At the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriffs in the Law Enforcement classification come into the Department either as Cadets or as Lateral Hires from other agencies.

• APPLY NOW: Deputy Sheriff's Cadet (Law Enforcement)

• APPLY NOW: Deputy Sheriff - Lateral (Law Enforcement)

Cadets are paid at the rate of $36.26 per hour as they go through the 25-week Law Enforcement Academy. Upon graduation, Cadets are then promoted to the Deputy Sheriff classification. The base pay for a Deputy Sheriff is $70,609.50 - $117,174.20 annually. Additional pay incentives and premiums are available for those who are eligible: 

• Intermediate POST - 5%
• Advanced POST - 9.5%

For Lateral Hires, the following are additional pay incentives and premiums that are available for those who are eligible:

• New Hire Lateral Incentive pay - $1000 for each full year of external experience up to $5000
• Helicopter Pilot - up to 12.5% of base pay
• Helicopter Tactical Flight Officer - 5% of base pay
• Sheriff's Rural Enforcement Program Assignment - 10% of base pay
• In-Service Training Premium - $45 biweekly
• Bilingual Premium - $32.30 biweekly
• Diving Premium - $4.40 per hour 
• Handling of Explosive Device/Substance Premium - up to 10% of base pay
• Motor Officer Premium - 7.5% of base pay
• Prisoner Transportation Premium - 3% of base pay
• Detective Assignment Premium - 5% of base pay
• Corporal Assignment Premium - 5% of base pay
• Fire/Life Safety Premium - 5% of base pay

Work Locations

Typically, Deputy Sheriffs in Law Enforcement have their first assignment at a detentions facility or at a court facility, but they eventually go on patrol, assigned to one of the following patrol stations in the county:

• Alpine Station
• Fallbrook Substation
• Imperial Beach Substation
• Lakeside Substation
• Lemon Grove Substation
• North Coastal Station
• Poway Station
• Ramona Substation
• Rancho San Diego Station
• San Marcos Station
• Santee Station
• Valley Center Substation
• Vista Station

Work Schedule

As a Law Enforcement Deputy Sheriff, your patrol schedule will likely involve 12.5 hour shifts, with alternating 3- and 4-day periods of work and rest. You will work 7 days or nights in each 14-day pay period.