The Reserve Deputy Sheriff is a non-paid community service position that performs an essential role within the Sheriff’s Office.  Reserve Deputies work in all facets of the Sheriff’s Office, augmenting and supplementing the regular Deputy Sheriffs in a variety of assignments.  The Sheriff’s Office requires a minimum commitment of two shifts a month.  These shifts will be scheduled in advance, taking into account your work schedule and family obligations.  We emphasize that we put your family and job first.

There are three different levels of Sheriff’s Reserves that you can work, depending on your training.

 LEVEL III RESERVE DEPUTY SHERIFF

Personnel in this category must complete the 162 hours of the California Peace Officer’s Standards and Training, Level III Module.  Level III Reserves may work armed limited support duties for the Sheriff’s Office, such as: traffic control, security at parades and sporting events, report writing, evidence transportation, parking enforcement, transport prisoners, and other duties that are not likely to result in physical arrest.

 LEVEL II RESERVE DEPUTY SHERIFF

Personnel in this category must complete the 386 hours of the California Peace Officer’s Standards and Training, Level III and Level II Modules.  Level II courses cover behavior objectives for the role of a back-up officer.  Level II Reserves may work armed, uniformed patrol duties while engaged in an ongoing Field Training Program with a full-time Deputy Sheriff.  Other assignments include document service, community service projects, and the same duties of a Level III Reserve.

 LEVEL I RESERVE DEPUTY SHERIFF

Personnel in this category must complete the 664 hours of the California Peace Officer’s Standards and Training, Level III, Level II, and Level I Modules, and 400 hours of a Field Training Program.  Completion of the Level I course is considered a Regular Basic Peace Officer’s Course.  Level I Reserve Deputies can work alone, with another Level I Reserve, or with a full-time sworn Deputy Sheriff participating in assignments including patrol, intelligence, vice, narcotics, detectives, warrants, personnel and training, traffic, crowd control, emergency security at crime scenes, disaster response, stakeouts, gang details, special details, and the County Fair.

Lastly, a Reserve Deputy is subject to emergency call out and can be assigned to any appropriate function, depending on the emergency.

The basic qualifications are:

Applicants must be high school graduates or have the General Education Development (G.E.D.) Certification acceptable to the State Department of Education. Applicants must be citizens at the time of their appointment. Applicants may file within six months of reaching 21 years of age and shall not be appointed before reaching their 21st birthday. You must indicate your date of birth on the application. (Enter your birthday in section #11 of the County Application.)

No candidate who has been convicted of a felony can be accepted for the examination. Conviction of certain Misdemeanor crimes involving Theft or Moral Turpitude may be grounds for disqualification.

Applicants must have a valid California driver's license prior to appointment. All applicants must have a driving record that will qualify for a County Driving Permit. You cannot have more than three moving violations within the past three years.

You must have completed the Level III course and be currently enrolled in the Level II course before your application is ACCEPTABLE. Indicate on your application where and when you completed your "Reserve Officer Training Courses." If you need information concerning the ROTC, call Gavilan College at (408) 848-4783 or Criminal Justice Training Center at Evergreen College at (408) 270-6458.

The testing process has seven (7) mandatory parts, and you must qualify for each.

• Physical Agility Test
• Oral Interview
• Polygraph Examination
• Background Examination
• Psychological Written Examination
• Psychological Oral Examination
• Medical Examination
• Staff Interview

Candidates who fail any part of the testing process above will not be allowed to continue in the examination process and may not re-apply for one (1) year.

The Oral Interview consists of questions, problems and hypothetical situations designed to give the candidate an opportunity to display the kinds of behavior and skill used in the profession of a Reserve Deputy. It is not designed to measure police science knowledge. A minimum score of 70% is required for the oral examination.

Candidates will be fingerprinted and required to submit to a detailed Personal History Form (PHF). A thorough Confidential Background Investigation is conducted by the Sheriff's Office to determine the candidate's fitness to hold the position of Reserve Deputy.

A candidate will also be required to pass a thorough Medical Examination by the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center prior to appointment. A questionnaire covering the candidates medical history and present physical condition are required. Vision must be correctable to 20/20 in both eyes along with normal vision function, acuity and color vision. Normal hearing in both ears.

Candidates eliminated on the basis of the Medical or Psychological Examinations may not re-apply for one (1) year.

An employee will be required to maintain, on their own time, a certificate of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), First Aid Training, Continuing Professional Training and the Sheriff's Range Qualification requirements.

For further information, or an application, contact the Sheriff's Reserve Office at (408) 808-4570.

• Reserve Video