Sheriff's Office Detention Specialist

Position Information

Join the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office as a Detention Specialist and start a career supporting your community!

Starting salary up to $34.66/hour ($ 72,339 /year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Detention Specialist II ( $64,658 - $78,600 /year)
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

Join Our Team

Do you thrive working in fast-paced customer service environments and:

• Remain calm, clear, and in control when working with difficult or irate individuals?
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to work well in a team?
• Possess effective problem-solving skills, empathy, patience, and a common-sense approach to supporting customer's needs?
• Possess cash handling and data entry experience?
• Have basic Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel skills?

If you answered "Yes", apply to be a Sheriff's Office Detention Specialist and join our team!

As a Sheriff's Office Detention Specialist you will work in a team environment within County detention facilities alongside law enforcement and interact with incarcerated individuals. You will learn to perform the full range of administrative, clerical, and legal document processing duties related to booking, custody alternatives, records processing, and reception which includes a multi-line phone system. While working as a Detention Specialist you will gain experience and seniority, which will allow more flexibility in selecting different shifts, and the opportunity to promote to Detention Specialist II. You will also participate in rotating through several core roles, including:

• Booking - processing intake paperwork, money, and property; running criminal database reports; and performing data entry into justice database systems
• Cashier - processing incarcerated persons' money and valuables (intake and release)
• Lobby - coordinating personal and professional visits and answering questions from the public
• Records - maintaining all detention files, receiving warrants, sending teletypes, processing incarcerated persons' releases

Being a Sheriff's Detention Specialist can be demanding, but if you have a passion for this work, you will be rewarded with camaraderie and the ability to help others in your community. Although these positions require minimal or no physical contact with incarcerated persons, Detention Specialists do work near and interact with incarcerated persons (e.g., answering questions, exchanging paperwork and property, etc.). Detention Specialists are required to work day, swing, and graveyard shifts, weekends, holidays, other shift assignments, and overtime. They are also subject to departmental policies, including uniform requirements and standards of conduct.

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory .
This recruitment is being conducted to fill two Sheriff's Office Detention Specialist positions in the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title of this position is Detention Specialist I.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of work experience and education which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Normally, this would include one year of clerical work experience in an office providing substantial customer service.

Additional Requirements: Candidates certified for employment must be willing to undergo and successfully complete thorough background investigation conducted by the Sheriff's Office. Additionally, candidates must be willing to work in uniform, and willing to work all shifts, including days, evenings, nights, weekdays, weekends, holidays, and overtime.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The positions advertised on this announcement do not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of: general clerical and office practices and procedures; word processing and other data processing programs used in a business office; basic arithmetic, English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and composition.

Ability to: learn to interpret laws, procedures, policies and rules related to Sheriff Office's detention facilities; effectively deal with irate individuals in difficult situations; identify potentially dangerous situations and react quickly and calmly in emergency situations; learn procedures used in maintaining security of a detention facility; perform several tasks simultaneously amid noise and interruption; maintain accurate records; understand and follow oral and written instructions; make decisions in routine procedural matters; demonstrate good judgment while working within the guidelines of established policies and procedures; communicate clearly and effectively with people of all ages and backgrounds; establish and maintain positive and effective working relationships with staff, public, and outside agencies; learn to interpret, explain, and apply specific statutes, codes, laws, regulations, and procedures; learn to maintain complex legal record and databases; learn to locate, identify, and correct technical inaccuracies; make accurate arithmetic calculations; operate a variety of office equipment.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

Being part of the Sheriff's Office and being expected to keep the public safe requires a thorough background investigation process. This process includes an assessment of prior work history, verifying educational experiences, court reports, public records searches, and understanding past patterns relating to drug usage, financial patterns, etc. This entails gathering a significant amount of information from job candidates and speaking to former employers, friends, family members, etc. Polygraphs, drug tests, and medical and physical examinations are also part of this process. Candidates must be honest and forthcoming about information that may arise during the background process. Deception during any portion of this process is grounds for disqualification, even after employment. This process can take anywhere from 3-5 months. Many factors are taken into consideration and one should not assume a credit issue or prior drug use is automatically disqualifying. Candidates will be given the opportunity to present mitigating information they feel should be considered. You are encouraged to be as responsive as possible while this process is taking place to help expedite the timeline, and we encourage you to stay patient and interested in this great career opportunity while this process is taking place.

You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

Please read the Sheriff's Office Pre-Employment Drug Use Guidelines for further information.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: JL
HR Technician: RR

Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

County of Sonoma Benefits: General*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at Labor Agreements & Salary Resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to Human Resources or contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonomacounty.gov or (707) 565-2900.

*Important Notes: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 8/26/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• County of Sonoma

• 707-565-8059

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