Employment Info

Bayonne Police Department offers a challenging career in the field of law enforcement. The Department provides an excellent salary, full medical benefits and is a member of the New Jersey Police and Fireman retirement system. If you are interested in diversity, challenges and opportunities the Bayonne Police Department invites you to apply to be a part of our professional organization.

Qualifications

Applicants must be citizens of the United States.
Where hiring preferences apply, applicants must meet the residency requirements of the appointing jurisdiction and may be required to maintain continuous residency in that jurisdiction up to and including the date of appointment.
Applicants must be high school or vocational high school graduates, or possess an approved High School Equivalency Certificate.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants for Municipal Police Officer positions cannot be over 35 years of age (one is considered over 35 on the day after his/her 35th birthday), unless they meet the exceptions in “Maximum hiring age requirement for Municipal Police Officer”. NOTE: The age 35 maximum hiring requirement applies only to Municipal Police Officer and its bilingual titles.
Appointees will be required to possess a driver’s license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
Appointees may be required to pass thorough medical and drug screening, and psychological/psychiatric examinations. Failure of any of these is cause for removal from that title area.

NOTE: Appointees will be required to successfully complete a training program mandated by the NJ Police Training Commission. This training must be completed prior to enrollment in the Police and Fire Retirement System.

Background

Applicants must have a good reputation and be of sound moral character. An applicant’s background will be carefully investigated. An applicant who has intentionally made a false statement or practiced, or attempted to practice any deception or fraud in the initial application, examination or interview will be rejected from the selection process.

Selection Process

The selection process is a competitive one consisting of an initial application, written examination, background investigation, interview and, upon conditional offer of employment, a medical and psychological examination.

Intergovernmental Transfer Program

Under certain circumstances the Bayonne Police Department may use the Intergovernmental Transfer Program to recruit new police officers. For additional information about this program click here.

Recruit Training

While at the Police Academy, the new recruit will receive extensive physical training, defensive tactics and academics instruction. The recruit will be conditioned and tested every day on their physical and mental capabilities. Physical training may include but are not limited to: warm-up exercises, running, push-ups, crunches and weight lifting. For the academic portion of the academy, the recruit must learn the laws governing the state of New Jersey, use of force, firearms training, first aid, communication skills, report writing, baton training, de-escalation techniques, and much more.

Defensive tactics are taught to show the recruit how to defend themselves with limited injury to occur. These skills being from basic kicking, punching, moving and simple exercises to help strengthen body muscle and then moving on to more complicated techniques.

The New Jersey Police Training Commission mandates that all recruits are required to perform to the following minimum physical training standards. Failure of any one of these events can result in dismissal from the Academy:

1.5 mile run in 15:55 or less
300 meter run in 70.01 seconds or less
Vertical jump of 15 inches or more
24 push-ups in 1 minute or less
28 sit-ups in 1 minute or less

Benefits & Salary

Job security and the opportunity for advancement are just the beginning of the many benefits enjoyed by Bayonne Police Officers. The City of Bayonne offers:

Competitive Starting Salary
Medical Benefits
Dental Plan
Prescription Plan
Life Insurance
State Pension Plan
Deferred Compensation
Credit Union

How do I join?

If you meet the qualifications requirements, you can obtain and submit an application from the New Jersey Civil Service Commission (NJCSC) website. Announcements are typically announced every two years on the website under Public Safety Testing News: https://www.state.nj.us/csc/

Once your application has been submitted, the NJCSC will notify you of when and where you are to take the examination. If you pass the examination, you will be placed on a list of eligible candidates, where your ranking will be based on your test score. The NJCSC will notify you of your test score and position on the eligible candidates list. Any questions regarding the written test, results, or your placement on the list of eligible candidates should be directed to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission.

If your position on the NJCSC is reached, you will be contacted by the Bayonne Police Department Planning and Training Unit, who will then schedule your interview and initiate your background investigation. Candidates who pass all facets of the background investigation who are offered a promise of employment shall be required to complete a psychological exam and medical examination prior to appointment.

After your appointment, candidates will be required to attend a New Jersey Police Training Commission police academy for approximately twenty-two weeks.

The City of Bayonne and the Bayonne Police Department are equal opportunity employers. Women and Minority Groups are encouraged to apply.

Diversity in Law Enforcement

Bayonne Police Department Information

It is important for law enforcement agencies to resemble the members of the community they serve. The Bayonne Police Department is a diverse police department that serves an equally diverse community. The Bayonne Police Department’s demographics are closely representative of the most recent United States Census for the City of Bayonne. This is a result of the City of Bayonne’s residency requirements for position of police officer and because of the Bayonne Police Department’s robust recruitment practices. Below are the demographics for the City of Bayonne and the Bayonne Police Department.

	Bayonne City	BPD
Total Number	70,300	198
RACE / ETHNICITY
White Non-Hispanic	54.0%	64%
Black or African American	12.0%	5.5%
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.3%	0
Asian	10.4%	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	0.0%	.5%
Other / Two or More Races	14.2%	6%
Hispanic (Any Race)	34.7%	25%
*OTHER*
Females	49.9%	10%

Statistics for Bayonne City are based on 2023 Census Data available at: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/bayonnecitynewjersey

Statistics for the Bayonne Police Department are based on the Annual Summary of Law Enforcement Diversity of 2023

The data shows that the most underrepresented groups in the Bayonne Police Department are Women, followed by Hispanics and then Black or African American.

Currently, 10.0% of Bayonne Police Officers are female, which closely resembles the state average of 10.8. The Bayonne Police Department will continue to recruit and hire qualified female candidates for the position of police officer. During the most recent recruitment cycle, the Bayonne Police Department assigned female police officers to various recruitment events. Additionally, two female officers have been assigned to the Community Oriented Policing Unit with the goal of interacting with and attracting more female applicants to the Bayonne Police Department.

A Community Relations Officer position was created within the Bayonne Police Department to establish and increase two-way communication between the police department and minority communities within the City. As a result of this newly created position, a partnership has been established between the police department and the local chapter of the NAACP. The NAACP has assisted the Bayonne Police Department’s recruitment efforts by hosting recruitment drives. The Community Outreach Officer and Community Orientated Policing Unit have also partnered with local youth groups and houses of worship to recruit additional diverse applicants. During these recruiting events, Community Oriented Policing Officers assisted interested applicants in completing their applications on the New Jersey Civil Service website

The New Jersey Civil Service Test for Police Officer is scheduled for the Summer of 2024. Once the test is complete, and New Jersey Civil Service generates a list of candidates, that list will be reviewed to determine if our recruitment efforts have had a positive impact on attracting a diverse candidate pool. If our efforts were successful, the Bayonne Police Department will continue our current recruitment practices. If our efforts were not successful, the Bayonne Police Department will develop new strategies to attract a more diverse candidate pool.

Current Recruitment activities of the Bayonne Police Department include, but are not limited to:

Providing recruitment brochures and materials at various community events
Maintaining a resident only hiring policy to recruit new officers from the community
Attending career fairs and various high schools and colleges
Providing student internship programs
Utilizing social media to maximize the efforts of our recruitment drives
Maintaining positive police-citizen encounters
Maintaining competitive work schedules and salaries
Joining with local church and youth groups to assist prospective candidates with applications and answer questions
Posting recruitment flyers and information in various storefronts within the “Shopping District” of Bayonne
Hosting question and answer sessions at local libraries