Warrant Officer

Warrant Officer

Salary

$37.75 Hourly

Location

City of Bellingham, WA

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

26-Warrant Officer

Department

Police Department

Opening Date

07/17/2026

Closing Date

7/31/2026 4:30 PM Pacific

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

Local 1937

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Nature of Work

Are you a confident, responsible, team-oriented individual who wants to make a difference and support your community? The Bellingham Police Department is seeking a highly competent individual to serve as a Warrant Officer. Qualified candidates are safety oriented, skilled at decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Warrant Officers will be required to have the ability to safely work independently and communicate effectively with a diverse group of individuals to support and assist the Police Department, Municipal Court, and the public.

JOB SUMMARY:

Incumbents are responsible for receiving and serving court documents and for the transportation and extradition of prisoners. Serve and process court orders from Bellingham Municipal, Whatcom District and Whatcom Superior Courts, and other jurisdictions. These orders include all classes of arrest warrants, subpoenas, summons, and domestic violence papers (no contact, restraining, and protection orders) and anti-harassment orders. The Warrant Officer is also responsible for the service of other types of legal process, both civil and criminal, from the Municipal Court, City Attorneys office, and the Bellingham Police Department. Provides security services for Municipal Court.

For more information, please review the job classification.

WHY JOIN OUR TEAM?

Joining the City of Bellingham means becoming a part of a team that believes our greatest impact comes from working together with purpose, humility and a shared commitment to our community. Every employee contributes to delivering meaningful results for the people who live, work and visit here. We value people who approach challenges with curiosity, respect and collaboration. If you are motivated by building a career in public service, we encourage you to apply.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

This position will start at Step 1 ($37.75/hour). Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, Local 1937 Collective Bargaining Agreement and City policy. The full hourly range for this position is $37.75-$49.24. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

At the City of Bellingham, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that helps you thrive in both your career and personal life. Join our team and enjoy the peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are well cared for. Here's a closer look at the outstanding benefits that come with being part of our team. You can find more details on our employment benefits page and labor agreements page.

• 10 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
• 12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
• 8 hours sick leave accrued monthly
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
• Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security
• Optional 457 deferred compensation (Retirement Savings Plan) with employer match

Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

Closing Date/Time: Fri. 7/31/26 at 4:30 PM PST

Experience and Training

• At least 21 years of age.
• Ability to keyboard 30 wpm net.
• Experience and/or training in law enforcement and related areas preferred. Current Law Enforcement Certificate of training (basic academy or reserve officer academy) preferred.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Applicant finalists must be able to satisfactorily complete a thorough Bellingham Police Department background investigation, polygraph examination, criminal convictions records check and psychological examination prior to hire.
• Verification of ability to work in the United States by date of hire.
• Must possess a valid Washington State Driver's License prior to hire. A three-year driving record abstract must be submitted prior to hire.

Selection Process

You are encouraged to print a copy of this job announcement for your reference as the process moves along

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and supplemental questions). Application materials should comprehensively document your experience and skills related to the position responsibilities and experience/training requirements. As part of the City's commitment to reducing bias in the hiring process, Human Resources redacts personally identifiable information for reviewers. Only the documents listed as required will be reviewed.

Application Review Process:

• Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must provide specific, detailed information so an initial determination can be made regarding your level of qualifications for this position. Applicant status will be updated on or around August 4, 2026.
• Experience and Training Rating: Applicants that meet minimum qualifications will go through an Experience and Training Rating. Applicant status will be updated on or around August 11, 2026.
• The top eight (8) scoring applicants from the Experience and Training Rating will be invited to participate in an Oral Board Interview, tentatively scheduled for the week of August 17, 2026. Applicants must have a passing score of 60% or higher to be placed on the eligibility register.
• Applicants will be notified via email of Final Scores & Ranks. The final ranking of the register will be based on total scores for the following Experience and Training Rating (40%) and Oral Board Interview (60%).

Final candidates will be referred to the department for additional examination, assessment, or test.

This recruitment process will create a Civil Service eligibility register that will be used to fill current and future vacancies as they become available. There is currently 1 full-time vacancy in the Bellingham Police Department. This position is represented by a union.

If you wish to claim Veterans' Preference Points, please complete the Veterans Scoring Criteria Declaration Form and upload it to your application with your DD214.

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity:

The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individuals race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our benefits section for additional information.

This position is represented by The Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, Local 1937 bargaining unit. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the Local 1937 labor agreement.

This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the DRS website for more information on PERS.

Civil Service Information

This position is subject to the Bellingham Civil Service Commission. When a vacancy occurs, the top fifteen candidates or the top 25% of the register will be forwarded to the department for further consideration. All new Civil Service employees are subject to a one-year probationary period. A candidate may challenge the scope, content, or method of an examination or test, and a protest may be filed in writing with the Examiner within five (5) days following the date of the challenged examination. A candidate may also challenge the scoring of an examination or test, failure of the candidate on any part of an examination, or clerical error in examination results of any examination or test, and a protest may be filed in writing with the Examiner within five (5) days of notification of the challenged result. The Examiner shall consider all timely filed protests and make appropriate corrections if an error is demonstrated.

Veterans Scoring Criteria

Applicants who have been honorably discharged from active military duty may be eligible to receive veterans scoring criteria points as provided by Washington State Law (RCW 41.04.010). If you wish to claim Veterans' Preference Points, please complete the Veterans Scoring Criteria Declaration Form and upload it to your application with your DD214.

01

Thank you for your interest in this position at the City of Bellingham! To ensure a consistent review, only the City of Bellingham job application and required supplemental documents will be reviewed. Cover letters and resumes are not reviewed unless they are required as part of the process. When applying for this position, you must thoroughly complete each section of your application, and provide a thorough response to each of the supplemental questions. Please do not indicate "see resume" or copy content that is unrelated to the position being applied for from your resume when answering these questions.

Have you read and understood the information listed above?

• Yes
• No

02

Are you at least 21 years of age?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have the ability to type at a minimum of 30 wpm?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have a current Law Enforcement Certificate of training (basic academy or reserve officer academy)? [Note: this is preferred]

• Yes
• No

05

Do you have any experience and/or training in law enforcement and related areas? [Note: this is preferred]

• Yes
• No

06

If you answered YES to question #5, please explain in detail the experience and/or training in law enforcement and related areas you have obtained.

07

Are you willing to submit to a criminal convictions check, background investigation, polygraph examination and fingerprinting?

• Yes
• No

08

A pre-employment drug and alcohol test is required. Are you willing to submit to this test?

• Yes
• No

09

Do you have a valid Washington State drivers license or the ability to obtain one by time of hire and a good driving record? The successful candidate must submit a three-year driving record abstract prior to hire, with periodic submission of driving abstract per City policy.

• Yes
• No

10

Are you willing and able to occasionally work an abnormal work schedule including evenings and weekends?

• Yes
• No

11

Do you have any record of felony convictions?

• Yes
• No

12

Do you have any record of misdemeanor convictions?

• Yes
• No

13

If you answered "YES" to question 12, please select the appropriate disposition of the case.

NOTE: Misdemeanor convictions will not necessarily bar you from employment, but offenses may, by their nature and recentness, reveal a lack of specific qualifications necessary for this position.

• Pled guilty
• Found guilty
• Probationary period required
• Probationary period NOT required
• Currently on probation

14

Do you have bilingual proficiency in English and another language(s)? [Note: this is preferred]

If YES, please indicate language(s) and rate your proficiency in each language: -Exceptional

• Ability to interpret Conversational
• Ability to converse with ease
• Rusty - Ability to regain conversational proficiency within 3-6 months
• Minimal - limited ability to speak, ability to understand fairly well

15

Describe the combination of relevant education and experience that provides you with the required knowledge, skill and ability to be considered?

16

Describe your computer skills in relation to this position.

17

Describe your experience in handling situations involving confrontation and conflict. Elaborate on the steps you took to successfully resolve the issues.

18

Employees in this role are required to communicate with and work well with a diverse group of individuals, both within the organization and with the public. Give an example from your work history that illustrates your ability to communicate and work effectively in a diverse environment?

19

Describe your philosophy of customer service and your experience providing service excellence.

20

If you are requesting Veterans Preference points, a completed Veterans Scoring Criteria Status Declaration is required along with a copy of your DD214. The required form is in the Selections Process section of the Job Posting. Check "YES" here if you are attaching a Veterans Declaration form and DD214.

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer City of Bellingham

Address 104 West Magnolia Street

Bellingham, Washington, 98225

Phone 360-778-8220

Website http://www.cob.org/employment