How to Become a Deputy Sheriff in Colorado

Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department Jobs

Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff jobs in Colorado involve keeping the peace in the county and protecting its citizens. Deputy Sheriff Jobs in Arapahoe County also involve serving the county’s civil courts, and serving and executing writs and processes. The hiring process for Deputy Sheriff Jobs in Arapahoe County can take up to four months to complete. If you take the written exam for Deputy Sheriff and fail, you may re-take it six months from the examination date.

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The following information will instruct you in how to become an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy in five steps:

  1. Substantiate that you meet the basic qualifications
  2. Pass a written examination and questionnaire
  3. Participate in an interview, background check and polygraph
  4. Pass medical, psychological and physical fitness screening
  5. Earn a Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Certificate

Step 1.  Meet the Basic Qualifications for Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff Candidacy

You do not need to have a college degree in order to become an Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff. However, having one will not hurt you in the hiring process. Qualifications that you must meet as a Deputy Sheriff Recruit in Arapahoe County include:

  • Hold a high school diploma or GED
  • Be able to legally work in the U.S.
  • Be able to communicate effectively in English in writing and orally
  • Be at least 21 years of age
  • Be able to become Colorado POST certified (to receive a Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Certificate); that is:
    • Have no misdemeanor convictions in your criminal history
    • Have no domestic violence convictions in your criminal history
    • Have no permanent restraining orders against you due to domestic violence
    • Have no felony convictions in your criminal history
    • Have a good driving record
    • Have no assaultive behavior in your history
    • No use within the past five years of non-prescribed or illegal drugs
    • Completion of an approved basic Colorado POST course within the past two years from an approved Colorado law enforcement academy
    • Current first aid and CPR certification

If you meet these requirements, apply online to become an Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff. When you apply for a Deputy Sheriff job in Arapahoe County, you must also submit a supplemental questionnaire. You will be asked if you are willing to work shifts, weekends and overtime; questions about your driving history; questions about your criminal history; and your consent, if hired, to complete a polygraph exam, background investigation, drug test, medical exam and psychological evaluation.

Step 2. Pass a Written Examination and Oral Interview

About six weeks after the closing date of the open Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff job, you may be contacted by Human Resources to complete the written POST certification examination. If you pass the examination, you may be invited to an oral interview with members of the Human Resources Department and Sheriff’s Office of Arapahoe County.

Based upon your success in both the examination and the interview, you may be given a conditional offer of employment as a Deputy Sheriff in Arapahoe County. This offer will be contingent upon the results of Steps 3, 4 and 5 below.

Step 3. Pass a Polygraph Test, Psychological Evaluation and Medical Examination (including a Drug Test)

Before you are given a firm offer of employment as an Arapahoe County Sheriff Deputy, you must pass a variety of examinations and evaluations. The first is a polygraph test. Next is a psychological evaluation, performed by an Arapahoe County psychologist appointed by the Board of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.

A doctor chosen by the Board of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office will perform a complete medical examination. Your vision and hearing will be tested to ensure that they are adequate to meet the needs of the Deputy Sheriff job. As a part of the medical evaluation, you must also submit to a drug and alcohol test. You must not have used marijuana in the past year, nor used illegal or non-prescribed drugs in the past five years.

Step 4. Pass a Background Investigation

Applicants who successfully complete Step 4 will next be subjected to a thorough background investigation. Your credit, criminal, personal, residential, educational and experiential/work history will all be examined in detail. Licensed and qualified individuals representing the Sheriff’s Office of Arapahoe County will contact your associates, neighbors, former employers, and other sources necessary to establish your moral and ethical character. All of your records, including any military records, driving records and school records, will be examined. The entire background investigation is done at the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office’s expense.

If you are cleared after the results of the background investigation, you will receive a firm offer of employment as an Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff.

Step 5. Complete Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training

Congratulations! You have passed all of the tests and have become an Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff! The next step is to complete the Colorado POST training. You will be asked to complete any courses that you may not have completed before to satisfy POST standards. This may include skills training in firearms, arrest control and/or driving.

At the end of your training, you will receive certification from POST.  Your POST certification will remain valid and current as long as you keep your Deputy Sheriff position. You must renew your POST certification if you leave your job, as it expires three years after leaving your position as a Deputy Sheriff in Arapahoe County.

You are on probation for the first year of employment as an Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff.

Denver County Sheriff’s Department Jobs

Denver County Deputy Sheriff jobs involve safeguarding the communities of Denver County and the City of Denver, Colorado. Unlike many county sheriff departments, Denver Sheriff Department jobs are unique, as they entail working in the city of Denver as well as throughout the entire Denver County area and in the Denver County Jail. The Sheriff Department in Denver is the third largest law enforcement agency in the state of Colorado.

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There are five steps to becoming a Denver County Sheriff Deputy, outlined below:

  1. Meet the basic qualifications to become a Deputy Sheriff
  2. Pass a written examination and integrity interview
  3. Pass a background investigation and polygraph examination
  4. Pass a psychological exam and interview, physical fitness test, and medical exam
  5. Complete Denver County Deputy Sheriff Training

Step 1.  Meet the Basic Qualifications for Denver County Deputy Sheriff Candidacy

If you’re interested in learning how to become Deputy Sheriff in Denver County, you must:

  • Possess a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Be 21 years old or older when you apply for the Deputy Sheriff position
  • Possess a valid Colorado Class R driver’s license when you apply for the Deputy Sheriff position

You must apply through the Career Services Authority online if you wish to fill open Deputy Sheriff jobs in Denver County.

Step 2. Pass a Written Examination and Integrity Interview

If you meet the basic qualifications listed in Step 1 above, you will be notified in writing of the date and time of a written examination that you must take and pass before continuing in the application process to become a Denver County Deputy Sheriff.  This will test your general knowledge in reading comprehension, following procedures and instructions, legal terminology, grammar, memory, and basic mathematics. It takes about two hours to complete this test. You must get a score of 70 correct out of 100 to pass.

Candidates who pass the written examination will be notified in writing and may be invited to an Integrity Interview. This interview is a one-on-one situation that is designed to test your integrity. You must also fill out a Background Packet that will be used in the next step of the hiring process.

Step 3. Pass a Background Investigation and Polygraph Examination

You must fill out a personal history statement and background packet in order for the Background Investigation to commence. An investigator from the Denver Sheriff Department will verify information you have provided concerning your:

  • Criminal history
  • Drug usage (past and present)
  • Personal habits
  • Driving record
  • Credit history

You may be disqualified if any of the following are discovered:

  • Illegal drug activity, including (but not limited to):
    • Hard drug use within the past five years
    • Other illegal drug use within the past three years
    • Selling, manufacturing, distribution illegal drugs
  • Felony convictions
  • Domestic violence history
  • History of sexual assault
  • History of harassment
  • Negative driving record
  • DUI or DWI convictions in the past three years
  • Two or more DUI or DWI convictions at any time
  • Negative employment history

At this time, you must also pass a Polygraph Examination.

Step 4. Pass a Psychological Exam and Interview, Physical Fitness Exam, and Medical Examination

A psychological examination will be conducted in two parts, with the written examination reviewed by a psychologist. The results of this psychological exam will then be discussed with you in an interview.

You must next pass a Physical Fitness Exam, designed to assess the abilities necessary to carry out the duties of a Denver County Deputy Sheriff. All physical fitness events must be completed within 100 seconds. Events include:

  • Pat and Frisk Search Exercise
  • Responding to Emergency Calls
  • Corridor Runs
  • Stair Climb
  • Stair Descent
  • Transfer/move a 150 pound prisoner

If you pass this examination, you will receive a conditional offer of employment as a Deputy Sheriff in Denver County. The offer will be contingent upon the results of your medical examination and the second part of your psychological exam and interview.

The medical examination that you must pass is held at the Employee Health Clinic for the City and County of Denver on Bannock Street. Your hearing must be within normal range. Your vision must be correctable to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses.

If you pass all of the above tests, you will receive an appointment as a Deputy Sheriff. Your name will be placed on an eligible hire list. If you are chosen from this list, you will begin training at the Denver Sheriff Academy.

Step 5. Complete Denver County Deputy Sheriff Training

Congratulations! You are now an official Deputy Sheriff in Denver County! Before beginning work, you must complete 13 weeks of training at the Denver Sheriff Academy. (State POST training is not required of Denver County Deputy Sheriffs, as they do not patrol the streets as part of law enforcement in Colorado).

Next, you must complete four weeks of training with a Field Training Officer (FTO) at a detention facility in Denver County. Once you complete all of this training, you will be assigned to the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center or the Denver County Jail. You must work in one of those areas for a one-year probation period. If you complete this probation period successfully, you may then request to work in any of the following areas:

  • Court services
  • County jail
  • Vehicle impound facility
  • Work release/community corrections
  • Sheriff Training Academy
  • Juvenile diversion/community work programs
  • Emergency room at Denver Mental Health Center
  • Recruitment unit
  • Fugitive/warrants unit
  • Civil division
  • Gang unit
  • Emergency response unit
  • Extraditions
  • Field Training Officer
  • Honor guard

You must qualify quarterly in the use of firearms to maintain your position as a Denver County Deputy Sheriff.

El Paso County Sheriff’s Department Jobs

Deputy Sheriff jobs in El Paso County help to keep county citizens safe. Deputy Sheriffs may work in the courts, serving writs and processes, or in the detentions and corrections center in El Paso County. It is expected to take about four months to become hired as an El Paso County Sheriff Deputy.

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Below are the steps that must be followed in order to become an El Paso County Sheriff Deputy:

  1. Make sure that you meet the basic job requirements
  2. Pass a written examination and Deputy Oral Boards
  3. Pass a background investigation and Computer Voice Stress Analysis exam
  4. Pass psychological, medical, physical assessment, and drug screenings
  5. Graduate from the EPSO Basic Law Enforcement POST Academy

Step 1.  Meet the Basic Qualifications for El Paso County Deputy Sheriff Candidacy

You do not need to have a college degree in order to become an El Paso County Deputy Sheriff. Requirements that you must meet, however, include:

  • High school diploma/ GED
  • U.S. citizenship.
  • 21 years of age or older
  • Valid Colorado driver’s license
  • Agree, if hired, to remain with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for at least two years

Do you meet these basic job requirements? If so, you may apply for employment as an El Paso County Deputy Sheriff online or through the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Employment Application Form.

Step 2. Pass a Written Examination and Deputy Oral Board Interview

If your application is selected, you will be notified in writing of the date and time of the written examination for the Deputy Sheriff position. This will test your basic comprehension of facts and information. It will determine your ability to read, write, and perform mathematical operations.

Once you pass the written examination, you may be invited to an oral interview with the Board of the Sheriff’s Office. The results of this interview will determine whether you continue with the hiring process to become an El Paso County Sheriff Deputy.

Step 3. Pass a Background Investigation and Computer Voice Stress Analysis Exam

You must next pass a thorough background investigation. You must sign your consent to have qualified representatives of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office examine your history in the following areas: criminal, credit, financial, driving, moral, drug usage, work, and interview references you have listed. A fingerprint check will also be run at this time.

You will also be asked to take a National Institute for Truth Verification (NITV) technician-administered Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) exam.

The Board will review the results of your background investigation and CVSA exam, and may make a tentative offer of employment to you. This offer will depend upon the results of the next series of tests.

Step 4. Pass a Medical Exam, Physical Assessment, Psychological Exam and Drug Screening Test

Your physical abilities will be assessed next. You must also pass a medical examination, given by a doctor appointed by the Board of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. You must be in good health, with your weight proportionate to your height. Your vision must be correctable to 20/20.

A psychological examination will also be performed by a professional appointed by the Board of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. If you pass all of these tests, you must lastly pass a pre-employment drug screening test. Passing this final test will earn you a firm offer of employment as an El Paso County Deputy Sheriff

Step 5. Complete EPSO Basic Law Enforcement POST Academy Training

Congratulations! You have passed each step in the months-long hiring process and are now a Deputy Sheriff Designee in El Paso County, Colorado! You will be considered a Deputy Sheriff Designee until you complete the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office POST Academy training, at which time you will graduate to a Deputy Sheriff III.

Training at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office POST Academy lasts 22 weeks. Upon graduation, you will earn Colorado POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certification.

After one year of service, you will be a Deputy Sheriff II, and after two years of service, a Deputy Sheriff I. Five years of service will earn you the title Senior Deputy Sheriff.

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