The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026

How to get hired at Sheriff

2,428 swornStarts at $76,798Hiring new officers nowApplicant Score 10
Hiring new officers, checked Nov 13, 2026
Open now

Laterals: open now. Posting: Deputy Sheriff Cadet-26574707.

Time to hire
Not published
Written test cutoff
PELLETB T-score 42 waives the test
PELLETB from the last 6 months
Physical test
Pass times not published.
Lie detection
Voice stress test, no polygraph
Academy
26 weeks for law enforcement, 16 for detentions and courts
Not found in sources
Pay in the academy
$78,791
Cadet, law enforcement track

The 8 steps, in order

  1. 1
    Online application
  2. 2
    Written testSAABRE or PELLETB. Waived with an associate's degree, or a PELLETB T-score of 42 from the last 6 months.Prep for this step
  3. 3
    Physical agilities testFive events. Pass times not published.Prep for this step
  4. 4
    Background investigationLaterals are told to expect at least 4 to 6 months.
  5. 5
    Voice stress test and employment interview
  6. 6
    Interview with sworn management
  7. 7
    Psychological and medical exams
  8. 8
    Academy26 weeks for the law enforcement track.

How long hiring takes

La Mesa Police2 to 8 months
San Diego Police3 to 4 months
Chula Vista Police3 to 5 months
Coronado Police3 to 6 months
Harbor Police6 to 12 months
SheriffNot published
Escondido PoliceNot published
Carlsbad PoliceNot published
Oceanside PoliceNot published
El Cajon PoliceNot published
0 mo3 mo6 mo9 mo12 mo

Each agency's own stated figure. They do not all measure the same span, so check the note on each bar.

Academy length

Minimum requirements

  • Age 20 and a half for law enforcement, 18 for detentions and courts
  • High school diploma or GED
  • Vision correctable to 20/30
  • No felony convictions
  • No illegal drug use

Not published by this agency

  • Time to hire for cadets
  • Physical test pass times
  • Shift schedule
  • Tattoo policy

Field training

Not found in sources

The lowest step on the deputy salary schedule ($76,798) is below law enforcement cadet pay ($78,791). The schedule does not say which step a new patrol deputy starts on, so treat the starting salary here as a floor.
New law enforcement deputies often start in a jail or court before patrol.
The stop data covers the whole Sheriff's Office, including nine contract cities.

Sources, checked Nov 13, 2026: Deputy salary schedule · Deputies' contract 2026 to 2029 · Recruiting site · California DOJ stop data, 2024

Brand not applied. sdsheriff.gov blocked automated requests on the day checked, so colors and logo were not pulled.

Photo: El Cajon Mountain, in the unincorporated county. 080 Black Mountain Summit Views (19) - El Cajon Mountain.jpg by The Fun Chronicles, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and tinted.

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