Entry Level - Mercer County Deputy Sheriff

Civil Service Hiring Process

The Mercer County Sheriff’s Department keeps an active civil service list of eligible candidates for the position of Deputy Sheriff.

Once the list expires, or less than three names remain, a new test is requested and occurs in the following manner:

The Mercer County Civil Service Commission will contact all persons who have filed an application by certified mail. Then, all applicants must pass a state mandated physical ability test consisting of four parts; Upper body strength, Muscular endurance, aerobic power and flexibility.

(Link to The Division Criminal Justice Services) http://www.wvdcjs.com/lawenforcement/training/physicalability.html  Upon passing, an applicant is given the opportunity to take a written civil service examination.  Once an applicant passes the written examination, he or she will go onto a list of eligible candidates by order of score.

Any applicant serving in the military and who had served in a time of conflict, may request in writing for five additional points to be added to their written examination score, providing the applicant first passes the test.

Members of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department will then begin thorough background investigations, a polygraph, psychological evaluation, interviews etc. starting with the top three positions on the list of eligible candidates.  If one or more of the candidates are hired or deleted from the list, the next applicant(s) in line will fill those positions.

Qualifications

See WV State Code 7-14-8

http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/masterfrm3Banner.cfm   

Benefits For Deputy Sheriff

Medical Insurance

Presently the Mercer County Commission pays 84%  of  medical insurance for employees who participate in the program.

§7-14-17a. Vacations for deputy sheriffs.

The county commission of each county shall allow the sheriff's deputies in its employ, vacation time accrued in the following manner: For deputies with less than five years of service, vacation time shall be accrued at the rate of one and one-quarter days for each calendar month of service; for deputies with five to ten years of service, vacation time shall be accrued at the rate of one and one-half days for each calendar month of service; for deputies with ten to fifteen years of service, vacation time shall be accrued at the rate of one and three-quarter days for each calendar month of service; for deputies with fifteen or more years of service, vacation time shall be accrued at the rate of two days for each calendar month of service.
Each deputy sheriff shall only receive vacation time for each month in which he shall have worked one hour more than one half the normal working hours in a given month as prescribed by the sheriff.
No more than thirty days of accrued vacation time may be carried forward from one calendar year to the next.

§7-14-17b. Sick leave for deputy sheriffs.

(a) The county commission of each county shall allow the sheriff's deputies sick leave with pay to be computed as follows: Full-time deputies are entitled to one and one-half days sick leave for each calendar month worked, or greater part thereof; part-time deputies are entitled to sick leave at the same rate and in the same proportion that hours actually worked bears to hours regularly scheduled for full-time deputies.
(b) Sick leave may be granted only when illness on the part of or injury to the deputy incapacitates him or her for duty: Provided, That the sheriff of the county in which the deputy is employed has the authority to require the deputy to produce a statement from an attending physician for each day of sick leave beyond two days. This statement shall include dates of treatment and also state that the deputy was unable to work. In the absence of the physician's statement, if required, annual leave shall be charged for the entire period.
(c) In the event of illness, a full-time deputy may take without limit emergency sick leave without pay after all accrued sick leave, annual leave and compensatory time available to the full-time deputy has been exhausted.

§7-14-17e. Deputy sheriffs who are required to work during holidays; how compensated.

From the effective date of this section, if any deputy sheriff is required to work during a legal holiday as specified in section one, article two, chapter two of this code, or if a legal holiday falls on the deputy sheriff's regular scheduled day off, the sheriff shall decide either that, the deputy sheriff shall be allowed equal time off at a time approved by the sheriff under whom the deputy sheriff serves, or in the alternative, shall be paid at a rate not less than one and one-half times the deputy sheriff's regular rate of pay.

§7-14D-11. Retirement benefits.

This section provides for the adjustment of a member's accrued benefit to reflect the difference in age, in years and months, between the member's annuity starting date and the date the member attains normal retirement age. This age adjustment shall be made based upon the normal form of benefit and shall be the actuarial equivalent of the accrued benefit at the member's normal retirement age. The member shall receive the age adjusted retirement income in the normal form or in an actuarial equivalent amount in an optional form as provided under section twelve of this chapter. The first day of the calendar month of birth shall be used in lieu of any birth date that does not fall on the first day of a calendar month.
(a) Normal retirement. -- A member whose annuity starting date is the date the member attains normal retirement age, is entitled to his or her accrued benefit without adjustment for age at commencement. To the extent that a member's starting date is later than his or her normal retirement age, the amount of that member's retirement income benefit shall be adjusted as provided in subsection (c) of this section.
(b) Early retirement. -- A member who ceases covered employment and has attained early retirement age while in covered employment may elect to receive retirement income payments commencing on the first day of the month coincident with or following the date the member ceases covered employment. "Normal retirement age" for such a member is the first day of the calendar month coincident with or next following the month in which the member attains the age of fifty years. If the member's annuity starting date is prior to the date the member attains normal retirement age, his or her accrued benefit is reduced to the actuarial equivalent benefit amount based on the years and months by which his or her annuity starting date precedes the date he or she attains normal retirement age. If the member's annuity starting date is later than the date the member attains the age of fifty years, the accrued benefit is adjusted as provided in subsection (c) of this section.
(c) Late retirement. -- A member whose annuity starting date is later than the date the member attains normal retirement age shall receive retirement income payments in the normal form which is the actuarial equivalent of the benefit to which he or she would have been entitled had the retirement income payments commenced at the member's normal retirement age.
(d) Retirement benefits shall be paid monthly in an amount equal to one twelfth of the retirement income payments elected and at those times established by the board. Notwithstanding any other provision of the plan, a member who is married on the annuity starting date will receive his or her retirement income payments in the form of a sixty-six and two-thirds percent joint and survivor annuity with his or her spouse unless prior to the annuity starting date the spouse waives the form of benefit.