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1. What are the minimum requirements to be a Correctional Officer with Placer County?

Please visit the Placer County Human Resources page to view the Correctional Officer job classification and current minimum requirements. You can also view Job Descriptions on our employment portal.

Exceptions

• Correctional Officer I - Select the job title of Correctional Officer I to view the minimum qualifications
• Correctional Officer II - Select the job title of Correctional Officer II to view the minimum qualifications

2. What are the selection standards for a Correctional Officer?

Placer County Sheriff’s Office follows the same selection standards for a Public Officer and employee outlined by California Penal Codes §832 and §832.05; Government Codes §1029 and §1031 and the California Board of State Community Corrections, Title 15. In addition, our Agency follows the guidelines set forth by the State Commission on California Peace Officer’s Standards and Training (POST), Regulation 11 CCR §1053, when conducting a Pre-Employment background investigation. California Government Code, in part, specifies that as a minimum every Public Officer and employee shall:

• Be a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident alien who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship (Government Code §1031(a) and §1031.5)
• Be at least 18 years of age (Gov. Code 1031b)
• Be fingerprinted for purposes of search of local, state, and national fingerprint files to disclose any criminal record (Government Code 1030 and 1031c)
• Be free of any felony convictions (Gov. Code 1029a1).
• Be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation (Government Code 1031d)
• Be a high school graduate, pass the General Education Development test or have attained a two-year or four-year degree from an accredited institution (Government Code 1031e)
• Officers must be able to read and write at the levels necessary to perform the job of a correctional officer as determined by the use of the Board of State Entry-Level written examination. (BSCC Title 15, Article 2, §131)
• Competence in oral communication as demonstrated through an oral interview process. (BSCC Title 15, Article 2, §131)
• Ability to perform the essential job functions of the position as demonstrated by meeting the Board of State’s current standards for Vision, Hearing, and Medical Screening. (BSCC Title 15, Article 2, §131) Correctional Officer training requirements are addressed separately in BSCC’s Title 15 and can be found on the BSCCA website

3. What are the typical duties of a Correctional Officer?

Our officers work a variety of assignments within our Corrections Facilities to uphold our Agency’s Mission Statement and Core Values . Various duties are performed in each position; the Correctional Officer Job Classification Specifications provides the main essential duties. To view the Job Specifications, visit our employment portal  and select the job title of Correctional Officer I/ II for the classification specifications which include examples of essential duties.

4. I currently work as a Correctional Officer for another agency and am interested in applying to Placer County Sheriff’s Office, what is the application process?

Our Agency values the knowledge and experience each lateral applicant has earned. Applications for employment under the Public Agency Eligibility List (PAEL) are continuously accepted. For information on lateral transfers from another agency, and to download forms, please visit our employment portal and look for the job title of “employees from other public agencies”. Here you will find the requirements for the lateral (PAEL – public agency eligibility list) process as well as required documents and application.

5. What is the application process for Correctional Officer?

To begin your career as a correctional officer, please visit our employment portal for a list of current recruitments. The entry level correctional officer I must be an open recruitment to submit an application. Employees of other Public Employee Agencies may apply at any time. Placer County has an automated job-application service called JOBS you will need to access to submit an application for position(s) you are interested in applying for.

6. What if applications are not currently being accepted for Correctional Officer?

If our Agency is not currently accepting applications, you can submit an interest card for the position(s) you are seeking and the County’s Online job-application service (called JOBS) will electronically email a notification when the an application can be submitted. Interest cards stay on file for up to 12 months. To submit an interest card, sign up for  “Notify me of New Job Openings”. Follow the instructions on submitting your interest. You can check any Job Group you are interested in. Please note Correctional Officer Positions are listed under “Public Safety/Law Enforcement”.

7. What is the testing process for Correctional Officer?

Each recruitment job bulletin will indicate the testing process for the open recruitment. Correctional Officer Positions must be able to satisfy both our Agency’s and the B.S.C.C. selection standards by successfully completing a physical agility and written examination prior to appointment. If your application is accepted, you will be notified via the email address provided on your application of the confirmed date and location prior to the scheduled examinations. Notification for each phase of the recruitment process will be by email. 

Please contact the Placer County Human Resources Department at 530-889-4060 with any email address changes for all applications submitted.

8. I’ve taken a correctional officer written test in the past and have a score; can I have it applied to the Placer County written exam?

Within certain guidelines you can have your exam score transferred. Please contact Placer County Human Resources at 530-889-4060 prior to the application submittal deadline for the recruitment if you are interested in transferring your exam score.

9. Is there a physical agility exam for Correctional Officer? What does it consist of?

Correctional Officers (COs) must be able to respond to a variety of physical demanding activities to maintain the safety and security within a detention environment. This exam encompasses a candidate’s strength, endurance and agility required to satisfactorily perform the essential duties and functions expected of a CO. This Physical Agility Exam (PAE) is modeled after the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Department entry Physical Fitness Test. 

Each candidate will be required to successfully complete an agility course with job-task simulations of physical trials presented throughout a 500 yards (1,500 feet) course laid out on a variety of different surfaces. Points will be awarded to applicants based on the overall amount of time taken to complete the course. Applicants will have up to 5 minutes and 5 seconds to complete the course. A brief description of the agility course is below. Candidates should be prepared for this agility examination. On the day of the examination, candidates should be in good physical condition, wear athletic clothing and footwear, and bring plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

Click here for a link to a video of the correctional officer physical agility testing.

Obstacle Course

 This test simulates a correctional officer’s capacity to jump over obstacles, balance yourself on uneven or narrow surfaces, complete a series of box steps simulating ability to run up and down stairs, and pursue inmates on foot while maneuvering through small corridors and turns while running. The agility course consists of obstacles that will require you to make frequent changes in direction, balance on uneven or narrow surfaces, and step over obstacles, and clear hurdles while running as fast as possible.

Weight Carry & Drag

These job-task simulations reflect a candidate’s capacity to carry heavy objects, lift and drag heavy objects, push hard-to-move objects, physically subdue or restrain a violent inmate, and physically separate two fighting inmates, among other duties.

10. What is the selection process for a Correctional Officer?

Selected candidates who are certified to the Sheriff’s Office may be scheduled for a series of Agency Panel Oral Interviews. Candidates selected from the outcome of the panel interviews will then meet with the Corrections Commander for a final determination. Our Agency is looking for exceptional candidates and will accept nothing less than your best in an interview. To ensure your success, you may want to utilize all available tools to prepare. In addition to learning about our Agency and getting to know some of our Correctional Officers, you can find helpful information on how to prepare for an interview in the adult corrections field on the California Department Corrections and Rehabilitation’s website  under their Career Opportunities and Exams information. 

Furthermore, although geared towards a deputy sheriff career, the P.O.S.T.  website has some useful tips on interviewing as well. Candidates that pass the Agency Interview will be required to complete a P.O.S.T. Personal History Statement and will be subject to a background investigation using P.O.S.T.  guidelines. Upon receipt and review of the background report, a conditional offer of employment may be made, and the final candidates must then pass a Pre-Employment psychological and medical standards exam.

11. Where can I be assigned to work as a Correctional Officer?

As a Correctional Officer you will be assigned to work in the Jail. We currently have two Corrections Facilities located at: 

Auburn
2775 Richardson Drive
Auburn, CA 95603

South Placer
11801 Go for Broke Road
Roseville, CA 95765

12. What training is provided to Placer County Correctional Officers?

All new correctional officers attend an 80-hour corrections academy administered by our Jail Training Officers prior to beginning the mandated Jail Training Program. During this initial training, new officers will learn basic procedural and legal aspects for working in a custodial setting, and physical skills and methods of controlling inmates in a confined setting. Once completed, officers are placed in the Jail Training Program intended to introduce new officers to our Agency’s policy and procedures, BSCC Title 15 regulations, and the full responsibilities of a corrections officer position. All officers must be able to complete this training with satisfactory reviews, demonstrating sufficient skill, competency, and understanding of their role within the corrections facility. 

As required by BSCC, all new officers to the Adult Corrections facilities will attend a 179 hour BSCC Adults Corrections Standard CORE Training (STC) course within the initial twelve months of hire, or demonstrate prior completion through another agency. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office provides all correctional officers a minimum of 56 hours of annual training, more than the mandated STC requirements, with an additional wide variety of voluntary training and development opportunities.

13. What kind of special assignments/teams are there for a Correctional Officer?

• Cal-Trans Program Officer 
• Canine Officer 
• Classification Officer 
• Compliance/Title 15 Officer 
• Critical incident response team
• Facility/Operations Officer 
• Inmate Programs Officer 
• Intel/Gang Officer 
• Jail Training Officer
• Medical Officer 
• Training Coordinator 

14. What pay incentives are available to a Correctional Officer?

Some of the following pay incentives are negotiated items between the county and the union. These incentives can change with contract changes.

• $1,065 yearly uniform allowance, paid biweekly
• Additional pay incentive Bilingual language depending on assignment and qualifying exam
• Additional pay incentive if assigned to swing or graveyard shifts
• Canine pay - if assigned to the canine unit, receive $225 per month
• Critical incident response team - if assigned to the critical incident response team receive $125 per month
• Jail Training Officer - 5% of the base hourly rate on all hours of training
• Longevity pay - after 5 years at top step as a correctional officer service receive 5% of base hourly rate