To apply for a Deputy Sheriff position with Dane County Sheriff's Office you will need to go to the Dane County employment page and complete your candidate profile. Once your profile is complete you can apply for any open Deputy Sheriff positions.
Applications are screened for completeness, accuracy, and qualification. Each application will need to undergo a records check as well. During the application screening, this information is compared with the data the applicant has provided. Some automatic disqualifiers include felony convictions and convictions for domestic violence-related offenses.
Applicants who pass the screening are invited to take the written examination. An e-mail notifying you of the acceptance of your application, along with the date, time, and location of your written exam, will be sent to you. Currently, we offer two locations for the exam. One in Madison, WI and one in Milwaukee, WI.
The exam we currently use is an Entry Level Law Enforcement Exam called CWH Selection Solutions. You can learn more by visiting the website here. In addition, there will be a study guide available for review prior to the exam. Information on downloading the study guide will be provided by Dane County Employee Relations with your acceptance letter.
The written exam takes about three hours and 15 minutes to complete and is designed to measure five key skills:
These traits have been determined to be important to the effective performance of your duties as a deputy sheriff.
Exam Administration for Active Duty Military Personnel
Dane County Employee Relations will arrange to test active duty military personnel stationed out of state who are unable to test at a regularly scheduled exam center. The test will only be arranged at approved U.S. Military installations, and a Test Control Officer or equivalent person must be available to administer the exam. There may be a fee for this service.
Test Scores
In order to continue with the hiring process, you will have to achieve a passing score on the exam. Passing the exam does not guarantee a job. If you don't pass the exam you will have to re-apply at a later time. You can re-take the test every 6 months. If you re-apply before the 6 months, your original test score will be reused to determine your ability to advance.
If you have taken the Select Solutions exam for DCSO or another agency within the past 6 months, we will re-use your score. Just contact a recruiter and let them know when and where you took the exam, and they can tell you if that score can be used.
Following a passing score on the exam, Dane County will invite top scoring candidates to a panel interview. If you are a top-scoring candidate, you will be notified of the time and place of your interview via telephone. A panel of Sheriff's Office personnel will interview you.
The interview will consist of a series of questions that focus on assessing essential personal qualities necessary to perform the duties of a deputy sheriff. A panel interview is not intended to cause the applicant stress. Having multiple assessors allows for a more objective assessment of your skills. It is not necessary that you have law enforcement related training or experience in order to do well in this process.
Those candidates receiving a passing score on the panel interview will be ranked according to a combination of their oral and written test scores. A maximum of 25 candidates will be placed on the eligibility list. Candidates on the eligibility list may be considered for vacancies that occur during the following 12 months.
As vacancies occur, eligible candidates will be notified whether they will advance to the background process.
In order to gain entrance into a Wisconsin law enforcement academy, candidates must complete and pass the entrance Physical Readiness Test. Lateral transfer applicants who are currently hold LE certification will skip this test, as they are already WI State certified. The standards are presented below:
A Dane County Sheriff's Office training deputy with contact you via e-mail to schedule a date to take the PRT at our training center in Waunakee, WI.
A Dane County Sheriff's Office Investigator will conduct a thorough investigation into the character and background of the candidate. Included in this investigation will be a meeting with the Investigator. The candidate will have the opportunity to review their application, provide documents, and discuss discrepancies that may have come up.
You will be notified via U.S. mail or via telephone if you will be continuing on with our hiring process or not.
Selected candidates will be invited to participate in a psychological and medical evaluation. In addition, they will be asked to submit to drug screening. In some cases, the candidate may be asked to participate in a follow-up oral psychological interview. The candidate must meet the standards set by the Dane County Sheriff's Office to continue with the hiring process.
