Deputy Sheriff Corporal

Deputy Sheriff Corporals serve as lead workers to deputy sheriffs and/or serve as a specialist in a functional area.  Incumbents are tasked with gathering facts and evidence, performing law enforcement duties, performing outreach and public relation activities, completing paperwork, preparing for and testifying in court, leading employees, and training probationary deputies.  Corporals may be transferred from one division to another in order to gain mastery of various disciplines within the department.  They receive assignments which require decision making skills and experience and/or are assigned to a technical specialty within the department.  Corporals differ from Deputy Sheriffs in that Corporals are provided with the opportunity to gain experiences in the leadership of others or to perform work which requires extensive knowledge or expertise.  Corporals differ from Deputy Sheriff Sergeants in that Corporals do not have full time responsibility for managing and supervising others.  Corporals are typically supervised by Deputy Sheriff Sergeants or Lieutenants.

As of November 8, 2018, High school diploma or equivalent and twelve months of continuous service as a Deputy Sheriff, excluding time in service as a Deputy Sheriff Trainee.

Must maintain APOST certification and firearms certification to include rifles and shot guns. Must maintain certifications in the deployment of taser, use of NCIC, and Draeger. 

How to apply

Complete an online application by visiting Montgomery City-County Personnel's Online Employment Center. Paper applications are no longer accepted. Completed applications will be accepted online until 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. If there is no closing date, the announcement may be closed at any time without prior notice.   

Purpose of examination

The purpose of the exam is to establish an employment register to fill any vacancies for the classification that may occur over the life of the register.  If there are less than five qualified applicants, an examination will not be administered.  All candidates will be placed on the employment list.  

Examination dates

Qualified candidates who apply to compete in the selection process will be notified in writing of specific dates, times, and locations at which to appear for the selection process.  

Examination orientation

Orientation sessions will be held to familiarize candidates with the examination.  The sessions will be held on August 21, 2018 in the Patrol Muster Room at 9 AM and 3 PM.  You should choose which time works best for your schedule.  

The orientation sessions are not mandatory.  A candidate orientation guide will be distributed at the meetings.  If you do not attend the orientation, you may obtain a guide after the date of the orientation at the front desk of the Montgomery City-County Personnel Department.  

Examination description

The competitive examination process will consist of two types of exercises.  These exercises are summarized below and include a structured oral interview and a meeting exercise with a written follow-up.   More detailed information will be available in the candidate information guide.  

Structured Oral Interview Overview:

The structured oral interview will contain a variety of questions. Some of the questions will be related to specific policies and procedures from the Sheriff’s Manual of Policies and Procedures, Criminal Laws of Alabama, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Officers' Handbook. Additional resources may be listed in the Candidate Information Guide which is made available at orientation or at the Personnel Department after the day of orientation until the test date. To prepare for these type questions, you should become thoroughly familiar with these manuals and books. You will not be allowed to reference the books during this portion of the assessment.  

Some of the questions will relate to specific problems or situations that corporals might face on the job. In other words, you will be tested to determine if you can accurately apply the laws, policies and procedures.  

You will be allowed very brief time to review the questions and then verbally present your answers to the questions. You will receive time limits to review and time limits to present in the instructions provided at the test.  

Meeting Exercise with Written Follow-up:

The meeting exercise is developed to simulate typical interactions between corporals and other individuals. The exercise consists of a work-related, one-on-one situation involving problems encountered by corporals. In the meeting, the candidate takes the role of a corporal and a role player takes the role of either a subordinate, coworker, supervisor, or citizen. The candidate is provided with background information explaining the general situation and is asked to handle the situation as he or she thinks a corporal should. After the meeting, the candidate will receive 1-3 follow-up questions about the meeting. These questions have no time limit and must be answered verbally as soon as they are asked by the monitor. The exercise will be recorded for rating at a later date.  

After completing the meeting, candidates will use the information that they gained in the meeting to develop a written document. This portion of the exercise is designed to test whether you have the ability to write the kinds of documents required at the rank of corporal. Both portions of the exercise will be rated by panels of law enforcement officers.  

Performance dimensions

The exam has been designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities which are important for a corporal to possess on the first day of the job.  Those knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) which were judged by subject matter experts to be important and which are amenable to testing have been grouped together into areas of similarity to form performance dimensions.  It is these six dimensions upon which the assessment has been based.  

The following information provides a description of these dimensions as well as the test weight of each dimension.  More detailed information about the exercises, weights, and KSAs underlying each performance dimension will be provided in the candidate information guide.  

The following dimensions will be assessed in the assessment:  

• Written Communication (WC) - 19%

The extent to which one can express ideas through writing in a clear, unambiguous, and effective manner.  

• Oral Communication (OC) - 19%

The extent to which one can give an oral presentation and/or communicate on a one-to-one basis by listening and responding.

• Technical Knowledge (TECH) - 17%

The extent to which one possesses the legal and operational knowledge needed to act as a law enforcement officer in the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.  

• Problem Analysis and Decision Making (PA/DM) - 17%

The extent to which one possesses the skill of identifying problems, securing relevant information, identifying possible causes of problems and reaching solutions.  

• Human Relations (HR) - 15%

The extent to which one perceives and reacts to the needs of others. Objectivity of perceiving impact of self on others.  

• Leadership (L) - 13%

The extent to which one leads others through example and by coordination and direction.  

Disqualification from competition

The Personnel Department and/or expert shall disqualify an applicant or candidate from competition upon determination that:  

1.         The application was not received by the filing deadline.  

2.         The applicant fails to meet the minimum qualifications specified in the announcement.  

3.         The candidate fails to appear at the announced time and place for testing.  

4.         The candidate is found to be cheating.  Cheating involves any attempt by an individual or group to enhance test scores by means other than actual knowledge or ability, including but not limited to, efforts to give or receive information about the test content or correct responses before, after or during a test.  Examples of cheating during a test would be:

a)         attempting to gain access to the test under false pretenses

b)         failing to follow instructions given by the test administrators or proctors

c)         talking to another candidate during the test

d)         removing or attempting to remove test materials from the test site

e)         leaving the testing room, holding room, or other location without permission from the test administrator

f)         attempting to use notes, hand held computers or calculators when instructed not to

g)         looking at another person’s test paper or answer sheet

h)         working on a test section after time has been called

i)          giving or receiving test information to or from another person  

The Personnel Department may not exercise discretion in waiving these requirements for qualification except as may be required by law in connection with military personnel called to active duty.  

The Personnel Department will provide written notification of the disqualification and the reason for disqualification to the applicant or candidate within five (5) days from the determination of the disqualifying circumstance.