Cuyahoga County Sheriff Department Jobs
Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff jobs carry many responsibilities. They include maintaining order during court proceedings, escorting and transporting prisoners, and maintaining security in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The way to become a Cuyahoga County Sheriff Deputy is through meeting basic qualifications, completing specialized training and passing certain examinations. Below you will discover these steps, including:
- Verify you meet the basic qualifications
- Get Ohio Peace Officer Certification
- Pass a written exam, physical agility test and interview
- Pass a background check, polygraph test, and medical and psychological exams
- Accept a job as a Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff
Step 1. Meet the Basic Qualifications for Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff Candidacy
You must first meet fundamental qualifications for Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff candidacy before applying for a job. These include:
- High school diploma/GED possession
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be at least 21 years old at the time you take the job
- Have a valid Ohio driver’s license and proof of auto insurance
- Have no felony or serious misdemeanor convictions
- Have valid Peace Officer Certification (see step 2)
If you meet these qualifications, apply online to become a Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff. If you need to get your Ohio Peace Officer Certification first, see step 2.
Step 2. Receive Ohio Peace Officer Certification
You must have Ohio Peace Officer Certification before you can apply to become a Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff. Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy OPOTA) courses take approximately 30 weeks to complete the necessary 142 hours of training. OPOTA training is available at a variety of locations across Ohio, including Cuyahoga Community College. You will earn 24 credit hours at the conclusion of POBTA. Classes include (but are not limited to):
- Crisis intervention
- Community diversity
- Juvenile justice system
- Domestic violence
- Child abuse and neglect
- Human trafficking
- Basic firearms training
After completion of the necessary coursework, you will sit for the OPOTC test. You must earn a grade of 70 to pass. Once you pass the test, you will have Ohio Peace Officer Certification and can continue in the process to become a Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff.
Step 3. Pass a Written Exam, Physical Agility Test and Interview
After your application has been received by Cuyahoga County, you may be contacted to take the Written Cognitive Assessment and Physical Agility Test. These are usually administered in the same day. The Physical Agility Test will be similar to the one you had to take in order to get Ohio Peace Officer Certification. You must complete a certain number of sit-ups and push-ups in one minute (depending upon your gender and age). You must also complete a 1.5 mile run in the fastest time possible.
You may be invited to interview with members of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department. Passing Step 3 will earn you a conditional offer of employment as a Deputy Sheriff in Cuyahoga County, contingent on Step 4.
Step 4. Pass a Background Check, Polygraph Test, Medical and Psychological Exams
Next, you must pass a thorough background check. This investigation will include your criminal, employment, educational, civil and personal history. You will then be asked to take a polygraph exam and to pass medical and psychological examinations. The medical examination includes a drug screening test. If you pass all of these tests, you will receive a firm offer of employment as a Deputy Sheriff in Cuyahoga County.
Step 5. Accept a Job as a Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff
For those lucky enough to land sheriff’s deputy jobs with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of May 2020, sheriff’s deputies in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County’s largest city, earned a median salary of $63,580 year.*
Franklin County Sheriff Department Jobs
Franklin County Deputy Sheriff jobs may involve working in the courts or in the correctional system. Franklin County Deputy Sheriff jobs usually start out working in corrections, and then you will have the opportunity to move on to other areas. In order to become a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy, you must pass extensive testing and interviews. After this rigorous process, you may be chosen for one of the Franklin County Sheriff Department jobs.
This article will offer instructions on how to become a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy in five steps:
- Verify you meet the main qualifications
- Pass a physical abilities test
- Pass a background check, interview and polygraph test
- Pass medical and psychological examinations
- Attend the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy
Step 1. Meet the Main Qualifications to Become a Franklin County Deputy Sheriff
There are some basic requirements you must fulfill before applying for candidacy as a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy. They are:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Speak, read and write English
- Although you need not have a degree, preference will be given to applicants who have at least an associate’s degree in law enforcement
- Pass an entry-level pre-employment examination. If you pass this, you will be instructed to fill out an application with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Step 2. Pass a Physical Abilities Test
Next, you may be selected to take a Physical Abilities Test. In this test, you must do as many push-ups and sit-ups as you can in one minute, and complete a 1.5 mile run in the fastest time possible. You will be judged against gender and age standards. If you pass this test, you will move on to Step 3.
Step 3. Pass a Background Investigation, Interview and Polygraph Test
Now you will be subjected to a full background investigation, including photographing and fingerprinting you. A full criminal, civil, personal, employment and educational history will be explored. If any of the following are discovered in the background check, you will be barred from the hiring process:
- you have been found to lie during the selection process
- you have a history of domestic violence
- you have three or more involuntary firings from jobs in the past five years
- you have an OMVI traffic conviction within the past five years
- you have more than one OMVI conviction as an adult
- you have four moving violations in the past three years
- you have been convicted of a gambling offense in the past five years
- you have a pattern of theft over the past five years over $500
- you have any felony convictions
- you have any M-1 or M-2 misdemeanor convictions in the past five years or more than one in your lifetime
- you have a drug history
If you pass the background check, you may be invited to interview with members of the Franklin County Sheriff Department. Your suitability for the position of Deputy Sheriff will be addressed in this interview. If you pass, you must take a lie detector test.
Passing all of the above will earn you a conditional offer of employment, based upon the results of the next steps.
Step 4. Pass Physical and Psychological Testing
A full physical exam will be performed to make sure that you are physically able to perform the duties of a Deputy Sheriff in Franklin County. You must also pass a psychological examination. If you pass both of these exams, you will be given a firm offer of employment as a Deputy Sheriff in Franklin County.
Step 5. Attend Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy
Congratulations! You are now a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy! You will receive five weeks of training at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy and will initially be placed in the correctional system to work. After a while, you may be offered peace officer training at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA), which also involves become a certified Peace Officer. This will give you more powers as a Deputy Sheriff including the power to arrest.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of May 2020, the median salary for a deputy sheriff in Columbus, the biggest city in Franklin County, was $488,760.*
Hamilton County Sheriff Department Jobs
Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff jobs start in the Corrections Division of the Hamilton County Sheriff Department. From there, Deputy Sheriffs in Hamilton County have a choice of working in other areas of law enforcement. The following information will provide steps detailing how to become a Hamilton County Sheriff Deputy.
Follow these guidelines:
- Make sure that you meet minimum requirements
- Pass a written examination and physical fitness assessment
- Pass a background investigation
- Pass a medical exam, drug screening, Computer Voice Stress Analyzer test and four interviews
- Attend Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff Training
Step 1. Meet the Minimum Requirements for Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff Candidacy
The hiring process to become a Deputy Sheriff in Hamilton County may take from one to a few months to complete. Make sure that you meet these minimum requirements before applying:
- You have a high school diploma or GED
- You are at least 21 years old
- You are a U.S. citizen
- You have a valid driver’s license
- You have not been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral character
- You do not have any tattoos that would be visible when wearing a short-sleeve uniform shirt
Submit an Application for Employment with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office if you feel you meet these qualifications. Mail it to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, 100 Sycamore St, Room 110, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Step 2. Pass a Written Examination and Physical Fitness Assessment
After reviewing your application, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office may contact you to schedule a written examination. If you pass this exam, you may be scheduled for a Physical Fitness Assessment, the next phase in the hiring process to become a Hamilton County Sheriff Deputy. Your weight must be proportionate to your height, and you must pass a 1.5 mile run in the shortest time possible (your time will be ranked on a scale from Superior to Poor based upon your age and gender). You must also complete the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Agility Course. The base time for completion of this course is one minute 45 seconds. Extra time will be allotted for those ages 40 and over.
If you fail either of these portions of the hiring process, you will be notified in writing. If you pass, you will move on to the next phase.
Step 3. Pass a Background Investigation
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a thorough background investigation of all applicants for Deputy Sheriff positions. This will investigate your personal history, employment history, criminal and driving records, traffic and civil records, financial history, military background (if any), educational background and verify your driver’s license. In addition to felony and serious misdemeanor convictions, any of the following discoveries during this background check may disqualify you from becoming a Deputy Sheriff in Hamilton County:
- Illegal use of drugs
- Convictions for marijuana sale or use
- Use of marijuana during the hiring process
- Alcoholism
- Many debts not being paid
- Conviction of violating a gun ordinance
- Conviction for sex or violent offense
- Poor work record
- Dishonorable discharge from the military
- Lying on your application
Passing this investigation leads to the next step in the hiring process.
Step 4. Pass a Medical Exam, Drug Screening, Computer Voice Stress Analyzer Test and Four Interviews
Applicants who make it to this point in the hiring process must undergo a thorough medical examination, including a drug test. Your height/weight ratio must be proportionate for your age and gender, and you must be able to see and hear well enough to perform the duties of a Deputy Sheriff in Hamilton County. At this time, you will also be subjected to a Computer Stress Voice Analyzer test.
Finally, if you pass all of these tests, you will be scheduled for three to four interviews with members of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. One of these interviews will be conducted in your home. After these interviews, you may be offered a position as a Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff.
Step 5. Attend Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff Training
Congratulations! You have made it through the long and arduous process to become a Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff! You will begin your career in the Corrections Division, and are considered to be on probation for the first year. You must be able to work all three shifts, including weekends and holidays. During this year, you may receive additional training from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in the duties of a Deputy Sheriff, based upon the needs of the office. At the conclusion of your first year, you may be assigned to another division within the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Divisions include Courts, Administration, Patrol, Organized Crime, Technology/Integrity, and Electronic Monitoring.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of May 2020, the median salary for a deputy sheriff in Cincinnati, the biggest city in Hamilton County, was $71,270.*
*2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers based on state and municipal data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2022.