Detention Deputy -Trainee and Lateral

Maricopa County • Phoenix, AZ

1d • $27 - $36 • Onsite

About The Position

Are you passionate about serving and protecting your community? Now is your chance to join the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) as a Detention Deputy! In this role, high importance is placed on ensuring public safety is provided and maintained by an individual who takes pride in their work and considers the impact of their actions on an individual, team and organizational level. We are looking for candidates with strong interpersonal and customer service skills, the ability to effectively resolve conflict, and a desire for enhancing public safety. Ideal candidates will have a keen sense of emotional intelligence and be motivated by serving others and their community. If this sounds like the right opportunity for you...your adventure with MCSO awaits!

Trainees will earn $56,160.00 plus sign-on incentive in their first full year of employment! Laterals may earn up to $72,000+ in their first full year of employment, DOE.

Applicants will be required to attend the Physical/Written assessment and Orientation on Friday, September 4th, 2026. An invitation to the physical/written assessment/orientation and instructions will be sent to the e-mail address provided on your application approximately 5 days prior to the scheduled assessment/orientation.

Physical Readiness Assessment (PRA) Applicants must successfully demonstrate physical readiness by completing a series of assessments which consists of the following:
1. Agility Run – 27.1 seconds – Measures agility and coordination
2. Push-Ups – 5 with no time limit – Measures upper body dynamic strength
3. Sit-Ups – 13 in 1 minute – Measures abdominal muscular endurance
4. 1.5 Mile Run - 26 minutes, 10 seconds – Measures aerobic power & vascular endurance

Requirements

• Must be eighteen (18) years of age.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or be eligible to work in the U.S.
• High school diploma or GED, or are expected to graduate/receive GED within the next 90 days.
• Applicants must possess, or have the ability to obtain by the time of hire, a valid Arizona driver's license.
• Prior to hiring, the Sheriff's Office requires that all applicants complete the following: background investigation; polygraph exam; medical exam with attestation of physical readiness and psychological exam.
• Post hire participation in a 12-week paid detention academy is required and which includes successfully demonstrating physical readiness by completing a series of assessments with the requisite results in order to graduate the academy and remain employed.
• High School diploma or GED. Must be eighteen (18) years of age.
• Must have successfully completed at least a 8 week in person Arizona detention or corrections academy, or Correctional Officer Training Academy (COTA) and have prior experience (within the last 3 years) working as a detention or corrections officer for the State of Arizona, an Arizona city, county or town, or a private prison/detention center.
• Candidates who have completed at least 8 week in person detention/corrections academy outside the state of Arizona may also be considered. An evaluation of prior training and experience will determine if out of state candidates are eligible for the lateral position.
• Completed 40 hours of Defensive Tactics Training.
• OC spray certification.
• 2 consecutive years of Detention or Corrections Experience.
• Applicants must possess, or have the ability to obtain by the time of hire, a valid Arizona driver's license.
• Prior to hiring, the Sheriff's Office requires that all applicants complete the following: physical readiness assessment (PRA), a written examination, orientation, background investigation, polygraph examination, psychological exam and medical exam.
• Knowledge of: Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling, rules of composition and grammar.
• Skill in: Using standard office equipment.
• Ability to: Read, learn, understand, apply and follow rules, regulations, instructions, jail practices and procedures.
• Ability to: Direct the activities of prisoners by speaking clearly and concisely in an authoritative manner.
• Ability to: Maintain accurate records and make routine verbal and written reports using concise and clear communication.
• Ability to: Distinguish between simultaneously sounding audio alarms for various devices, such as radio duress activations, PA systems, phone ringing, and perimeter alarm activations.
• Ability to: Distinguish color and shapes to identify items for inventory purposes.
• Ability to: Establish and maintain successful working relationships.

Nice To Haves

• Three (3) years of work experience, prior law enforcement experience, and/or prior military experience preferred.
• Currently possess, or have the ability to obtain, a commercial driver's license and/or weapons certification equivalent to standards set by Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST).
• Currently possess, or have the ability to obtain, a commercial driver's license and/or weapons certification equivalent to standards set by Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST).

Responsibilities

• Conducts security walks and head counts which involves standing, stair climbing, and walking for long periods of time.
• Performs facility and inmate cell searches which involve stooping, kneeling, crouching, lying down and crawling under bunks, lifting and climbing to reach all areas of the cell and facility including climbing ladders/stairs to reach overhead sky lights, attic crawl spaces, rooftops, etc.
• Performs searches of inmates and visitors which includes touching and feeling clothing to detect weapons and contraband; also includes the ability to squat, stoop, stretch, bend to floor level to search pant legs, socks, and shoes.
• Performs frisk and strip searches of inmates which includes visually observing unclothed inmates to detect weapons and contraband.
• Conducts continual visual surveillance of inmates and various areas of detention facilities which involves prolonged sitting, twisting, and bending to view various monitors.
• Provides inmate services such as recreation (spending several hours exposed to outdoor elements), serving meals, visitation, and clothing exchanges which involves lifting food trays, beverage containers, canteen bags, and bundles of laundry weighing up to 80 lbs. and requires bending, stooping, and kneeling.
• Quickly selects and correctly operates appropriate buttons, touch screen control monitors, switches, and knobs used to control doors, sliders, and communication systems while maintaining emotional control under extreme stress.
• Pursues fleeing inmates on foot which involves running, climbing, jumping, bending, stooping, and crawling over a prolonged distance.
• Monitors and controls all activities regarding inmate movement which could include escorting/walking inmates for long distances to various locations within or outside of the jail facility.
• Uses body force, ranging from mild to extreme, to gain entrance through barriers to gain entrance through barriers to seize or rescue inmates.
• Subdues or restrains resisting inmates using hands and feet while employing defensive tactics or approved non-lethal weapons which may include kneeling, bending, or stooping as well as lifting the inmate following restraint.
• Responds quickly to emergency situations that may include physically restraining combative inmates, lifting and carrying inmates during a medical crisis; escorting inmates up and down stairs to evacuate areas while wearing emergency equipment; or putting on air pack for a fire emergency to enter smoke-filled areas appropriately by stooping or crawling, select and open fire extinguishers/hoses and physically removing inmates from danger, which may include dragging unconscious victims (averaging 180 pounds).
• Performs basic first aid procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which involves kneeling and bending.
• Gathers information for investigations by interviewing and obtaining the statements of the victims, witnesses, suspects, and confidential informants.
• Appropriately utilizes technology to prepare electronic Operations Journal Entries (log book), or when necessary hand write information to produce legible reports, using standard grammar, punctuation, symbols, and simple mathematical functions.
• Inspect and inventories security equipment through testing which includes pressing buttons, turning switches, and lifting/turning equipment.
• Operates telephones, electronic equipment, fingerprint equipment, ADP time recorders/clocks, cameras, video recording devices, scanners, copiers, and fax machines which involve turning electronic knobs and typing for computer/data entry.
• Communicates effectively over radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications, often under adverse conditions.
• Communicates verbally and effectively, in areas with the potential of high noise levels, by listening and providing information, direction and commands to inmates and/or the general public to manage interpersonal conflict and maintain order.
• Exercises independent judgment within legal guidelines which involves reading and comprehending rules, regulations, policies and procedures for purpose of insuring appropriate officer behavior/response involving the general public.
• Subdues resisting inmates using approved non-lethal weapons, i.e., pepper spray (chemical discharge containing Oleo resin capsicum), and conducted electrical weapon (short duration exposure containing 50,000 volts and up to .004 amps).
• Manually unlocks and opens 8' X 12' metal gates to allow vehicles to enter the jail grounds.
• Ability to work any shift due to detention facilities operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with regular days off generally being any two consecutive days during the week.
• Performs perimeter checks in a vehicle and/or on foot.
• Provides courtroom security and document judicial information, i.e. bond information, sentence, and release information.
• Inventories inmate belongings such as clothing and personal property for transport to other facilities which involves standing for long periods of time, lifting, and climbing a ladder while carrying semi-heavy bags of clothing.
• Ensures legal documentation pertinent to an arrest/release is complete and provided to the appropriate departments/divisions/units, i.e. court, court desk, facility which involves proofreading, standing for long periods of time and communication with outside agencies including police and probation departments.
• Uses a computerized cash accounting system to maintain an accurate account of inmates' funds; may be required to open or close an account which involves sitting for extended periods of time and having the ability to use the computer and other electronic equipment.
• Be present at work site to perform assigned tasks at the times and dates scheduled/assigned by the supervisor.

Benefits

• Paid training.
• A stable environment.
• Great benefits.
• Flexibility and generous leave.
• An opportunity to serve your community as part of a diverse and talented workforce.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED