You must live within the Five County area as an employee with the agency (Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry & Glades)
The candidate must first fill out a City of Fort Myers Application and turn it in or mail it to the City of Fort Myers Human Resources located at 1820 Hendry Street, Fort Myers FL 33901. The application is logged and screened at Human Resources and then forwarded to our agency if applicable.
Applications of those candidates not selected for further processing are sent back to Human Resources. These individuals may reapply in one year from the date of their original application.
The best-qualified candidates are selected from the City Applications received. Those qualified individuals are scheduled for an interview within the next 2-3 weeks.
A panel made up of 2-4 members of Police Department Staff conducts the interview of the
best-qualified candidates. At the conclusion of the interview, the candidate is advised whether they are moving forward in the process or not, depending on how well they did during the interview. Those candidates not moving forward may reapply in one year from the date of their original application.
The candidates that move forward from the staff interview will be required to complete a Personal History Questionnaire. This questionnaire must be completed in its entirety as soon as possible in order to prevent a delay in the hiring process. All information contained in the Personal History Questionnaire will be used as an investigative tool during the employment background investigation.
At the conclusion of the employment background, the Background Investigator will detail their findings and forward the information to the Fort Myers Police Department senior staff for review. All members of the senior staff must review and sign off on the Background Report as “recommended” for the applicant to move forward in the process. There are occasions where the department may request an applicant to return for a re-interview to resolve an issue that was brought to light during the background investigation for clarification.
The following are the required tests that must be successfully completed by the applicant before being hired by the Fort Myers Police Department:
(The order of these tests may vary)
1) City Application (Pass/Fail)
2) Staff Interview (Pass/Fail)
3) Physical Agility Assessment (Pass/Fail/One Retake)
30 Situps
21 Pushups
1.5 mile run within 14:46 minutes
300 meter run within 50% of age/sex group according to the Cooper Standards
Vertical jump within 50% of age/sex group according to Cooper Standards
You may retake those portions of the test in which you fail to meet the required standard. This re-test will only be administered one time after failing to meet the guidelines.
4) Background Questionnaire and Investigation (Pass/Fail)
5) Polygraph Exam
This is a pass/fail exam. This exam will not be the determining factor for an applicant being removed from the hiring process.
6) Psychological Examination (Two Parts)
The first part of the psychological exam assesses the candidates’ fitness for a job in Law Enforcement. If the candidate successfully completes the first portion of the exam, a second exam will be administered at a later date after a conditional offer is made to determine the candidates’ emotional stability. The entire test is rated as Acceptable, A, B, C, Marginal, or Unacceptable.
*Acceptable, A,B,C candidates:
These candidates will be moved forward in the hiring process
*Marginal candidates:
Marginal candidates are moved forward, but are reassessed by the Psychologist to make sure there is nothing in the background investigation that matches those issues that made a candidate Marginal. If the Psychologist is satisfied with the background investigation in comparison to his/her findings during the psychological exam, he/she will rate the candidate as acceptable at the conclusion of their assessment.
*Unacceptable candidates:
If you are deemed as an unacceptable candidate, you will be taken out of the hiring process.
At the conclusion of all required testing, the candidates’ background investigation is again reviewed by Fort Myers Police Department Senior Staff and the determination is made whether to hire an individual. Please remember that preference is given to those candidates that are certified in Law Enforcement in the State of Florida or possess an Out of State certification that allows them to take the FDLE Equivalency of Training class (2 week course).
Once a final decision is made to move forward with a candidate, the candidates’ file is sent over to Human Resources for final processing. Personnel from Human Resources will extend the final job offer to the candidate and set up a physical exam and other related tests.
Please do not call Human Resources unless you are advised to do so.
The City of Fort Myers is an E.E.O.C. Employer.