How to Become a Sheriff for Palm Beach County

If you are interested in a career that will challenge you and allow you the opportunity to grow professionally, you may be interested to learn how to become a sheriff for Palm Beach County in the beautiful state of Florida. By electing to work in the field of Criminal Justice, you are assuming a position in which you can work with the local government systems in order to âaid, protect, and servea the citizens of the community. The Sheriff's Office located in Palm Beach County is an organization that employs nearly 3,500 professionals. This agency is also one of the more technologically advanced agencies in the state of Florida; therefore the ability to obtain a position is very challenging.
 

The Minimum Requirements

Palm Beach County Sheriff's office is located in south Florida. If you would like to become a law enforcement officer for this particular agency, it is important to know and understand that there are minimum requirements that must be fulfilled prior to your even being considered. The first is the age requirement. You must be at least 19 years of age in order to apply for a position. Next, you must be considered a citizen of the United States of America. You may need to provide documentation such as a birth certificate and/or driver's license in order to validate your age as well as proof of a social security number in order to validate your citizenship. You may also be asked to provide a Motor Vehicle Report to display your driving history.

Education is held to the highest standard at this south Florida county sheriff's office. You must obtain a “General Education Diploma” or “GED” or have a High School Diploma. You may be asked to submit a transcript of any type of educational background that you have including high school records, college records, and vocational school records. In addition to this, you must agree to a criminal background check, which is typically quite intensive. You may be asked to provide fingerprints and answer questions directly related to your past, as well as interview questions while being subjected to a lie detector test. Hiring requirements may change occasionally with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office, but by knowing you may be asked to fulfill any of these minimum requirements listed, you will be properly prepared.

Physical Testing

When learning how to become a sheriff for Palm Beach County in south Florida, you will need to submit to physical testing. The “Basic Motor Skills Test” is a common test that will allow an issuing trainer to determine how physically fit you are, and will allow them to evaluate how you react under extremely challenging and stressful situations. When issued this test, you generally must engage in the following activities:

•    Pulling the trigger of a 9mm gun and/or shotgun while loaded.
•    Performing a “broad jump” from the standing position.
•    Running a mile in a set time limit.
•    Pushing a vehicle.
•    Pulling and/or carrying a 150-pound bag and/or “dummy.”
•    Jumping over a wall that stands at a height of five-and-a-half to six feet tall.
•    Climbing over a six- to eight-foot fence.
•    Walking and/or running a balance beam.
•    Swimming approximately fifty yards while completely clothed.

These activities are typically lined up in an obstacle-type course. Activities may be added and/or eliminated occasionally, but the activities highlighted above seem to be the most commonly issued in this south Florida county sheriff's office.

The Application Process

Once you have successfully completed the physical testing and all of your minimum requirement forms and information has been submitted and approved, you will be ready to start the application process for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office in south Florida. You should visit the website to this agency in order to register and then initiate the application process. If you are considered as a person that will be able to fulfill the responsibilities at the sheriff's office, you may be asked to engage in one or more of the following events:

•    An interview that is considered to be “pre-screening.”
•    An interview in front of a board of professionals that work at the agency.
•    A polygraph test, or “lie detector” test.
•    A drug test that tests for a variety of drugs and medication ingredients.
•    A psychological test to determine your mental aptitude for handling law enforcement work and situations that may occur while engaging in that work.
•    A full background investigation in which trained professionals interview friends, family members, and even past and current employers.
•    A full medical examination to ensure that you can handle the physical requirements of being a sheriff in Palm Beach County.

The Criminal Justice Academy

It may take up to ten weeks for the complete application to be approved. However, if it is approved, you will be invited to participate in the criminal justice academy or “police academy” for approximately 22 weeks. You will be paid for your time in the academy. This is probably the most exciting experience that you will ever take part in. You will be introduced to high-liability areas, such as “First Responder,” “Defensive Tactics,” “Weapons,” as well as “Defensive Driving.” You will be taught all that you possibly can in order to protect yourself and others when working as a sheriff for Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in south Florida!