Upon coming in for my interview, they were fifteen minutes late getting me actually in front of an interviewer. When I was escorted in, I found myself in front of a physically raised panel of four armed, uniformed police officers and two other department workers. Before the interview even started, they wanted me to inform them if I had ever received a traffic violation. They said that they were going to ask me questions that answers might automatically disqualify me for the interview because they don't want to waste time if I won't pass a background check. Some questions they asked were illegal, including: Have you ever spent any time in jail for any period, for any reason? Have you ever in the past used any type of illegal drug, including marijuana? Have you ever received any citation from an officer, including a traffic violation? Have you ever been involuntarily excused from a position? If so, what company, when, why and how long did you work there? They informed me that they would be asking me repeat questions to ensure that my "stories lined up". Not a place I want to work for if you get disqualified for one speeding ticket, or being fired from a job a long time ago without cause, or even trying marijuana once when you were a teenager. This position, I reiterate, was for an office job.

I applied online in June. I was emailed about a "pre-screen" interview which took place in August. I was escorted to a room where one person sat across a table from me. He asked me a few questions including: have you ever had a traffic violation including misdemeanors, have you ever used illegal drugs, have you used marijuana in the last 5 years, have you ever been arrested, and a question that basically asked have you ever been a party in a legal process where you were accused of something. There were a few other basic questions as well. I was informed by email a few days later that I had passed the pre-screen interview and was now eligible for the written exam. I took the exam which was mostly about spelling and punctuation. It was scheduled for an hour and you had to complete roughly 150 questions. I was informed by email a few days later that I had passed the written exam with 95%. I had an interview today (August 19, 2014). I was escorted into a room where 6 people waited to interview me. Two of the people were uniformed police officers and the 4 others who looked to be office workers. I was asked: first to describe myself and my goals, why I want the position, why I would be a good fit, if I have ever been forced to leave an employer, if I have ever been written up at a previous employer, lastly, they asked if I had any questions. It took about 10 minutes. It was extremely uncomfortable but I guess that's to be expected when your interviewing for a Sheriff's Office. I was not completely prepared for some of the questions they asked but hopefully that isn't a total dis-qualifier.