The King County Sheriff's Office is located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. With a commissioned staff of more than 720, we are among the largest sheriff’s departments in the country. Our deputies have opportunities to serve in many different communities, including unincorporated King County, numerous city police departments, a transit police agency, among others.

We offer countless unique assignments that range from school or community-based positions to drug enforcement and bomb disposal. All deputies begin their career on patrol (we have no jail service requirement), providing service to the people of a particular district. Deputies are assigned to single-person patrol cars, and gain a strong sense of ownership in their communities by interacting with the residents, business owners, and visitors to the area. Often, their work requires working together with these people or supporting fellow deputies in adjoining districts.

• You must be a United States citizen; 
• You must have the ability to read, speak, and write the English language fluently; 
• You must be at least 20.5 years of age at the time of application; 
• You must have a Washington State driver's license or be able to obtain one; 
• You must have a high school degree or GED;
• You must meet KCSO medical standards, as determined by a medical exam following an offer of employment; and 
• You must be able to pass the background investigation. (We have provided a short self-screening background questionnaire that will help us determine whether you meet some basic background qualifications. This is attached to Deputy Sheriff Job Application and must be filled out as a part of the application package.)

• Experience as a full time commissioned police officer with at least 12 months of active patrol; 
• Successful completion of probation as a commissioned officer with a city, county or state police or sheriff's department; 
• Less than a two-year break in service from a former police officer position; and 
• Academy training that meets or exceeds the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center's standards.

• Am I able to speak clearly and listen to others well? Can I write a report with grammatically correct English?
• Do I read and comprehend well to learn the laws and procedures of law enforcement in the academy? 
• Do I have a good memory to recall what I've learned and what I've witnessed in incidents? 
• Am I pretty good at following maps and finding my way around? 
• Do I have excellent physical fitness? 
• Do I have basic computer skills?

Application and testing process:

First, complete your application at www.nationaltestingnetwork.com and schedule a date to take the written and physical tests. Following the test, you will receive a printed copy of your results. This is for your information. The test you take will be validated and the results will be sent to us directly. 

       Apply online 
       

Oral Board

Once we receive your results from the testing vendor, we will contact you to schedule an oral board. This is a formal interview in front of a panel of King County deputies, detectives and/or sergeants. The panel will evaluate you on the following criteria: communication skills, background, community involvement, experience, integrity, motivation, interpersonal skills and problem solving.
 

Civil Service Eligibility List

Based on the combined scores of the written test and the oral board, as well as veterans preference points if applicable, qualified candidates will be merged onto the existing entry-level or lateral eligibility lists. This list determines the order in which background investigations are conducted.

Background Investigation

Our thorough background investigation includes a look at your criminal history record, employment history, personal references, driving history, credit history and an evaluation of psychological suitability. KCSO detectives will conduct the investigation, which now includes a home visit. Personal references and current and previous employers will be contacted. Once the background investigation is complete, you will take a polygraph test and you will undergo psychological testing and an evaluation by a department psychologist.

Final Interview and Medical Exam

If you pass the background process, you will have a final interview with the hiring captain. Upon successful completion of that interview, you will get the call for a job offer contingent on passing a basic medical exam that confirms your fitness for duty.
 

Timeline

While some background investigations take longer than others and depending on your position on the eligibility list, you can expect the time from the point your background investigation begins to the time you are offered a job to take around eight weeks.