Today is - Tue Mar 19 2024

Human Resources

Kern County Sheriff's Office
Kern County Sheriff's Office Jobs

WELCOME TO THE PERSONNEL DIVISION, HUMAN RESOURCES SECTION!

Here you will find information on:

  • Job Recruitments
  • Extra Help Employment
  • Background Investigations
  • Services Our Division Offers to the Public

Did You Know...

The Kern County Sheriff's Office currently employs over 1,200 people.

We offer a diverse selection of job opportunities from sworn peace officers to civilian staff.

The Sheriff's Office serves over 890,000 people in the Kern County area.

Career Opportunities

Considering a career in law enforcement? Your future is here!

Sheriff's Detentions Deputy Trainee Shift

Sheriff's Detentions Deputy Shift Lateral

Detentions Badge

Deputy Sheriff

Detentions Badge

Detention Deputy


Career Opportunities

The Sheriff's Office has several vacancies. To view open recruitment opportunities, visit the Kern County Human Resources Division website at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/kernco

How to Prepare for Academy

A Look at Becoming a Sheriff’s Deputy

A Look at Becoming a Sheriff’s Detentions Deputy

A Look at Becoming a Sheriff’s Aide

A Look at Becoming a Dispatch Assistant

Don't see what you're looking for? Stand-by! Register for notification of recruitment at:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/kernco/jobInterestCards/categories

For more information please call the Kern County Human Resources Division at (661) 868-3480 or the Sheriff’s Personnel Division at (661)391-7500.

Extra Help Employment

Extra-help employment is a great way to get your foot in the door and gain experience. Extra-help has a limited term of 9 months with a mandatory 60 days off between each term. Employees working an extra-help term may also be eligible for County benefits. As with all county positions, those seeking extra-help employment must meet the minimum qualifications stated in the job descriptions. Apply now at
https://www.kerncounty.com/government/county-administrative-office/human-resources/career-opportunities/extra-help-temp-employment

Background Check

Busy in Backgrounds

Everyone employed by the Kern County Sheriff's Office undergoes a background investigation. The purpose of the background investigation is to uphold the honesty, integrity, and public trust that the Sheriff's Office is entrusted with. There are several components to the background investigation, including questionnaires, employment history, and random drug testing.

Personnel Division Mission Statement

The mission of the Sheriff's Personnel Division is to recruit and fill department vacancies, conduct thorough administrative investigations, manage the department’s workplace safety program, minimize department liability wherever possible and to provide crime prevention services to our communities. In support of this mission, the Division consists of five major work units: Background Investigations, Civil Litigation/Risk Management Unit, Professional Standards Unit, and Crime Prevention.

The Personnel Division is charged with maintaining departmental organization charts, current vacancy levels and employee transfers. During the hiring process, the division is responsible for preparing the appropriate forms for new employees to begin employment. The division’s Professional Support Staff explain salary and benefits to new employees and issue all department identification cards to current and retired employees. Professional Support Staff members also support the Backgrounds Investigations.

The Background Investigators are responsible for identifying suitable and non-suitable applicants who apply for all job classifications in our department including volunteer positions. Due to the nature of law enforcement work, all employees must successfully complete the background investigation process. Many candidates who apply for employment do not meet the high standards of the profession and are disqualified during the background process. Background investigators meet with all candidates and conduct interviews with references. The investigators also coordinate medical exams, polygraph and psychological evaluations, when required. This process is very time consuming and generally takes six to eight weeks to complete.

The Sheriff’s Administration is committed to filling all department vacancies; therefore, the workload of the Background Investigation Unit is plentiful. Backgrounds are taking longer due to the number of applicants who must go through the process. Background investigators are committed to identifying candidates who meet the hiring criteria and disqualify those applicants who do not qualify for employment. The unit is tasked with a very important responsibility which impacts every division in the agency.

Another component of the Human Resources Division is the Civil Litigation/Risk Management Unit. The goal of this unit is to administer a program of comprehensive risk management and loss control for the department and its employees. The Risk Management Unit acts as a liaison for our employees with occupational injuries/illnesses assisting them in the Workers’ Compensation arena.

This unit administers the Return-To-Work Program. The goal of this program is to return our employees to work, fit and ready for full duty in a timely manner. The unit oversees occupational and industrial safety programs, absence and disability management programs, and assists employees filing for retirement.

The department’s Safety Officer is also assigned to this unit. The Safety Officer is responsible for providing on-going safety training for the entire department. Monthly safety meetings are held and on-site inspections of all divisions are conducted. The Safety Officer also checks for compliance with CalOSHA rules and regulations, including compiling, maintaining and reporting to CalOSHA.

A single Civil Litigation and Risk Management Coordinator oversees the Risk Management Unit. This specialist provides litigation and risk management support for the Department. The responsibilities of this individual include a variety of functions involving the preparation and analysis of legal documents along with the supervision of the Department’s Risk Management Unit. The Coordinator works closely with County Counsel to coordinate the exchange of information between the two Departments. The Coordinator also appears in Court on behalf of the department as the custodian of records and appears before Boards and Commissions as the department’s advocate. The Coordinator appears with County Counsel as the custodian of records at all Pitchess motion court appearances to protect the confidentiality of peace officer files.

When a critical incident occurs and there is the possibility of third party exposure, the Coordinator responds to the scene and interviews officers and witnesses and identifies mitigating or contributory factors. This approach to risk management issues enables the department to anticipate media scrutiny, reduce liability and increases effectiveness in this arena.

The Personnel Division is a critically important component of the department’s infrastructure.