Detention Deputy -Trainee and Lateral

Maricopa County•Phoenix, AZ

3d•$27 - $38•Onsite

About The Position

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is hiring Detention Deputies as trainees and laterals. The role supports public safety in detention facilities through supervision of inmates, maintaining facility security and order, responding to emergencies, and providing services. The position emphasizes communication, conflict resolution, respect for all individuals, integrity, accountability, transparency, and collaboration. Trainees receive paid on-the-job training and must complete a 12-week paid detention academy, including physical-readiness assessments. Successful lateral candidates participate in an accelerated five-week training and orientation program. The role is non-exempt under the FLSA, and facilities operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so employees must be available to work any shift. Regular days off are generally two consecutive days during the week. The listed hourly pay range is $27.00–$37.50, with typical starting pay of $27.00 per hour; higher starting pay may be considered based on directly related experience. A $7,500 sign-on incentive is offered. The job involves security rounds, inmate and facility searches, surveillance, inmate movement and services, report writing, investigations, courtroom security, equipment inspections, and operation of communication and facility-control systems. Deputies may need to pursue, restrain, or evacuate inmates and respond to medical, fire, and other emergencies. Work may take place indoors or outdoors in hazardous, noisy, confined, or isolated settings and may involve exposure to extreme temperatures, chemicals, smoke, dust, damp conditions, heights, and contagious diseases. The position has substantial physical demands, including running, climbing, crawling, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, and using defensive tactics or approved non-lethal weapons.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED; trainees may qualify if they expect to graduate or receive a GED within 90 days.
At least 18 years of age.
Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the United States.
Possess, or be able to obtain by the time of hire, a valid Arizona driver's license.
Complete the required pre-employment process, including physical-readiness assessment, written examination, orientation, background investigation, polygraph examination, psychological examination, and medical examination with attestation of physical readiness.
Trainees must successfully complete a 12-week paid detention academy and its physical-readiness requirements to remain employed.
Lateral candidates must have completed at least an eight-week in-person Arizona detention or corrections academy or Correctional Officer Training Academy (COTA), and have qualifying detention or corrections experience within the last three years; out-of-state academy candidates may be considered following evaluation.
Lateral candidates must have completed 40 hours of defensive tactics training, hold OC spray certification, and have two consecutive years of detention or corrections experience.
Ability to read, learn, understand, apply, and follow rules, regulations, instructions, and jail practices and procedures.
Ability to communicate clearly and authoritatively, direct inmate activities, and prepare accurate verbal and written reports.
Ability to distinguish simultaneous audio alarms and identify colors and shapes for inventory purposes.
Ability to establish and maintain successful working relationships.
Ability to work any shift in a facility operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Ability to perform the job's physical tasks, including running, climbing, crawling, restraining, and lifting and carrying heavy objects.

Nice To Haves

Three years of work experience, prior law enforcement experience, and/or prior military experience.
Possess, or be able to obtain, a commercial driver's license and/or weapons certification equivalent to Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) standards.
Lateral candidates with completed Arizona detention or corrections academy training and experience who continued serving in a law-enforcement capacity with another agency may be eligible, subject to the pre-employment process and Command staff discretion.

Responsibilities

Conduct security walks, head counts, and perimeter checks on foot or in a vehicle.
Search facilities, cells, inmates, and visitors for weapons and contraband, including conducting frisk and strip searches as required.
Maintain continual visual surveillance of inmates and facility areas, including monitoring cameras and other systems.
Provide inmate services, including recreation, meals, visitation, clothing exchanges, and movement or escort within and outside the facility.
Operate facility control systems and communication equipment, and respond to alarms and emergencies.
Pursue fleeing inmates and subdue or restrain resisting inmates using defensive tactics, body force, and approved non-lethal weapons.
Respond to emergencies, including medical crises, fires, evacuations, and incidents involving combative inmates; provide basic first aid and CPR.
Gather information for investigations by interviewing victims, witnesses, suspects, and confidential informants and obtaining statements.
Prepare accurate electronic or handwritten logs, reports, and other records using clear communication and standard grammar and punctuation.
Inspect, test, and inventory security equipment and operate office, electronic, fingerprinting, recording, and scanning equipment.
Communicate effectively with inmates, the public, colleagues, and outside agencies, including over radio channels and in noisy environments.
Apply rules, regulations, policies, and procedures and exercise independent judgment within legal guidelines.
Manually unlock and open metal gates to allow vehicles onto jail grounds.
Provide courtroom security and document judicial information, including bond, sentence, and release information.
Inventory inmate property and maintain accurate accounts of inmates' funds using a computerized accounting system.
Ensure arrest- and release-related legal documentation is complete and provided to appropriate departments and outside agencies.
Be present at the work site at assigned times and perform duties as scheduled by a supervisor.