Deputy Sheriff

Olmsted County Sheriff's Office Deputy Sheriff PositionRecognized as one of the best places to work in Southeast Minnesota for three consecutive years, at Olmsted County every role helps to foster a vibrant community where everyone thrives. Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, driving public service excellence and community well-being.We don't just offer a job, we offer a career filled with purpose, growth, and fulfillment. Our benefits package ensures your wellbeing, while career advancement opportunities and professional development empower you to reach your full potential.Join us, and you'll be part of a purpose-driven team where your work truly makes a difference. Together, we build a sustainable, healthy, and welcoming community.Minimum Qualifications of Education and ExperienceThe Olmsted County Sheriff's Office ("OCSO") hiring process is conducted in compliance with the OCSO Civil Service Commission Rules and Regulations. The purpose of this process is to create an Eligibility Roster of candidates who are qualified for appointment to a Deputy Sheriff position with OCSO. The roster is valid for one year with exact dates established by the OCSO Civil Service Commission. Deputy Sheriffs are selected from the Eligibility Roster as vacancies arise.Applicants must meet ONE of the following requirements in order to proceed to the competitive examination phase of the hiring process:Have an active Minnesota POST license and meet the requirements for maintaining such license; orHave approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the Licensing Reciprocity Exam; orHave approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the Peace Officer Licensing Exam; orHave approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the Reinstatement of Eligibility Exam; orHave approval from, or have applied for approval from, the Minnesota POST Board to take the License Restoration Exam.Be Minnesota POST license eligible by the time a conditional job offer is made.In addition to possessing one of the above qualifications, applicants must have the following in order to proceed to the competitive examination phase of the hiring process:U.S. Citizenship; andPossession of a valid driver's license.To be eligible for appointment as a Deputy Sheriff from the Eligibility Roster, you must live within Olmsted County or any of the surrounding counties to include Dodge, Goodhue, Mower, Fillmore, Winona or Wabasha counties and:Have an active Minnesota POST license and meet the requirements for maintaining such license; orBe Minnesota POST license eligible by the time a conditional job offer is made. This means that you have completed and passed the appropriate Minnesota POST Board Examination.Individuals will be required to complete a pre-employment and any potential post-accident drug test as these positions are deemed safety sensitive. Regardless of Minnesota statute, marijuana and other drugs will disqualify individuals from initial and continued employment.The steps listed below are followed in sequence. Failure at any step removes the applicant from any further consideration from that point on. Applicants will be notified of their status after each step.APPLICATIONS Applicants must fully complete and submit the application form online by the closing date or return the application postmarked by the closing date. Applications will be accepted only from those who currently meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants must identify on their applications which qualifications they meet.ORAL INTERVIEWS Oral examinations consist of two interviews, each scheduled for thirty-minute timeslots. The second interview occurs immediately after the first. The members of the interview panels ask a series of predetermined questions and assign a numeric score to each response.Candidates must score a minimum of 70% on each of the two interviews in order to proceed to the next step.Oral interviews will take place at the Regional Public Safety Training Center on:Wednesday, November 4, 2026Thursday, November 5, 2026Examination dates are tentative and subject to change. Eligible candidates will receive communication regarding scheduling of oral examinations.STRENGTH AND AGILITY EXAMINATION The strength & agility examination will take place on the same day as the oral examinations (November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026) at the Regional Public Safety Training Center after completion of the oral examinations. Locker room facilities will be made available for candidates to change clothes.This examination is pass/fail. Candidates are required to row 2000 meters using a Concept 2 Rower. The examination is designed to measure the candidate's VO2 MAX, an indicator of overall physical health. Candidates must meet a minimum of 50% score for their age and gender (see Cardiovascular Fitness Calculations below).Candidates may enter gender, age, and weight to calculate minimum requirements at prior to testing. Please note that the website assumes a 60% passing percentage. Using the Desired Results section in the lower right corner, candidates can calculate time based on 50% passing percentage.Applicants will be required to sign a waiver of liability prior to the test.ELIGIBILITY ROSTER Applicants who pass the strength and agility examination are placed on an eligibility roster in numerical order, with the highest scoring applicant at the top of the list. Veterans who have notified Human Resources of their election to use their veteran preference points preference points or disabled veteran preference points and who have provided the Human Resources Department with a copy of their DD214 will have their points added to their total score before they are ranked on the eligibility roster. Anyone providing a DD214 at a later date will have their points added at that time and will be placed on the roster accordingly. Veterans currently receiving a retirement pension shall not be given the additional points.The completed eligibility roster is presented to the Civil Service Commission for certification before it is presented to the Sheriff. Civil Service meetings are scheduled on a monthly basis. Candidates on the eligibility roster have an ongoing obligation to provide updated information about their license eligibility status or the existence of a current license with another law enforcement agency. If a candidate is currently on the eligibility roster, they have the opportunity during this recruitment to interview/test to improve their placement on the roster. All qualifying scores will remain on the roster until their expiration date.CONDITIONAL JOB OFFER The top seven candidates on the eligibility roster are reviewed by the Sheriff to fill vacancies as they arise. After selecting a candidate for appointment, the Sheriff or the Sheriff's designee makes a conditional job offer to the candidate. Conditional job offers cannot be made unless a candidate has provided proof of their license eligibility or their existing license.BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION Pass/Fail. The applicant must complete an extensive background application providing information from which the applicant's background can be checked. This investigation includes, but is not limited to, such areas as personal references, fingerprint check, driving record check, credit check, education, employment history and military services, etc. The background investigation takes an average of 4-6 weeks to complete. This timeline is dependent on how fast the candidate returns their completed background packet. Current and former employers will be notified at this point that a candidate is participating in the Deputy Sheriff recruitment process. A candidate's background does not begin until a conditional job offer is made.PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION Pass/Fail. The applicant must pass a psychological evaluation arranged/approved by the Sheriff's Civil Service Commission. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the presence of any mental or emotional condition which might adversely affect performance as a Deputy Sheriff.MEDICAL EXAMINATION Pass/Fail. Applicants must pass a rigorous medical examination as prescribed by the Sheriff's Civil Service Commission. All medical exams will be reviewed by the Commission's medical consultant and determined as pass/fail. A drug test will be given at this time.APPOINTMENT Candidates who pass Steps 6-8 will be appointed to the position Deputy Sheriff on the second day of employment.EVALUATION PERIOD Deputy Sheriffs serve a one-year evaluation period in which the Deputy's job performance is periodically reviewed to determine his/her future status with the department.Nature of WorkUnder direction of the County Sheriff, participates in an assigned shift engaged in law enforcement in Olmsted County. Enforces state and local laws, apprehends criminals, prevents crime, serves civil processes and protects property. Position requires rotating shifts that include nights, evenings, weekends and holidays. Supports a diverse, respectful, and inclusive workplace.Examples of WorkPatrols assigned beat/area in a radio equipped