Salas introduces legislation to streamline state's sheriffs' hiring process

The bill extends the amount of time a peace office has between finishing his or her full basic training and being hired as a deputy from three years to five years, if in that time they are employed as a peace officer in a non-patrol position in the same department. Under current law, this flexibility already exists due to legislation authored by Salas in 2015. However, the stature is set to expire in 2019. Under AB 1888, the law would become permanent.

According to Kings County Sheriff David Robinson, the law has worked well in Kings County, which is why there is interest in making it permanent. “This law gave us an additional hiring pool that was difficult to hire from prior to the passage of this bill,” said Robinson. “The additional two years on the certificate expiration date has been a great help for us locally.”

The California State Sheriffs’ Association supports the bill, which represents sheriffs from across the state. “The continuation of this successful program will allow counties to attract and retain qualified deputies, which benefits every community while ensuring appropriate and rigorous training requirements remain in place,” said Sheriff Bill Brown, President of the California Sheriffs’ Association.

During critical emergency response periods, sheriffs provide valuable support and expertise to first responders. This legislation will help to shore up the shortage of sheriffs that currently exists, providing significant assistance to emergency and disaster areas.