or climbing.
Communication: Requires summarizing data, preparing reports,
and making recommendations based on findings which contribute to solving
problems and achieving work objectives.
This level also requires presenting information for use by
administrative-level managers in making decisions.
Complexity: Requires a combination of job functions to
establish facts, to draw daily operational conclusions, or to solve practical
problems. This level also requires
providing a variety of alternative solutions where only limited standardization
exists.
Independent Action: Requires a range of choice in applying a
number of technical or administrative policies under general direction and
making routine decisions or in recommending modifications in work procedures
for approval by supervisor.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Associates degree or 60 credit hours from a
recognized college, university or technical institute with major study
preferably in criminal justice or the equivalent.
Experience: No experience
required.
OR
Education: H.S. Diploma, GED, or equivalent.
Experience: Two years of experience comprised of any one
of the following:
A)
One year as a
full time certified police officer and one year of honorable military service,
either intermittently or full time, OR
B)
Two years as a
full time certified police officer, OR
C)
Two years of
honorable military service, either intermittently or full time.
License/Certification: Upon appointment, candidates must obtain a
Special Requirements:
1.
Age/Citizenship: Must be at least 21 years of age and a
2.
Eyesight and
Hearing: Must be at least 20/40 in each
eye uncorrected and corrected to 20/20 in each eye and have normal uncorrected
depth and color perception; must possess normal hearing sufficient to enable
performance of essential job functions.
3.
Examinations: Applicants must successfully participate in a
physical agility test designed to measure ability to perform essential job
functions which are physically demanding tasks encountered in job
performance. Applicants must also
successfully participate in a written examination and structured interviews. Before appointments are made, candidates will
undergo comprehensive background investigations, polygraph examinations and
psychological examinations. Candidates
who do not have a record free of serious offenses will be ineligible for
appointment. After conditional offers of
appointment have been made, prospective appointees must pass a comprehensive
medical examination provided at state expense.
The physician administering medical examinations will be selected by the
N.H. Division of State Police. No
physical conditions can exist prohibiting appointees from performing the duties
and responsibilities of the State Police Trooper I position. All candidates will be subject to unannounced
drug testing at any point during the selection process. Additional information on required
examinations can be obtained from the N.H. Division of Personnel and N.H.
Division of State Police Recruitment and Training Unit.
4.
Police Officer
Certification: Candidates must be able
to obtain police officer certification within the time frame established by the
N.H. Police Standards and Training Council.
Must maintain police officer certification throughout tenure of service.
5.
Candidates
must be willing to accept employment anywhere in the State of
RECOMMENDED WORK TRAITS: Considerable knowledge of agency rules and
regulations governing the Division of State Police. Knowledge of state provisions for emergency
situations. Knowledge of the laws of
arrest and evidence. Knowledge of state
laws relating to the enforcement of criminal and traffic laws. Knowledge of criminal identification
techniques and methods to identify and preserve evidence. Knowledge of the principles and methods of
crime and traffic accident investigation.
Knowledge of probation, parole and court procedures, including court
decisions pertaining to law enforcement.
Elementary knowledge of criminal behavior. Skill in presenting oral and
STATE POLICE TROOPER I
PAGE 3
physical evidence in
court. Skill in proper interviewing and
interrogating techniques. Skill in
making quick, accurate decisions. Skill
in the proper use and care of
firearms. Skill in conducting
investigations and in recognizing, identifying and preserving evidence of
crime. Skill in using police
communications equipment. Skill in life
saving techniques. Ability to perform
physically demanding tasks. Ability to
operate a motor vehicle safely and at high speeds. Ability to learn the use of firearms and
other law enforcement equipment. Ability
to exercise tact, diplomacy and impartiality in relation to others. Ability to make decisions based on common
sense and good judgment. Ability to
resolve stressful situations. Ability to
comprehend and comply with written and oral directions. Ability to comply with and enforce federal,
state and local laws. Ability to increase
competency through training and instruction.
Ability to withstand long periods of uninterrupted work. Ability to react quickly and calmly in
emergency situations. Ability to
establish and maintain effective working relationships with federal, state,
county and local agencies. Must be
willing to maintain appearance appropriate to assigned duties and
responsibilities as determined by the agency appointing authority.
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: This class specification is descriptive of
general duties and is not intended to list every specific function of this
class title.
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