How to hire an enforcement officer

How to hire an enforcement officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step enforcement officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an enforcement officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new enforcement officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an enforcement officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The enforcement officer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An enforcement officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, enforcement officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of enforcement officer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Enforcement Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Enforcement Officer	Police officers protect lives and property. Detectives and criminal investigators, who are sometimes called agents or special agents, gather facts and collect evidence of possible crimes.	$13-24
   Military Police	Military police officers act as peacekeepers and soldiers within a community. They have more complicated duties and responsibilities than their civilian counterparts, which include enforcing military law and regulations, responding to emergency situations, and investigating crimes or any illegal or suspicious activities... Show more	$12-32
   Ranger	A ranger is responsible for protecting and conserving natural resources and environmental conditions. Rangers coordinate with environmental institutions and landowners to identify land conservation strategies to prevent destructible threats of wildfires and calamities... Show more	$11-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Parking Enforcement
   • Traffic Control
   • Data Entry
   • Issue Citations
   • Patrol
   • Public Safety
   • Motor Vehicle
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • Field Training
   • Emergency Situations
   • Federal Laws
   • Child Support Obligations
   • Hazardous Materials

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage support teams, including maritime engineers, electrical and electronic engineers, and technical support and logistics personnel.
   • Assist with evictions and work with local sheriffs to execute.
   • Patrol assign customer's business locations, observing and reporting incidents and safety concerns.
   • Remain in high visibility status to deter any criminal activity within the assigned patrol areas.
   • Direct inbound and outbound logistics operations, such as transportation & warehouse activities, safety performance and logistics quality management.
   • Verify government fund and commercial health insurance benefits and obtain authorization for specialize radiology exams in compliance with HIPAA standards.

   More enforcement officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your enforcement officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An enforcement officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, enforcement officers' average salary in tennessee is 58% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level enforcement officers earn 42% less than senior-level enforcement officers.
   • Certifications. An enforcement officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an enforcement officer's salary.

   Average enforcement officer salary

   $38,446yearly

   $18.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level enforcement officer salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average enforcement officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$65,530	$32
   2	Washington	$61,066	$29
   3	California	$48,788	$23
   4	New York	$48,639	$23
   5	Oregon	$47,471	$23
   6	Minnesota	$41,005	$20
   7	Colorado	$39,830	$19
   8	Rhode Island	$39,459	$19
   9	Montana	$39,265	$19
   10	Texas	$39,264	$19
   11	Massachusetts	$39,098	$19
   12	Utah	$38,564	$19
   13	Michigan	$37,313	$18
   14	Maryland	$36,582	$18
   15	Pennsylvania	$36,394	$18
   16	Florida	$35,068	$17
   17	Nebraska	$34,642	$17
   18	Missouri	$33,846	$16
   19	Ohio	$31,944	$15
   20	Virginia	$31,047	$15

   Average enforcement officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City of Baltimore	$58,247	$28.00	14
   2	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz	$52,359	$25.17	4
   3	Washington State University	$50,962	$24.50
   4	City of Houston	$47,312	$22.75	1
   5	Emory University	$45,750	$22.00	2
   6	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$44,498	$21.39
   7	Travis County	$44,496	$21.39	4
   8	City of Atlanta	$42,695	$20.53	1
   9	PHMC	$40,677	$19.56
   10	City of Brownsville	$40,296	$19.37	3
   11	Nashville International Airport	$39,457	$18.97
   12	Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City	$39,283	$18.89
   13	Urban League of Rochester	$39,134	$18.81
   14	The State of Oregon	$38,573	$18.54	13
   15	G4s Secure Solutions International Inc.	$38,554	$18.54
   16	Advantage Security	$37,454	$18.01	11
   17	Emory Healthcare	$36,097	$17.35	12
   18	University of Virginia	$32,480	$15.62	2
   19	SP Plus	$28,313	$13.61	23

4. Writing an enforcement officer job description

   An enforcement officer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an enforcement officer job description:

   Enforcement officer job description example

   Pay Rate: $15.75 - $17.50 per hour
   
   Schedule is as follows:
   
   Monday's Off, Tuesday - Sunday 12:00 AM - 5:00 AM or
   
   Monday & Wednesday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Tueday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM.
   
   Basic Function - Monitor designated streets, lots, garages, other public areas and/or an entire campus to ensure compliance with parking policies.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   * Provide customer service by answering questions regarding directions, events, building locations and parking policies.
   * Issue citations and warnings for non-compliance with a computerized hand held computer or manual tickets. Impound, boot or relocate vehicles as directed.
   * This position requires the ability to work alone and therefore must exercise proper judgment, tact and diplomacy in dealing with people.
   * Assist maintenance staff with duties related to parking equipment and facility upkeep and maintenance. This includes but is not limited to: inspecting and assessing lots for maintenance issues, painting, cleaning and repairing parking meters and pay and display machines, installing signs, sign posts and meter posts.
   * Assist in the collection and security of all monies received through parking meters, multi-space machines , pay on foot technology and any other means of collecting parking revenues and fees.
   * Assist event staff with activities related to parking for events. This includes but is not limited to: setting up for events, traffic control, receipt of payment for parking, and lot usage control.
   * Assist office staff with activities related to permit sales during peak seasons. This includes but is not limited to data entry, collating mailings, providing frontline customer service.
   * Other related duties as assigned.
   * Please note that Enforcement Officers are not sworn police officers and have no arresting authority.
   
   Qualifications
   
   Qualification Requirements: The personnel selected for parking enforcement officer positions must have certain traits and abilities that enable them to achieve expected levels of performance. Some of the most important competencies are exercising sound independent judgment and maintaining a high level of customer service. Other areas include:
   
   * Knowledge of geography of the area they are enforcing
   * Knowledge of hazards and safety precautions
   * Ability to use a hand held computer
   * Ability to operate a motorized vehicle or bicycle
   * Ability to understand and apply parking regulations
   * Ability to interact with others in a courteous and tactful manner
   * Ability to walk for extended periods of time
   * Ability to work in all weather conditions
   * Must be 18 years of age or older at time of hire
   
   Availability to Work: Special shift requirements, if any, will vary depending on a location's hiring needs. If applicable, availability to work 2nd shift, 3rd shift and/or week-ends may be required.
   
   License Requirement: The individual will be required to have and maintain a valid state-issued driver's license with a current address and acceptable driving record.
   
   Physical Demands and Work Environment
   
   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; talk and listen. Employees are regularly exposed to outside weather conditions including snow storms, and extreme heat.
   
   Employees work in and around potentially dangerous traffic situations, and employees are to be safety conscious at all times.
   
   SP+ is an equal opportunity employer committed in policy and practice to recruit, hire, train, and promote, in all job classifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability or other classes protected by federal or state law. SP+ does not tolerate harassment of or retaliation against any employee or applicant on the basis of these characteristics, or because the individual exercised his or her EEO rights.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right enforcement officer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with enforcement officers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit enforcement officers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your enforcement officer job on Zippia to find and recruit enforcement officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting enforcement officers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new enforcement officer

   Once you've found the enforcement officer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new enforcement officer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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