Deputy Sheriff – Trainee

Placer County Sheriff's Office; Auburn (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Placer County Sheriff's Office is seeking a Deputy Sheriff Trainee in Auburn, CA, to begin a formal training program through the POST Academy. Trainees progress to Deputy Sheriff I after graduation and are sworn with full peace officer powers upon successful completion.

The position supports community policing and learning in a dynamic, testing environment with staged examinations throughout the year. Continuous recruitment remains open until further notice.

Qualifications

• Background screening to ensure high moral character, honesty, and strong work ethic.
• Must complete the POST Regular Basic Course/Academy to become a peace officer.

Responsibilities

• Learn to operate emergency vehicles and perform defensive driving.
• Receive and apply training in law enforcement procedures and evidence handling.
• Assist with patrol duties and community policing during trainee period.

Education

POST Academy enrollment

Job description

Job Posting: Deputy Sheriff - Trainee - Placer County

Recruitment #

2026-16300-01

Salary

$40.67 - $49.44/hour; $7,049.47 - $8,569.60/month; $84,593.60 - $102,835.20/year

Department

Sheriff

Job Type

Open

Date Opened

1/5/2026 5:00:00 PM

Filing Deadline

Continuous

Employment Type

Permanent/Full Time (40 hrs/week)

Work Location

Auburn, CA and surrounding areas

Roseville, CA and surrounding areas

Tahoe City, CA and surrounding areas

Additional Forms Required

Veterans DD214 (if applicable)

HR Analyst

Lindsay Baer

Introduction

For answers to frequently asked questions specific to recruitments for the Sheriff's Office

POSITION INFORMATION

This recruitment will be used for testing for the calendar year 2026.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office is currently accepting applications for Deputy Sheriff Trainee, Deputy Sheriff I, and Deputy Sheriff II. Please review individual job postings for the minimum qualifications required at each level. To participate at the Trainee level, I level, or II level, you must complete and submit separate applications for each recruitment:

Deputy Sheriff - Trainee #2026-16300-01

Deputy Sheriff - I #2026-16321-01

Deputy Sheriff - II #2026-16322-01

Qualified applicants will undergo an extensive background investigation to determine if they meet the high standards set by the Sheriff's Office in the areas including, but not limited to: high moral character, honesty, and exemplary work ethic. The Sheriff's Office also highly values those with a positive attitude toward fellow workers and the community they will be serving. Upon successful graduation from the POST Academy, Deputy Sheriff Trainee incumbents are automatically placed into the Deputy Sheriff I classification. Deputy Sheriff assignment locations may include Auburn, South Placer, or Tahoe.

This continuous recruitment will remain open for the calendar year, or until the final filing date, whichever occurs first. The eligible list established from this continuous recruitment will expire by the end of the calendar year. Applicants will be eligible to reapply and take an examination if a new recruitment opens the following calendar year.

Examinations will be scheduled throughout the year as applications are received. Qualified applicants will be notified of their testing date via email once the examination date has been scheduled.

Qualified applications received by October 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. will be invited to participate in the written examination the week of November 9, 2026. You will receive an e-mail notification regarding the next steps in the recruitment process within a week of the cut‑off date listed above.

BENEFITS

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

to view Deputy Sheriff's Association (DSA) benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

DEFINITION

(Non-Sworn)

To attend a course of study necessary to complete the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Regular Basic Course/ Academy to become a peace officer.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Deputy Sheriff Trainee is a recruiting and training level classification established to qualify candidates for duties as a Deputy Sheriff I in the Placer County Sheriff's Office. Incumbents of this class undergo a formal and comprehensive training program in a California POST-certified academy. Incumbency in this class is limited to a period not to exceed twelve months and to those who have not completed the POST Regular Basic Course/ Academy. Positions in this class are distinguished from Deputy Sheriff I in that the Deputy Sheriff Trainee position is a non-sworn classification which has no peace officer powers. Upon satisfactory completion of training and graduation from the academy, the trainee will be sworn in as a Deputy Sheriff I with full peace officer powers. Failure to successfully complete training and graduate from the academy will result in termination.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Receives immediate supervision from supervisors and training staff.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: As a trainee, receive instructions and perform the following duties in a learning capacity: Learn to identify and utilize principles and techniques that promote community service and community-based policing, crime prevention, and appropriate behavior; learn enforcement and procedural aspects of criminal laws and the legal obligations inherent in enforcement of those laws. Learn to proficiently apply the rules of evidence; communicate effectively and professionally through written, oral, and mechanical media. Learn to operate an emergency vehicle, including skid training, high speed pursuit, defensive driving, and emergency driving; firearm training to learn good judgement and competency in the use of deadly force, ancillary police weaponry, and weaponless defense. Learn to safely and effectively accomplish the patrol function consisting of patrolling a designated area of the County in a patrol car in order to preserve law and order and to prevent and discover the commission of crimes; effectively dealing with common vehicle violations by learning to recognize the violations, locating the violations in the Vehicle Code, and safely and professionally contacting the violator. Learn basic criminal investigation processes and techniques, including the identification, collection, and p