Hourly Helicopter Observer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $115,772.55 - $140,713.63 Annually
Location : Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 25/03-4081-OC
Department: Sheriff's Office (SHF)
Opening Date: 03/04/2025
Closing Date: Continuous
Bargaining Unit: 46
Position Information
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office seeks qualified law enforcement officers.
Join our team in beautiful Sonoma County as a Deputy Sheriff II!
STARTING SALARY UP TO $67.42/HOUR ($140,713/YEAR)*, a generous benefits package, including wellness and professional development funds, and opportunities for premium pay assignments.
Candidates with English/Spanish bilingual skills and out-of-state applicants are encouraged to apply!
When you join the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, you become part of a strong work family that makes a difference in our community. You can also look forward to excellent benefits including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Additional premiums - for specialty assignments and POST Intermediate and Advanced Certificates, up to 10% of base salary
• Bilingual Premium Pay* - An additional $0.90/0.45/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for basic/fluent bilingual positions
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $750 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for through the U.S. Department of Education

Do You Meet the Criteria?
This full-time, working-level position in the Deputy Sheriff job series is for individuals who meet one of the following criteria:

• Possess a California Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Basic Certificate, which includes at least one (1) year of recent, full-time paid experience as a Law Enforcement Officer with a city, county, state, or federal police agency; OR
• Are out-of-state* law enforcement officers possessing a California POST Basic Course Waiver (BCW), and at least one (1) year of recent, full-time paid experience as a Law Enforcement Officer with a city, county, state, or federal police agency

Out-of-state applicants are encouraged to apply. In order to qualify for this position, applicants must obtain a California POST BCW prior to applying. Corrections experience is not applicable. Please review the Selection Procedure section of this job announcement for further information.
Working in the Sonoma County Sheriff's OfficeIn partnership with our community, Deputy Sheriffs commit to providing professional, fair, and compassionate public safety services with integrity and respect. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has been serving the community since 1850. We employ over 650 employees, in more than 30 different highly-trained and specialized units. Our job is to protect the half-million residents within the 1,768 square miles of Sonoma County.
In the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff IIs patrol assigned areas, serve warrants, make arrests, and assist in preliminary criminal investigations. The patrol force operates out of the main office of the Sheriff's Office in Santa Rosa, two substations located in Guerneville, and the Sonoma Valley, as well as two contracted police stations in the Town of Windsor (Windsor Police Department) and the City of Sonoma (Sonoma Police Department). Currently, patrol shifts are based on either a 4-day, 10-hour or a 3-day, 12-hour work day.
Deputies can be assigned to various work areas including: patrol, civil bureau, personnel, coroner, investigations, prisoner transport, helicopter, marine unit, and court security. They are required to work all shifts and overtime, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
A variety of specialty assignments are also available in the Sheriff's Office. Assignments such as explosive ordinance detail, SWAT team, tactical response team, hostage negotiator, training officer, dog handler, helicopter observer, internal affairs investigator, background investigators, and detective assignments within a variety of investigative units. Specialty assignments are made on a "most qualified" basis and are entitled to premium pay. To learn more about these assignments, and how we serve the community, please visit the .
Ideal Candidates
The Sheriff's Office is eager to recruit and develop Deputy Sheriffs who have exceptional interpersonal and problem-solving skills in order to effectively interact with our diverse community, work independently, and make appropriate decisions during times of emergencies and in the midst of stressful situations. Additionally, the most qualified candidates will bring:

• A Basic P.O.S.T certificate
• One or more years of experience working patrol for another agency
• Knowledge of California laws
• Experience testifying in a court of law
• Some knowledge of Sonoma County and demographics

We Want to Hear from You!
Would you like to learn more about joining the Sheriff's Office? Visit our Personnel Bureau website or contact us and speak to the Sheriff's recruiting team at 707.565.2779 or email Sheriff-Recruitment@sonoma-county.org.
When you join the County of Sonoma, you'll have the freedom to explore the beauty of our county - its picturesque coastline, majestic redwoods, historic towns, fine dining, award winning wineries, and a wide variety of entertainment and cultural activities. Please visit
and for additional information about the community.
*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the and our Bilingual positions require English and Spanish skills at either the basic (conversational) or fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. A bilingual examination will be conducted prior to employment to confirm level of skill. The bilingual premium pay begins upon the assignment of a bilingual caseload. The Civil Service title for this position is Deputy Sheriff II.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: One year of recent, full-time paid experience as a law enforcement officer with a city, county, state or federal police agency.
Education: Graduation from high school or possession of an acceptable General Education Development Certificate.
Special Qualifications: Possession of the P.O.S.T. basic certificate. Law enforcement experience performing patrol functions is highly desirable.
License: Possession of a valid California driver's license and a good driving record.
Background Requirement: Incumbents shall not have been convicted of a felony in this state or any other state or in any federal jurisdiction, or of any offense in any other state or in any federal jurisdiction, which would have been a felony If committed in this state, nor be under current formal probation supervision.
Citizenship Requirement: Permanent resident aliens who wish to be employed as peace officers must apply for citizenship at least one year before application for such employment. If a permanent resident alien has not obtained citizenship within three years after application for employment or is denied citizenship, he or she shall be disqualified for peace officer status.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Working knowledge of: the laws, ordinances, rules and regulations enforced by the department; modern procedures and methods employed in crime detection and investigation and knowledge of general police practices and techniques; court procedures in criminal and civil trials. Working knowledge of the use and care of firearms; criminal attitudes and behavior patterns and the social factors underlying criminal behavior; recent developments, current literature and sources of information of criminal investigation procedures and police patrol practices.
Knowledge of: first aid methods and their applications; the geography and topography of Sonoma County.
Ability to: enforce the law firmly, tactfully and impartially and to deal courteously with the general public; make quick, effective and reasonable decisions and to take appropriate action in emergencies; understand and follow written and oral directions. Ability to speak and write effectively.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Responses to supplemental questions will be used in assessing minimum qualifications. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%). Each application and supplemental questionnaire will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position. Candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be placed on an employment list and referred to the department for selection interviews.
OUT-OF-STATE APPLICANTS
The Sheriff's Office encourages out-of-state applicants. However, in order to qualify for this position, they must obtain a California POST Basic Course Waiver (BCW) to meet California's Regular Basic Course Training requirements. The BCW process is for individuals who want to become California peace officers, and have completed at least 664 hours of general law enforcement training (including a general law enforcement basic course of at least 200 hours). Once the BCW process is successfully completed, the applicant receives a waiver of the California Basic Course. For more information visit
If you are in possession of a BCW, please attach a copy to your application materials.
BACKGROUND PROCESS
Being part of the Sheriff's Office and being expected to keep the public safe requires a thorough background investigation process. This process includes an assessment of prior work history, verifying educational experiences, court reports, public records searches, and understanding past patterns relating to drug usage, financial patterns, etc. This entails gathering a significant amount of information from job candidates and speaking to former employers, friends, family members, etc. Polygraphs, drug tests, and medical and physical examinations are also part of this process. Candidates must be honest and forthcoming about information that may arise during the background process. Deception during any portion of this process is grounds for disqualification, even after employment. This process can take anywhere from 3-5 months. Many factors are taken into consideration and one should not assume a credit issue or prior drug use is automatically disqualifying. Candidates will be given the opportunity to present mitigating information they feel should be considered. You are encouraged to be as responsive as possible while this process is taking place to help expedite the timeline, and we encourage you to stay patient and interested in this great career opportunity while this process is taking place.
You may also review the to determine the requirements for this position.
Please read the for further information.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications are accepted online at Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications hav