Deputy Sheriff Trainee Interview Questions (Sample)

Why do you want to be a Deputy, and why for the LASD?
I want to be part of the largest Sheriff's department in the country, with its approximately 18,000 employees. By working for such a large department, I would learn so much in a police sense, with its vast number of departments and fellow officers, and culturally, with its 42 contracted cities it serves.

Why did you choose Law-Enforcement as a career?
I have always been interested in crime, ever since I was little; I was an avid watcher of Scooby Doo growing up. As I grew older, I read any crime novel I could get my hands on, and watched many crime dramas. It was when I when was applying for colleges, that I realized I could be the cops that I saw on TV. I could make my love for fiction a reality. I could be a police officer. I have always liked helping people, so a job that combines that with my passion to see why and how the bad guys were put in prison, sealed the deal for me and what I want to do as a career. I also value a good relationship with those I work with, where we have each other's backs, and hold each other accountable.

What have you done to prepare yourself for the position?
I avidly workout because I know I need to be in tip top shape for the Academy, but for life as a cop in general. I also have my Bachelor's degree in Criminology, with an emphasis in Law-Enforcement, so I think having learned about how the Miranda Rights came about for example, will give me the upper-hand on retaining all of the information I will be tested on academically in the Academy.

What will be the most challenging aspect for you in becoming a Deputy?
I would say the most challenging aspect for me in becoming a Deputy would be to not over stress myself. I know I will be pushed beyond my limits physically and mentally, but I can't let that stop me from successfully dragging that dummy, or memorizing the penal codes.

How many square miles does the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department serve?
Approximately 20,186 sq mi (52,280 km2)

What other services does the San Bernardino's County Sheriff's Department provide?
The department is augmented by several divisions to include aviation, training, patrol, dispatch, court services, detention and the coroner's division.

How many people does the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department serve?
2.1 million residents, with 8 county and 14 contract patrol stations

How many inmates is the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department responsible in securing daily?
Approximately 18,000 inmates

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has how many custody facilities?
7

LASD provides general law enforcement services to how many contract cities?
42

Does the LASD provides general law enforcement services to facilities, hospitals, clinics, community colleges, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority?
Yes

LASD provides general law enforcement services to how many Superior Courts?
37

Core Values of the LASD
Courage - Compassion - Professionalism - Accountability - Respect

Who is LASD's current Sheriff?
Alex Villanueva

LASD Department Creed
Be painfully honest, work as hard as I can, learn as much as I can, and hopefully make a difference in people's lives (as said by Deputy David March)

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself having been patrolling for the past few years, learning from my mistakes along the way, like having a better grasp of how to deal with a call, and passing that knowledge down to the future deputies, helping educate at the Academy. I also see myself applying for a detective position in the Homicide Bureau, the Narcotics Bureau, or the Missing Persons Unit.

How much is LASD's yearly budget?
The LASD operates on a budget of $2.5 billion per year

Weakness #1: I play by the book
Due to me being such a stickler for rules and procedures, I have been told, that I can come off as terse or rude. I don't intent to come off as either of those adjectives, but I found that at my previous job as dorm security for Fresno State, my gender and small stature didn't give me much authority when it came to addressing residents to break up their party, so to make up for those stipulations, I sometimes would break up the party tersely. I am working on being more personal, less strict in the respondent's eyes, and working on not letting the stigma of a small female cop bother me.

Why should LASD hire you?
I have the passion to work in this field, not just to see justice served, but because I genuinely like helping people. I will kick butt in the Academy- physically and mentally-so that I am the most prepared I can be for the real life world patrolling as a Deputy. I will take the confidence I garnered in myself, and general experience as Fresno State dorm security-I dealt with situations involving roommate conflicts to breaking up dorm parties-and take that with me once I am in the Academy. Finally, with my Bachelor's degree in Criminology, with an emphasis in Law-Enforcement, I will apply what I learned in my Criminology classes to what I learn in the Academy.

Weakness #2: I am soft spoken
I have a very quiet demeanor. A lot of this quietness is from shyness, but also, because I don't like having a wrong answer, or asking a stupid question. When something is pertinent however, I push through all of that to get my voice heard. When it comes to things I am passionate about-like being the best deputy I can be-I am much more vocal, so from day one of the Academy to my last shift before retirement, I will push myself to be the metaphorical loudest person in the room.

Weakness #3: I like to over work myself
While, this can be a good thing, in regards to me personally, it is more of a detrimental character trait. At an early age, my mom instilled in me the importance of getting a good education, so I have always strived for the best grades in school, and I carry on that motivation to get good grades to everything else in my life, from work to my personal life. Strictly, in regards to work, my past coworkers, when I worked as dorm security for Fresno State, or as dorm summer guest assistance, can attest that I would take on extra work to help them out when I was already stressed with my own work, or not take proper work breaks because I wanted to get more and more work complete, so that I would have less to do later.

Strength #2: I play by the book
If I am taught to do something a certain way, I will make sure I do it that certain way. If I know something isn't proper procedure, I will notice it, and correct it, or correct my fellow officer.

Strength #3: I have a good work attitude:
I will leave my personal problems at the door, once my shift starts, and put on a smile, ready to not let them interfere with my work. In tense situations, I keep my emotions at bay. If I let my emotions get in the way of the job at hand, I could make the respondent of my call emotional, and in turn, lead to the escalation of a routine noise disturbance call.

Describe a conflict and how you resolved it
A few months ago, when I was still working dorm security for Fresno State, a few co-workers and I responded to a call in which a resident suspected their resident assistant was smoking marijuana in their dorm. We let our on call supervisor know of the situation, and that we were going to check it out. We thought that they would come with us for back-up, since a staff member was potentially involved in smoking marijuana, but they didn't. Luckily, the resident assistant wasn't smoking marijuana, but my co-workers and I didn't feel supported by our supervisor, so we talked to them about it. They apologized, and explained that they didn't intent for us to feel unsupported. They didn't want to overwhelm the suspected marijuana smoking staff member, so they let us handle it on our own. Once we talked the situation through, and how we felt about it, we all agreed that this situation put into perspective how to better support one another, and in general, how to better support all of co-workers, because our jobs require good support from one another.

Describe yourself
I a recent graduate from Fresno State. I majored in Criminology, with an emphasis in Law-Enforcement.

I am a very organized, observant, and detail-oriented person. I take being on time very seriously, and will go the extra mile to make sure, say for instance, my police report is thoroughly written, and proofed.

Fun fact: I am a triplet