Job Description

Department

OPS DSS Police: Patrol Services

About the Department

The University of Chicago campus is part of Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, which contains a significant amount of off-campus housing for undergraduate and graduate students. More than a third of the University's staff reside in areas surrounding the campus, and more than 50% of the University's faculty live in the Hyde Park area. The Department of Safety and Security includes the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD), UC Campus Safety, Management Services, Transportation and Parking Services, Environmental Health and Safety, and Emergency Management. The Department is a unit of the Office of Legal Affairs and aims to provide stronger safety and transportation services to members of the University community. By long tradition, the University Police assists the Chicago Police Department in policing Hyde Park and surrounding neighborhoods. The University of Chicago Police Department has more than 100 sworn personnel. The University Police patrol an area encompassing 6.5 square miles and a population of approximately 65,000 people, many of whom have no direct connection to the University.

Job Information

Sergeants assigned to specialized units perform specific duties characteristic of the unit. A Sergeant may be assigned to any one of the following: Accreditation, Fleet Management, Investigative Services, Community Relations, Administration, Special Events or Recruitment. In addition to performing some or all the above-described duties, a Sergeant assigned to any one of these specialized units provides knowledge, expertise, and experience which are unique to day-to-day operations of these units as well as unusual situations which may occur during law enforcement operations. The qualifications required of a Sergeant assigned to a specialized unit are subject to change depending on the changes in the Department’s policies and procedures.

Responsibilities:

• T he pos iti on of Police Ser gea nt w ithin t he Depa rt ment is assi gned to a pat rol s qua d, s peciali zed unit, or a dmi nistra tive unit.
• Pr ovi des oversi ght of their ar ea of responsi bilit y In t his ca pac it y, t he Ser gea nt pr epar es daily s hift assi gnment s; pr epa res a nd pr es ents roll call bri efi ng and trai ni ng; i ns pects per sonnel a nd equi pment f or c onf ormi ty to Depa rt ment sta ndar ds.
• R eviews a nd a ppr oves vari ous t ypes of r epor ts.
• P repar es a nd i nvesti gat es pers onnel complai nts; r es ponds to cri me sce ne s; ha ndles ra dio calls f or s ervice a nd dis patc hes pe rs onne l; kee ps t heir s upe rvi sors i nfor med of iss ues of concern to t hem
• Trai ns a nd directs probati onary off ic er s
• Ma na ges cri mes s cenes, s erving as t he i nci dent c omma nder w hen r equir ed a nd until r el ieved.
• Ass ur es all per sonnel are held ac counta ble for compl yi ng with st ate a nd federal laws as w ell as Depar tment a nd U ni vers ity polici es.
• P erf orms relat ed f uncti ons.

C ompete ncies:

• Demonstrated s elf-r estrai nt in c halle ngi ng a nd/or demanding situations requir ed
• Ma ke sound decis ions quick ly based on t he fa cts pr es ented r equir ed
• Demonstr ate resp ect a nd sa feguard t he di gnity a nd ri ghts of all i ndi vi duals requir ed
• Ef fect ively deal with a var iety of unpleasa nt circ umsta nc es a nd unus ual human conduct as soci at ed with a nd/or arisi ng f rom emer gency s it uat ions i ncl udi ng, but not l imi ted to, physical tra uma, mental a nd/or physical st ress, pa nic, etc. requir ed
• Esta blish a nd ma intain effe cti ve worki ng rel ati ons hi ps w ith public a nd enf orc ement officials, public, and members of the University Community required. React effectively mentally and physically, quickly, calmly, and rationally during times of conflicts and emergencies required.
• Sa fely def end s el for ot hers in hosti le, combati ve sit uat ions requir ed

Additional Responsibilities

E ducati on, Experience, or Certifications:

Education:

• Hi gh sc hool di ploma re qui re d
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college required for Sergeants hired after January 1, 2015.

Ex perie nce:

• Mi ni mum of t hree years of ex peri ence as a f ull -t ime sw orn l aw enfor cement off ic er r equir ed
• No corre cti ve act ion wit hin t he pr evious six mont hs of e mployme nt as of date of pr omot ion to Ser gea nt r equir ed
• Pr evi ous ex per ience as a Police Offic er at t he Un iver sity of C hica go pr eferr ed

Certifications:

• Successful completion of the Basic Law Enforcement Officers' Training course as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Officers' Training and Standards Board OR equivalent training, as determined by the Illinois Law Enforcement Officers' Training and Standards Board, in another state required.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

• W orki ng k nowle dge of Illi nois Cr imi nal St at ut es, Illi nois vehic le code, l ocal or di nanc es, a nd c ivil l aw r el at ed to police w ork requir ed
• Know ledge of U ni versi ty a nd police depar tment r ules, r egulati ons, a nd ot her wr itt en dir ecti ves r equir ed
• Thoroughly k nowle dgea ble of geogra phic ar ea a nd boundari es s er ved by t he U ni vers ity Poli ce Depar tment r equir ed
• Demonstra ted safe dri vi ng perf orma nce. Valid dri ver 's li ce nse wit hin 60 da ys of a ppoi ntme nt r equir ed First Aid and C PR cer tificat ions re quir ed
• Learn a nd c orr ect ly a pply U nivers ity Police Depar tment r ul es, r egulat ions, general or ders, polic ies, practic es, a nd pr ocedur es requir ed
• Use des kt op c omput er (I BM compati bl e), pager, t wo- way ra dio, fi rea rms, ha ndc uffs a nd ot her l aw enf or cement equi pment, br eat hal yzer mac hi ne, ra dar equi pment, fi nger pri nt equi pment, ca mera, c opy mac hi ne, a nd t elephone requir ed
• Suc cessf ully complete a back ground i nve sti gati on that demonstrates good moral c har acter, safe driving re cor d, a nd no pri or cri mi nal c onvict ions that w ould prohi bit the i ndi vi dual fr om meeti ng t he s ta ndar ds s et for th by t he Sta te of Ill inois to bec ome a l aw e nforce me nt offic er r equire d
• Successfully complete/pass medical examinations inclu ding vision screening and drug testing, psychological test required.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Ex pos ure to human bl ood, human bl ood components, a ndor pr oducts ma de f rom human bl ood.
• Hi gh str ess envi ronment.
• O n-call r es ponsi bilities.
• O pera te vehicl esdri ve motori zed equi pment.
• O ut door weat her ex pos ure.
• R equir es use of per sonal prot ecti ve equi pment.
• B end, cr ouc h, or st oop.
• Sit f or 4 hours or more.
• Sta nd for 4 hours or more.
• Run.
• Car ry or lift l oa ds of 25 to 49 l bs.
• Hear, i ncl udi ng ma ki ng fi ne discrimination in s ound.
• See, i ncl udi ng color, depth perc epti on, or cl arity.
• Str enuous physical ex er tion is s ometi mes requir ed in pr ovi di ng s ervi ces under emer genc y, a dver se, unpl easa nt, or unus ual c onditi ons in all w eat her conditi ons, a nd at all hours of t he day or ni ght requir ed
• Effect ive a udi o- vis ual discr imi nat ion a nd per cepti on to ma ke quick a nd acc ura te obs er vat ions including dista nt bi noc ular a nd vis ual ac uity of at l east 2040 wi th or wit hout corr ecti ve le ns es, peri pheral vis ion of at least 140 degrees, a nd t he a bility to rec ogni ze t he c olors of tr affic si gnals a nd devic es s howi ng sta ndard r ed, gr een, a nd amber requir ed
• Heari ng s uffici ent to understa nd s peech a nd to detect alar ms, t elephone a nd ot her communicat ion devi ces r equir ed Must not have an a vera ge heari ng l oss great er t han 40 deci bels ( dB) at 500 - 2000 Hertz ( Hz) w ith or wit hout a heari ng ai d
• O pera te a vehic le safely.
• Cl imb s tairs 5 s tories or more
• Opera te equi pment nec essary to per form j ob.
• Tr avel to vari ous on-c ampus l ocati ons.
• Sa fely def end s el for ot hers in hosti le, combati ve sit uat ions.
• U se sta ndard workstation e qui pment.

Me ntal Dema nds:

• Awa re of saf ety ha zar ds a nd t ake a ppropriate pr eca uti ons.
• C ommunic ate in writi ng.
• Communic ate or ally.
• Compr ehend tec hnical doc uments.
• C ondense c ompl icat ed iss ues to s imple s ummari es t hat can be under stood by a vari ety of c onstit ue nts.
• Create a nd deli ver pr es ent ati ons.
• D evelop a nd ma na ge i nt er pers onal relat ionshi ps.
• Ex erci se a bsol ute discr et ion r egar di ng confi dential mat ters.
• F oll ow wr itt en a ndor ver bal i nstr uct ions.
• Gi ve dir ecti ons.
• Ha ndle sensit ive mat ters with tact a nd di sc reti on.
• Ha ndle str essf ul s it uati ons.
• Learn a nd devel op skills.
• Mai ntain a hi gh level of a ler tness.
• Pay at tenti on to detail.
• P er form multi ple tas ks s imulta neous ly.
• Pri oriti ze w ork a nd meet dea dli nes.
• R eact effe cti vel y, quickl y, ca lmly, a nd ra tionally duri ng c onfli cts a nd emer gencies.
• Train or t each ot hers.
• Work ef fect ively and c olle gially with little s uper vis ion or as member of a t eam.
• W ork with fr equent i nt err upt ions.
• Work with people fr om di verse c ult ur es a nd bac kgr ounds.
• List eni ng skills.
• Critical t hi nki ng skills.
• Decis ion maki ng skills.
• I nt er per sonal skills.
• Math skills.
• Negotiat ion s kills.
• Or ga ni zati onal skills.
• Pla nni ng skills.
• Pr oblem s olvi ng s kills.
• Q ua ntitat ive a nd a na lytical skills.
• R ea soni ng s kills.
• Ti me ma na gement skills.

Required Documents:

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Benefit Eligibility​

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Pay Range

$50.00 - $55.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Union

Non-Union

Job is Exempt

No

Drug Test Required

Yes

Health Screen Required

Yes

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

Yes

Posting Date

2026-02-05

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.