Job Description

Olmsted County has earned the 2023 and 2024 Best Places to Work – Southeast Minnesota designation.

Minimum Qualifications of Education and Experience

Olmsted County offers competitive wages and benefits. Experience is taken into consideration when determining starting wage.

Expected starting salary is $30.23 – $37.99. Full salary range is $30.23 – $48.49.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office (“OCSO”) hiring process is conducted in compliance with the OCSO Civil Service Commission Rules and Regulations.
The purpose of this process is to create an Eligibility Roster of candidates who are qualified for appointment to a Deputy Sheriff position with OCSO. The roster is valid for one year with exact dates established by the OCSO Civil Service Commission. Deputy Sheriffs are selected from the Eligibility Roster as vacancies arise.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must meet ONE of the following requirements in order to proceed to the competitive examination phase of the hiring process:

1. Have an active Minnesota POST license and meet the requirements for maintaining such license; or
2. Have approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the Licensing Reciprocity Exam; or
3. Have approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the Peace Officer Licensing Exam; or
4. Have approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the Reinstatement of Eligibility Exam; or
5. Have approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the License Restoration Exam.
6. Be Minnesota POST license eligible by the time a conditional job offer is made.

** Additional information about Minnesota POST Board exams is available here:

Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training.

In addition to possessing one of the above qualifications, applicants must have the following in order to proceed to the competitive examination phase of the hiring process:

1. U.S. Citizenship; and
2. Possession of a valid driver’s license.

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPOINTMENT FROM THE ELIGIBILITY ROSTER

To be eligible for appointment as a Deputy Sheriff from the Eligibility Roster, you must live within a fifty-mile radius of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and:

1. Have an active Minnesota POST license and meet the requirements for maintaining such license; or
2. Be Minnesota POST license eligible by the time a conditional job offer is made.   This means that you have completed and passed the appropriate Minnesota POST Board Examination.

HIRING PROCESS: The steps listed below are followed in sequence. Failure at any step removes the applicant from any further consideration from that point on. Applicants will be notified of their status after each step.

1.  APPLICATIONS: Applicants must fully complete and submit the application form online by the closing date or return the application postmarked by the closing date. Applications will be accepted only from those who currently meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants must identify on their applications which qualifications they meet.

2. ORAL INTERVIEWS: Oral examinations consist of two interviews, each scheduled for thirty-minute timeslots.  The second interview occurs immediately after the first.  The members of the interview panels ask a series of predetermined questions and assign a numeric score to each response.

Candidates must score a minimum of 70% on each of the two interviews in order to proceed to the next step.

Oral interviews as well as the strength and agility exam will take place at the Olmsted County EOC, 1421 3rd Avenue SE, Rochester, Minnesota on:

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Examination dates are tentative and subject to change. Eligible candidates will receive communication regarding scheduling of oral examinations.

3. STRENGTH AND AGILITY EXAMINATION: The strength & agility examination will take place on the same day as the oral examinations after completion of the oral examinations. Locker room facilities will be made available for candidates to change clothes.

This examination is pass/fail.  Candidates are required to row 2000 meters using a Concept 2 Rower.  The examination is designed to measure the candidate’s VO2 MAX, an indicator of overall physical health. Candidates must meet a minimum of 50% score for their age and gender (see Cardiovascular Fitness Calculations below).

Candidates may enter gender, age, and weight to calculate minimum requirements at https://app.dps.mn.gov/msptroopercandidate/home/fitnessrequirements prior to testing. Please note that the website assumes a 60% passing percentage. Using the Desired Results section in the lower right corner, candidates can calculate time based on 50% passing percentage.

Applicants will be required to sign a waiver of liability prior to the test.

4. ELIGIBILITY ROSTER: Applicants who pass the strength and agility examination are placed on an eligibility roster in numerical order, with the highest scoring applicant at the top of the list.  Veterans who have notified Human Resources of their election to use their veteran preference points preference points or disabled veteran preference points and who have provided the Human Resources Department with a copy of their DD214 will have their points added to their total score before they are ranked on the eligibility roster. Anyone providing a DD214 at a later date will have their points added at that time and will be placed on the roster accordingly. Veterans currently receiving a retirement pension shall not be given the additional points.

The completed eligibility roster is presented to the Civil Service Commission for certification before it is presented to the Sheriff.  Candidates on the eligibility roster have an ongoing obligation to provide updated information about their license eligibility status or the existence of a current license with another law enforcement agency.

5. CONDITIONAL JOB OFFER: The top seven candidates on the eligibility roster are reviewed by the Sheriff to fill vacancies as they arise.  After selecting a candidate for appointment, the Sheriff or the Sheriff’s designee makes a conditional job offer to the candidate.  Conditional job offers cannot be made unless a candidate has provided proof of their license eligibility or their existing license.

6. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Pass/Fail. The applicant must complete an extensive background application providing information from which the applicant’s background can be checked. This investigation includes, but is not limited to, such areas as personal references, fingerprint check, driving record check, credit check, education, employment history and military services, etc.

7. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION: Pass/Fail. The applicant must pass a psychological evaluation arranged/approved by the Sheriff’s Civil Service Commission. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the presence of any mental or emotional condition which might adversely affect performance as a Deputy Sheriff.

8. MEDICAL EXAMINATION: Pass/Fail. Applicants must pass a rigorous medical examination as prescribed by the Sheriff’s Civil Service Commission. All medical exams will be reviewed by the Commission’s medical consultant and determined as pass/fail. A drug test will be given at this time.

9. APPOINTMENT: Candidates who pass Steps 6-8 will be appointed to the position Deputy Sheriff.

10.  EVALUATION PERIOD: Deputy Sheriffs serve a one-year evaluation period in which the Deputy’s job performance is periodically reviewed to determine his/her future status with the department.

Nature of Work

Under direction of the County Sheriff, participates in an assigned shift engaged in law enforcement in Olmsted County. Enforces state and local laws, apprehends criminals, prevents crime, serves civil processes and protects property. Position requires rotating shifts that include nights, evenings, weekends and holidays.

Examples of Work

• Patrols assigned beat/area in a radio equipped patrol vehicle and enforces traffic laws
• Investigates complaints, disturbances and crimes and collects evidence
• Responds to emergency and non-emergency calls and provides necessary assistance
• Interviews suspects and witnesses, takes statements from witnesses and makes measurements and diagrams of scenes
• Makes arrests using only the force necessary to bring suspects to the Adult Detention Center
• Operates as on-scene incident commander until relieved
• Assists other law enforcement agencies such as the State Highway Patrol and officials in carrying out their duties
• Serves civil process as assigned
• Meets with citizens individual or collectively, to discuss crime prevention programs such as personal protection, home security systems and business security systems
• Upon assignment, develops training programs for the Sheriff’s Office to ensure other deputies are trained in the proper use of equipment and understanding of current policies and procedures
• Upon assignment to a special case, may lead other law enforcement officers during an investigation
• Upon assignment, acts as substitute sergeant, receives calls and operates radio emergency equipment
• Performs other duties as required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Working knowledge of state and city laws and county ordinances relating to criminal acts
• Working knowledge of highway regulations and what constitutes a violation
• Working knowledge of current police practices and methods
• Working knowledge of what constitutes evidence in the prosecution of criminal violations
• Knowledge of Olmsted County roads and geography
• Knowledge of human behavior and social and economic problems
• Knowledge of serving of civil processes and responsibility and authority of the Sheriff’s Office
• Skill in the use of firearms per Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) requirements
• Skill in verbal and written communication including documentation through report writing
• Skill in the use of computers and technology
• Ability to administer first aid and CPR
• Ability to direct traffic and manage crowds
• Ability to understand and appropriately respond to mental health issues
• Ability to act quickly and decisively with good judgment in difficult and stressful situations
• Ability to act quickly and calmly in emergencies
• Ability to treat the public courteously and with firmness when the occasion demands
• Ability to operate all Sheriff’s Office equipment
• Ability to maintain good character both on and off duty

Persons with disabilities: the above is a general listing of job duties. Essential and non-essential functions may vary by individual position. Reasonable accommodations may be available for both essential and non-essential job duties.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: Criminal Justice, deputy sheriff, law enforcement, police officer, and public safety. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.

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