Application and Testing

First, you can complete your application at www.publicsafetytesting.com and schedule a date to take the written and physical tests. Following the test, you will receive a printed copy of your results. This is for your information. Public Safety Testing (PST) will validate the results and send them to us directly. 

Oral Board

Once we receive your results from PST, we will contact you to schedule an oral board. This is a formal interview in front of a panel of King County deputies, detectives and/or sergeants. The panel will evaluate you on the following criteria: communication skills, background, community involvement, experience, integrity, motivation, interpersonal skills and problem solving.

Mentoring Program

After successfully completing the oral board interview, you will have the option to participate in the mentoring program. This is completely voluntary on your part. Mentors are experienced deputies, detectives, or sergeants who also have volunteered to be a contact person within the department as mentors. They can provide assistance, guidance, and perspective during the hiring, academy, and training processes. Your mentor is paired with you and remains your mentor until you complete the field training phase. Your mentor also will take you on a ride-along anywhere in the county and can facilitate future rides. It is an invaluable asset to receive advice, information, and encouragement from an objective department member who wants to see you succeed.

Civil Service Eligibility List

Based on the combined scores of the written test and the oral board, as well as veterans preference points if applicable, qualified candidates will be merged onto the existing entry-level or lateral eligibility lists. This list determines the order in which background investigations are conducted.

Background Investigation

Our thorough background investigation includes a look at your criminal history record, employment history, personal references, driving history, credit history and an evaluation of psychological suitability. KCSO detectives will conduct the investigation, which now includes a home visit. Personal references and current and previous employers will be contacted. Once the background investigation is complete, you will take a polygraph test and you will undergo psychological testing and an evaluation by a department psychologist.

Final Interview and Medical Exam

Once you pass the background process, you will have a final interview with the hiring captain. Upon successful completion of that interview, you will get the call you’ve been waiting for – a job offer contingent on passing a basic medical exam that confirms your fitness for duty.

Timeline

While some background investigations take longer than others and depending on your position on the eligibility list, you can expect the time from the point your background investigation begins to the time you are offered a job to take between eight and 12 weeks.