Q: What can you tell us about the sheriff’s office’s personnel?
A: The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has a total of just under 900 employees, to include full time, part time, civilian, sworn, and reserves. Approximately 350 of these are deputy sheriffs in law enforcement and 150 are deputy sheriffs in corrections. The remaining are support staff, or what I like to say are those that actually make the sheriff’s office work. We have our own human resources department, records division, telecommunications (911 operators), correction control operators and forensics department.
Q: Are there job opportunities for any of these positions?
A: Yes, especially in the support staff areas, we are short staffed.
Q: What full time positions do you have open?
A: We have some sworn officers in the corrections division (who work in the jail) positions open. The starting pay is $45,000 and that is for entry level with no experience or college degree. These positions require shift work (12 hour shifts).
We also need telecommunication department employees, or 911 operators. Here, the starting pay is $41,000 and training is on the job under the watchful eye of a field training officer. This position also requires shift work.
Q: What part time positions are available?
A: First, we have school crossing guard positions available. This is a great position because it is seasonal; you only work when school is in session. It’s approximately one hour in the morning (about a half hour before and after the start of school) and an hour in the afternoon. This pays an hourly rate of $15.87 and all uniforms and training are provided by the sheriff’s office.
Also, we have PSA (Public Service Assistants) positions open. These are also hourly positions and pay $17.31 per hour with uniform and training provided. The PSAs assist with patrol and our youth resource division and will work more hours than school crossing guards, since after the PSA works the school arrival in the morning, they go on to other duties such as neighborhood patrols and other non-criminal law enforcement. There is a lot of community engagement and they work up to 29 hours per week.
Q: Where can we find more about these open positions and how to apply?
A: Visit www.sjso.org and then “Join SJSO” to see the current jobs available.
Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you with any questions or suggestions about this article?
A: They can email me at sheriff@sjso.org or call me at (904) 824-8304. Also, our website, www.sjso.org has a wealth of resources, from alarm registration to Crime Stoppers to our Neighbors app.
