Police Captain

Type of Position: Full-Time

Expected Hiring Range: $87,000 to $98,000 (Grade 30)

Closing Date: March 29, 2026

The Southern Pines Police Department seeks an experienced supervisor with impeccable leadership skills for the position of Police Captain. This individual must have the ability to work effectively in a municipal resort environment where community service is highly valued. The Town of Southern Pines is a growing service-oriented community with a population of approximately 17,400, seeking qualified candidates for a progressive and professional CALEA Nationally Accredited Police Department with a $7.8M budget and 58 sworn and non-sworn staff who serve in administrative, investigative, patrol and communication roles. The Captain may be assigned to an operations or administration function at the discretion of the Deputy Chief and Chief of Police. The Captain will primarily work normal business hours in a uniformed or plain clothes capacity, and is expected to reside within a reasonable commuting distance to Southern Pines to allow for off-duty response when necessary. The Southern Pines Police Department is a highly trained, professional organization that has embraced the concept of Community Oriented Policing and utilizes the CompStat model for crime management. The position is open due to a recent retirement.

Job Description and Typical Duties

Under the direction and oversight of the Deputy Chief of Police, the Police Captain may be subject to rotational command assignments across several divisions within the police department. These rotations are at the discretion of the Deputy Chief and Chief of Police, and intended to support the needs of the organization while enhancing leadership development, professional growth and management skills. Applicable job descriptions outline a full range of duties and responsibilities to be carried out by the Captain depending on division assignment. The duties listed below are examples of the various types of tasks that may be performed depending on assignment.

Applicable job descriptions are attached to this job posting for review.

• Supervise the day-to-day operations of the patrol, investigation or administrative divisions; staff assignments in various divisions; ensure staff are working towards the goals and objectives of the department; adherence to written directives in assigned division
• Ensure division supervisors are adhering to the CompStat crime management model; facilitate operational plans to address crime trends and patterns
• Responsible for agency Professional Standards which includes: Recruitment/Retention, Applicant Processing, Training, Internal Affairs and the assisting in the CALEA Accreditation process
• Conducts internal and special investigations at the direction of the Chief of Police
• Liaison and/or administrator for administrative processes directly related to the operational effectiveness of the Patrol Division, Investigation Division, K-9 Unit and Directed Patrol/Special Operations
• Responsible for all agency fleet vehicles, to include: accountability, oversight of the Assigned Vehicle Program, fleet replacement schedule and annual budgeting for replacement vehicles
• Evaluates training and equipment needs of the department and arranges for those needs to be met
• Responsible for the daily operations of the Special Response Team and Crisis Negations Team
• Review and make a determination of the effect or impact of any new or revised statutes, ordinances, laws or accreditation standards on the department
• Evaluate all new departmental directives, special orders, or similar documents to determine their compliance with accreditation standards, and assist with the writing or rewriting of departmental directives as they relate to the accreditation effort
• Evaluates the performance of his/her direct reports and assists the Chief of Police or Deputy Chief of Police with evaluation of personnel assigned to the Police Department
• Assists in the preparation of the annual police budgets

Education, Skills and Certifications

• Current certification as a law enforcement officer in the State of North Carolina (Preferred)
• Possess or be actively working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice or police- related field; continues to successfully meet the educational requirements for this position
• Five (5) five years of supervisory experience in law enforcement. Prefer (3) three of which having been with the Southern Pines Police Department
• Preference for certification as a North Carolina General Instructor; provides police training to employees when required and/or directed
• Supervises subordinates by reviewing work and providing direction; ability to lead and inspire subordinate officers/staff via excellent communication skills following accepted practices of the police department
• Makes special presentations to citizen groups concerning subjects related to police work; skill in communicating with the public and articulating the police department’s position in circumstances when required; ability to speak clearly, distinctly, and politely
• Skill in use of department-issued weapons, assigned equipment and type accurately at an average rate of speed
• Skill in use of department computer software including but not limited to CAD, RMS, Mapping
• Ability to maintain extreme confidentiality
• Ability to make sound, independent judgments with respect to the law enforcement responsibility and to respond based on the Police Department's operations, procedures, or directives
• Must submit to an extensive criminal background investigation, psychological evaluation and pre-employment drug screen

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to see, hear, operate a computer, and speak clearly and calmly
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 30 pounds occasionally and 15-20 pounds regularly
• Must be able to remain sitting and stationary for extended periods of time
• Must be able to perform the physical life functions of reaching, grasping, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions

Working Conditions

• This position primarily works indoors in a climate controlled open office environment
• This position may require outdoor work conditions pertaining to providing typical law enforcement services
• This position requires evening, weekend, holiday, and call-in work
• Working conditions can be very stressful when dealing with medical, criminal, and other emergency situations
• This position is considered an “ESSENTIAL POSITION,” meaning that work may be required during extreme weather events and other emergency situations
• This employee must have the ability to drive and maintain a valid North Carolina driver’s license and an excellent driving record
• This position requires occasional travel to training and conferences

IMPORTANT: In order to be considered as a candidate for this position, all applicants must have current certification as a law enforcement officer in the State of North Carolina or have the ability to obtain immediate Probationary North Carolina Police Officer certification and General certification within one year of appointment. MUST complete an application and submit/upload an updated and current North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission F-3 Personal History Statement and Resume.

YOU'LL ALSO NEED TO FILL OUT THE F-3 FORM. THE F-3 IS LINKED IN THE JOB APPLICATION. WHEN YOU CLICK THE LINK, IT WILL OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW. PLEASE PRINT THE FORM, FILL IT OUT, GET IT NOTARIZED, AND THEN LOG BACK INTO YOUR APPLICATION AND UPLOAD THE COMPLETED COPY.

To apply for this position, please go to Southern Pines, NC - Official Website | Official Website, click “Job Openings” and select the Police Captain link. All applications must be fully completed and submitted via the online portal. The application period will close March 29, 2026. Application review begins March 21, 2026. An onsite skills assessment consisting of job related and non-discriminative factors that will act as a means to gain an understanding of a candidate’s skills, knowledge and abilities to perform as a Police Captain is tentatively scheduled to be held April 29-30, 2026 in Southern Pines for selected semi-finalists. All inquiries should be emailed to Deputy Chief Robert Heaton - heaton@southernpines.net.

Additional information about the Town of Southern Pines is available at Southern Pines, NC - Official Website | Official Website.

If selected to move forward in the selection process for this position after participating the assessment center, you will be notified that you must participate in the background investigation phase, and all positions will then be required to submit:

• Copy of High School Diploma/GED and CERTIFIED COPY of Transcript from an accredited high school - Copy of Birth Certificate
• Copy of College Degree and Transcript (if applicable)
• Copy of Driver License
• Copy of Military DD-214 (if applicable)
• All documents must be fully completed, signed, dated and notarized (where applicable)

Southern Pines Police Department Applicant Information Sheet

The Selection Process is expected to take between four (4) weeks and eight (8) weeks. The process consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Oral Interview – (Allocate 1 hour for this step) – All positions

Step 2: Writing Exercise – (Allocate 30 minutes for this step) – Sworn positions

Step 3: Background Investigation – (This investigation takes 1 to 2 weeks) – All Positions

Step 4: Conditional Offer of Employment – All Positions

Step 5: Drug Screen – (Allocate 15 minutes for this step) – All Positions

Step 6: Physical Examination – (Allocate 30 minutes to 1 hour for this step) – Sworn and Telecommunicator Positions, and other positions as designated by the Chief of Police

Step 7: Psychological Examination – (Allocate 1 to 2 hours for this step) – Sworn and Telecommunicator Positions, and other positions as designated by the Chief of Police.

Step 8: Firearms Qualifications – (Allocate 4 hours for this step) – Sworn Positions

Step 9: Offer of Employment – All Positions

Applicants that are found to be ineligible for appointment at any step of the process may reapply once the position is re-advertised and the cause for ineligibility has been addressed.

So that we may keep in contact with you during the process, please be sure your complete street and mailing address, your work, home and cellular telephone numbers and your email address are correct on your application.

Please see job descriptions below:

POLICE OPERATIONS CAPTAIN

POLICE ADMINISTRATIVE CAPTAIN

TOWN OF SOUTHERN PINES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Town of Southern Pines is a drug-free workplace. The Town of Southern Pines does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in a job application process, program or activity, please contact the Human Resources Department at 692-7021 or TDD 692-9444 within 36 hours of the scheduled date.