Career Options

Patrol

Uniformed patrol is the backbone of the department and all Sacramento Police Officers will spend the first two years of their careers working in one of the 6 patrol districts. Patrol officers serve the community by responding to 911 and non-emergency calls, attending community events, conducting proactive enforcement, and getting to know their community.

Patrol officers work on a team and may ride solo or with a partner depending on their preference and the department’s needs. Patrol provides the city 24-hour coverage with teams on day watch (6am-4pm), mid watch (2:30pm-12:30am), and late watch (9pm-7am), and each team works 4 ten-hour shifts with a three-day weekend. Patrol officers have the opportunity to sign up for a new shift each year or may choose to stay with the same team year after year.

Officers are eligible to apply for specialty units after serving two years of service, although many choose to continue working in patrol much longer. Patrol officers are also eligible to participate in ancillary duties including the explosive ordinance disposal, crisis negotiation team, peer support unit, and unmanned aerial systems team. Patrol officers may also be selected as Field Training Officers and tasked with training new academy graduates as they begin their law enforcement careers.

Specialty Assignments

One of the benefits of working for the Sacramento Police Department is that we have all the career opportunities of a large city while still retaining the family environment of a smaller agency. After two years of service officers are eligible to apply for openings in over 50 specialty units.

Videos on some specialty units may be found on the Department's YouTube channel 

Promotional Opportunities

The Sacramento Police Department is proud that the quality of its personnel allows most leadership positions to be filled internally, allowing frequent promotional opportunities. The department works as a hierarchy with the first supervisory position being Police Sergeant. Most sergeants will supervise one of 36 patrol teams before moving on to run a specialty unit or further promotion. There are six official ranks within the organization with the Chief of Police at the head.