Certified Opportunities
The LCSO is respected as one of the state's most innovative law enforcement and corrections agencies whose ultimate vision is to strive to be world-class in everything we do. The Leon County Sheriff's Office offers sworn career opportunities in various areas such as:
- Uniform Patrol
- Criminal Investigations
- Crime Scene
- Aviation
- School Resource
- Traffic Enforcement
- K-9 Unit
- H.O.S.T. (Homeless Outreach Street Team)
- M.H.U. (Mental Health Unit)
- Judicial Services
- Detention
In addition to the many career paths within our agency and promotional advancements, there are also opportunities to participate in our Special Teams program like SWAT, Dive, Hazardous Devices and Hostage Negotiations.
Civilian Support Opportunities
While the primary function of the Sheriff's Office is law enforcement and corrections services, nearly a third of the agency positions are staffed by civilian support personnel. These positions offer opportunities in support roles such as Clerk Specialist, Analyst, and Administrative Assistants as well as highly specialized career paths like intelligence and forensics.
Volunteers/Interns
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office welcomes volunteers in both sworn and civilian capacities. The LCSO has an active Reserve Deputy Unit with over 50 active members providing sworn support to our full-time workforce. This provides a great path for newly certified officers to gain experience and segway into a full-time career with our agency. Civilian volunteers help supplement our support staff providing a vital role to the functioning of our agency. Lastly, the LCSO has a competitive well-respected internship program that provides interns either a generalized exposure to our agency or a focused experience in a specialized area.
Employee Benefits/Family Support Program
Employee Benefits and Compensation
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. We commit to ensuring salary and benefits remain competitive with other comparable local and state agencies through an annual market survey and an internal salary analysis. LCSO compensation includes the following:
- Annual Salary: Starting salaries are based upon market data and vary depending upon the position. See position classifications and postings for specific information.
- Education Subsidy: Full-time sworn employees can receive up to $130 per month for advanced degrees and FDLE training.
- Tuition Assistance: Tuition reimbursement will be paid on a per-credit hour basis based upon the Florida State University tuition rate for bachelor's degree and graduate level courses and Tallahassee Community College for associates level courses for three credit hours per semester. Reimbursement is limited to nine credit hours per calendar year.
- Special Teams Subsidy: Full-time sworn employees who are selected for a specialty team receive a $2,600-$3,900 per year subsidy.
- Equipment: All sworn employees and volunteers are issued all necessary state-of-the-art equipment including uniforms, firearms, take home vehicle and laptop (if applicable).
LCSO benefits include but are not limited to the following:
- Health Insurance: All full-time employees have a choice of a PPO or HMO plan with up to 87.5% of the premium paid by the LCSO.
- Florida Retirement System: The LCSO is an FRS employer which offers a pension or investment plan option and is portable to any other FRS employer in the state of Florida.
- Leave: The LCSO offers a generous leave system to all full-time employees including:
- Annual Leave: Accrual based upon years of service; 97.5 – 195 hours per year; maximum balance 240-500.
- Sick Leave: 97.5 hours per year; no maximum balance.
- Personal Leave: 24 hours per year.
- Life Insurance: The LCSO provides 1 times the annual salary for all full-time employees at no cost to the employee.
- Other Voluntary Benefits: The LCSO also offers additional voluntary benefits including deferred compensation plans, Aflac products, dental/vision insurance, short/long-term disability, identity theft protection and legal support products.
Benefits Booklet State Benefits
Application and Hiring Process
The Leon County Sheriff's Office accepts applications for sworn positions and volunteer opportunities year-round. Applications for civilian positions are only accepted when a position is available and posted with a closing date. Internship applications are accepted according with our semester schedule. Please note that all applications must be submitted online. Paper applications are not accepted.
Before appointment to any position with the Leon County Sheriff's Office, applicants must successfully complete multiple steps in the hiring process. These steps and processes do not apply to all positions, but include and are not limited to, testing and interview, criminal history, driving history, background investigation, psychological evaluation, drug screen, physical examination, etc. The entire process can take between 4-8 weeks depending upon the position and the applicant.
Recruitment Video (60 Seconds) Physical Abilities Test Video
Academy Links
Florida Public Safety Institute
http://www.tcc.fl.edu/about/locations/florida-public-safety-institute/programs
Other CJSTC Approved Academies
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/CJSTC/Training-Resources/Training-Centers.aspx
FDLE Officer Qualifications and Requirements
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/CJSTC/Officer-Requirements/