The Vail Police Department seeks employees who are skilled in serving a diverse, global community and international visitors.

The qualities and skills the department looks for are interpersonal skills, problem solving, resourcefulness and good judgment. Demonstrating an excellent work history and a passion for community involvement are a must.

All police and code officer applicants must undergo initial screening, a written examination, physical agility test, oral interview, background investigation, psychological evaluation, physical examination, drug screening and polygraph. Police officer applicants: P.O.S.T. certified 60 credit hours from a credited college or university, BA or BS degree is preferred.

Sworn and civilian positions offered at the department are both rewarding and challenging. Various assignments carried out by employees allow each individual to take ownership of their professional development and make meaningful contributions in the community.

New Hires

It takes 30 weeks from the time an officer is given a conditional employment offer until they are on the streets solo. During that time the new hire will spend two weeks in orientation, 12 weeks in a police academy and 16 weeks in a field training program.

Wellness 

It is clear that the health epidemic within the law-enforcement sector is of extreme concern especially in new generations of Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). As the duties required of LEOs increase and tensions rise within the sociopolitical climate of policing, stress placed upon LEOs will continue to mount. While this is an inherent part of the job, the physical manifestations of this kind of stress are something that can be mitigated if proper focus is placed on intervention strategies proven to be most effective at all levels of need within the law-enforcement community.

All Vail Police Department and Vail Public Safety Communications Center employees are enrolled in the Sigma Law Enforcement Heath Initiative. SIGMA is a health consultancy company founded by Craig Bettis, a former Vail Police Commander, and exercise physiologist Dr. Ben Stone, and uses a three-pronged approach of advanced metabolic testing, precision nutrition and complete laboratory analysis.

Used by many police departments throughout Colorado, SIGMA's Tactical Health Program serves as a conduit of information for emergency response personnel subjected to extreme occupational demands with the aim of improving one's health status via physical, nutritional and medical means.