(Entry Level Applicants)
STEP ONE: CIVIL SERVICE PROCESSING
Applicants who are interested in applying for the Deputy Sheriff-Entry Level position must first complete testing through Public Safety Testing. This constitutes taking the Law Enforcement Written Exam and Washington Physical Ability Test.
- Written Exam WA Physical Ability Test (PAT) through Public Safety Testing
– Local/Washington applicants can register for a test by visiting: Public Safety Testing
– Out of state applicants can register for a test by visiting: Public Safety Testing Out of State.
– Tips and study guides for the written exam are available for purchase on the Public Safety Testing website. They can be found here.
– If you have already passed the Law Enforcement Written Exam, you will also need to pass the Washington State CJTC Physical Ability Test (PAT). To register for a PAT, please visit: publicsafetytesting.com and click on “Schedule a Test”.
– Tips and information regarding what to expect for the PAT can be found here.
- Application Process
– Once you have completed testing with Public Safety Testing, and had your score sent to our agency, you will become eligible to apply for the Deputy Sheriff-Entry Level position. You will need to apply online through Government Jobs and can do so by clicking the link above.
– Be sure to read through the entire job posting prior to submitting your application and pay special attention to the minimum requirements. If you feel you meet these requirements, proceed with submitting your application.
– To submit your application, scroll to the top of the job posting and click ‘Apply’.
– Clicking ‘Apply’ will redirect your web browser to GovernmentJobs.com. You will need to create an account and answer all sections on the application completely and truthfully, including the supplemental questions. NOTE: If you use the Government Jobs function to upload your resume, confirm all of your employment history is populated correctly! This is not a recommended function to use, as it is known to cause several discrepancies on the application, resulting in applications having to be rejected. Be sure to answer all the Supplemental Questions fully and make sure to list ALL of your education and employment history. Finally, before clicking on Submit, make sure that all additional required documents are uploaded to your application; this will be the last step on the application. Applications without the following documents will not be accepted:
- Copy of Valid Driver’s License
- Copy of DD 214, Member Form 4 (if applicable)
- Copy of Permanent Resident Card AKA “Green Card” (if applicable)
- Copy of Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card / Form I-797 (Notice of Action) / Form I-821D (Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients (if applicable)
– Civil Service will also require education verification. All applicants must provide official transcripts. Official transcripts from the school of your highest level of education, plus transcripts showing proof of any degree, MUST be received by Civil Service. Examples of transcripts that need to be submitted are:
-If you graduated high school or have a GED and no further education, please order that transcript
-If you graduated high school or have a GED, plus some college credits (but no degree), you will need to order BOTH high school and your college transcript(s)
-If you have an Associate or Bachelor’s degree and no additional college above that degree, then only order the transcript showing proof of your degree
-degree plus additional college courses, then order both your transcripts showing proof of your degree along with the additional college transcripts showing either partial bachelor degree courses or graduate courses
-If your highest level of education is a Master’s degree or Doctorate, please order that transcript
*Note: Civil Service may request additional transcripts to determine applicant’s eligibility in meeting the minimum requirements of a position.
Accepted methods for submitting transcripts are:
-
- Preferred method: If your school distributes official electronic transcripts, have the registrar email the official transcripts directly to: CS@spokanecounty.org. Electronic transcripts will only be accepted if sent directly by the school; applicants may not attach transcripts to their application or email them directly.
- If your school does not issue electronic transcripts, please mail sealed official paper transcripts to:
Spokane County Civil Service
13033 W. SR 902
Spokane, WA 99224 - If you have already submitted official transcripts to Spokane County Civil Service, please verify Civil Service has your transcripts on file before re-ordering new transcripts.
- Preferred method: If your school distributes official electronic transcripts, have the registrar email the official transcripts directly to: CS@spokanecounty.org. Electronic transcripts will only be accepted if sent directly by the school; applicants may not attach transcripts to their application or email them directly.
– Once you submit your application, it will be sent to Civil Service for review. Applications are reviewed continuously, and you will be contacted by email once your application has been reviewed. That email will notify you whether you are moving forward in the process, if your application is missing anything, and/or the next steps. Be sure to check your SPAM and/or Junk folders while you are waiting for a response. The email will be sent to the address on file with your Government Jobs profile.
– After it has been determined that your application meets the minimum requirements, is complete with all required documents uploaded, and your transcripts have been received, then you will be placed/ merged onto the eligibility list. Civil Service will email applicants with their placement on the eligibility list. After you have been placed onto the eligibility list, you will be referred to the Sheriff’s Office Background Investigations Unit for further processing. Please note: referral may not be immediate; referrals are dependent upon placement on the eligibility list and the number of vacancies the Sheriff’s Office is allowed to process at a time.
– Once the Sheriff’s Office receives your name from Civil Service, then they will take over all processing of your application.
Note: An applicant is not officially removed from a certified eligibility list until they are notified directly by Civil Service.
** TIPS: Your application and background information must be completed in their entirety to be considered for employment. The top two reasons for being disqualified from Sheriff’s Office positions are the following:
- Forms are incomplete.
- An applicant falsifies information on a form.
Remember, we are “the police”. Our Agency has expert background investigators who will find out if you fabricate, withhold, or are dishonest about the information you provide. This is an automatic disqualification. It will prevent you from EVER working for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. It’s just not worth it!
Questions on Sheriff’s Office policy disqualifiers can be found by visiting: https://spokanesheriff.info/wp-content/uploads/Policy-1000-Updated-10.2023.pdf
See Step 2: Sheriff’s Office Processing for the next steps.
(Intermediate & Lateral Applicants)
STEP ONE: CIVIL SERVICE PROCESSING
Deputy Sheriff-Intermediate Lateral and Deputy Sheriff-Lateral applicants must apply directly with Spokane County Civil Service (do not test through Public Safety Testing)
First, be sure to read through each job posting prior to submitting your application to ensure you apply for the correct position; pay special attention to the minimum requirements. If you feel you meet these requirements, proceed with submitting an application.
- Application
– To submit your application, scroll to the top of the job posting and click ‘Apply’ or use the links above.
– Clicking ‘Apply’ will redirect your web browser to GovernmentJobs.com. You will need to create an account and answer all sections on the application completely and truthfully, including the supplemental questions. NOTE: If you use the Government Jobs function to upload your resume, confirm all your employment history is populated correctly! This is not a recommended function to use, as it is known to cause several discrepancies on the application, resulting in applications having to be rejected. Be sure to answer all of the Supplemental Questions fully and make sure to list ALL of your education and employment history. Finally, before clicking on Submit, make sure that all additional required documents are uploaded to your application; this will be the last step on the application. Applications without the following documents will not be accepted:
- Copy of valid Driver’s License
- Copy of your State CJTC Basic Academy Certificate
- Copies of all Training Records relevant to this position
- Copy of DD214, Member Form 4 (if applicable)
- Copy of Permanent Resident Card AKA “Green Card” (if applicable)
- Copy of Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card / Form I-797 (Notice of Action) / Form I-821D (Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, (if applicable)
– Civil Service will also require education verification. All applicants must provide official transcripts. Official transcripts from the school of your highest level of education, plus transcripts showing proof of any degree, MUST be received by Civil Service. Examples of transcripts that need to be submitted are:
-If you graduated high school or have a GED and no further education, please order that transcript
-If you graduated high school or have a GED, plus some college credits (but no degree), you will need to order BOTH high school and your college transcript(s)
-If you have an Associate or Bachelor’s degree and no additional college above that degree, then only order the transcript showing proof of your degree
-If you have an Associate or Bachelor’s degree plus additional college courses, then order both transcripts showing proof of your degree along with the additional college transcripts showing either partial bachelor degree courses or graduate courses
-If your highest level of education is a Master’s degree or Doctorate, please order that transcript
*Note: Civil Service may request additional transcripts to determine applicant’s eligibility in meeting the minimum requirements of a position.
Accepted methods for submitting transcripts are:
-
- Preferred method: If your school distributes official electronic transcripts, have the registrar email the official transcripts directly to: CS@spokanecounty.org. Electronic transcripts will only be accepted if sent directly by the school; applicants may not attach transcripts to their application or email them directly.
- If your school does not issue electronic transcripts, please mail sealed official paper transcripts to:
Spokane County Civil Service
13033 W. SR 902
Spokane, WA 99224 - If you have already submitted official transcripts to Spokane County Civil Service, please verify Civil Service has your transcripts on file before re-ordering new transcripts.
- Preferred method: If your school distributes official electronic transcripts, have the registrar email the official transcripts directly to: CS@spokanecounty.org. Electronic transcripts will only be accepted if sent directly by the school; applicants may not attach transcripts to their application or email them directly.
– Once you submit your application, it will be sent to Civil Service for review. Applications are reviewed continuously, and you will be contacted by email once your application has been reviewed. That email will notify you whether you are moving forward in the process, if your application is missing anything, and/or the next steps. Be sure to check your SPAM and/or Junk folders while you are waiting for a response. The email will be sent to the address on file with your Government Jobs profile.
- Civil Service Testing (Training & Experience Form)
– After it has been determined that your application meets the minimum requirements, is complete with all required documents uploaded, and your transcripts have been received, then you will be requested to complete a Training & Experience (T&E) Form. You will have 7 days to complete the T&E Form. Training & Experience forms will ask detailed questions about your work history, specialized assignments, and past training. The T&E score will be used for placement onto the eligibility list.
– Once you have submitted your T&E Form to Civil Service, then you will be placed/merged onto the eligibility list. After you have been placed onto the eligibility list, you will be referred to the Sheriff’s Office Background Investigations Unit for further processing. Please note: referral may not be immediate; referrals are dependent upon placement on the eligibility list and the number of vacancies the Sheriff’s Office is allowed to process at a time.
Once the Sheriff’s Office receives your name from Civil Service, then they will take over all processing of your application.
– Civil Service processing is then complete.
Note: – An applicant is not officially removed from a certified eligibility list until they are notified directly by Civil Service.
See Step 2: Sheriff’s Office Processing for the next steps.
STEP TWO: SHERIFF’S OFFICE PROCESSING
(APPLIES TO ALL DEPUTY APPLICANTS)
– After you have been placed on the eligibility list by Civil Service, the Sheriff’s Office will begin processing applicants according to their placement on the eligibility list. Please note: the Sheriff’s Office can only process as many applicants at one time as there are vacancies for this position. This means that if there are 20 vacancies and you are number 50 on the eligibility list, you will not be processed right away. The Sheriff’s Office is processing entire eligibility lists; however, it does take time to fully process each person. Please be patient during this time.
– The Sheriff’s Office Background Unit will either review an applicant’s Personal History Statement (if applicable) and/or will contact applicants to complete their eSOPH online profile as soon as they become eligible for processing. The Sheriff’s Office has switched to an online background processing platform and you will be given instructions on how to complete this as soon as you are eligible. Eligible applicants will also be contacted by the Sheriff’s Office for a pre-background interview, meeting with a background investigator, and will be scheduled for fingerprinting.
–After a full background investigation, eligible applicants will then be invited for a Sheriff’s Interview, which will take place at the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Conditional Offer of Employment
Upon successful completion of the Sheriff’s interview, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office may extend eligible applicants a conditional offer of employment.
The offer is conditional on you passing the following:
- A polygraph test
- A psychological evaluation
- A complete medical evaluation/pre-employment physical
- Upon successful completion of the polygraph, psychological, and medical exams, a final report will be submitted to the Sheriff for review and final offer approval. Upon receiving a final offer approval, the applicant will be contacted and extended a job offer with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
This process, from start to finish, can take anywhere from two months to six months, or longer. The factors which determine the timeframe from application to hire include Civil Service testing, applicant and Sheriff’s Office staff availability, the resources available to process applicants, along with many other variables.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CIVIL SERVICE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO APPLY FOR A CIVIL SERVICE POSITION:
What is Civil Service?
Civil Service is charged with the recruitment, testing, hiring and promotion of all Spokane County Sheriff’s Office employees under Chapter 41.14 RCW.
All tests must be given under the jurisdiction of the Spokane County Civil Service Commission on dates shown on the official job posting. Tests are given to establish eligibility lists for each job classification. For Deputy Sheriff-Entry Level positions, scores and placement on the eligibility list are determined by the Public Safety Testing written exam and passing of the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission Physical Ability Test. For Deputy Sheriff-Intermediate Lateral and Deputy Sheriff-Lateral applicants, scores and placement on the eligibility list are determined by completion and submission of their Training & Experience Forms.
What is an Eligibility List?
An Eligibility list is a list of applicants arranged in order of their standing on examinations for classes of positions for which they have competed in open competitive examinations and to which they are qualified for appointment.
Hiring for positions is conducted from the eligibility list in order of grade standing as positions become available or need arises. No applicant will be given final certification for appointment until the candidate has satisfactorily qualified on the pre-employment background interview, oral boards, polygraph screening, medical examination and/or psychological evaluation.
Need an analogy?
A recent applicant had a great explanation of what they thought an eligibility list was and compared the eligibility list to a wait list. Essentially, you are placed in a queue based on your score and then you wait on the list until your number is called. Pretend you’re at the DMV and you’re waiting to renew your license. There could be a long wait, depending on your number, but you’ll always be called. We thank you for your patience, as the Deputy Sheriff-Entry Level position is highly competitive, which means our staff is processing a high volume of applicants.
What does it mean to be “certified for appointment”?
When the Sheriff’s Office needs an applicant to fill a vacancy in the classified service (aka a Civil Service position), written requisition shall be made upon the Civil Service Chief Examiner which shall state the number of vacancies to be filled for that position and shall supply the class title and other information requested by the Chief Examiner. Upon the receipt of a requisition, the Chief Examiner shall respond in writing the names of the five persons highest on the employment eligibility list. If there is more than one vacancy, the name of the applicant next highest on the eligibility list will be sent for each additional vacancy. This is called being “certified for appointment”.
Applicant names will be sent over/certified for appointment up to 3 times in accordance with Civil Service Rule XI, Section 4, Paragraph 2. This means that when the Sheriff’s Office is ready to hire for a specific position, they request names from the eligibility list. The reason for requesting the same applicant name up to three times is so applicants will have up to three opportunities to be selected while they are on the eligibility list. This does not mean that applicants will have three opportunities to be processed/interviewed. This process is considered being “certified for appointment”.
Example:
The Deputy Sheriff-Entry Level eligibility list is typically extremely long and highly competitive. This is also a merged list, which means that there are applicants who can be at various stages of the hiring process, but who also may be placed in the same vicinity on the eligibility list. For example: applicants previously placed at standings 1-5 may have had their names sent to the Sheriff’s Office one time and a month later the list is merged. Those applicant’s standings may have changed to numbers 5-10 (depending on new applicants’ scores).
The Sheriff’s Office requests names again, so that they can add the applicants in the new standings of 1-5 to their list of applicants being processed. This would mean that some applicants will have their names sent over twice, but the applicants in the original 1-5 standings will remain in processing with the Sheriff’s Office Background Unit. The Sheriff’s Office then may select some of those applicants for hire and will need to request more names, so that they’re continually processing more applicants. Applicants are not notified each time their name is sent over; this is an internal process between Civil Service and the Sheriff’s Office, so that we’re continually processing applicants as quickly as possible.
If an applicant’s name has been certified for appointment three times and that applicant has not been selected for hire, then Civil Service rules require us to remove the applicant from the eligibility list. On the date that the applicant is removed from the eligibility list, Civil Service will send a notification by email notifying the applicant that they were not selected for hire and will not be eligible to re-apply for that position for 1 year from the date of that letter.
To find out more about Civil Service and/or Civil Service rules/processing, please visit: https://www.spokanecounty.org/1552/Civil-Service-Employment
RIDE-ALONG (OPTIONAL TO INTERESTED APPLICANTS)
Complete a Ride-Along with a Deputy Sheriff!
Fill out the Ride-Along Request Form and the Ride-Along Waiver and email both forms to: Recruiting@spokanesheriff.org OR drop the completed forms off at either one of the Sheriff’s Office precincts at: 12710 E. Sprague Ave. Spokane Valley, WA or 1100 W. Mallon Spokane, WA.
You must also provide a clear/legible copy of your driver’s license with the Ride-Along Forms.
Ride-Along Request Form Download
Ride-Along Waiver Form Download
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Contact the SCSO Recruitment Team or Spokane County Civil Service at 509-477-4711, option 2 with any additional questions you may have.
