GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES 

Performs general duty law enforcement work in protecting the lives, property, and rights of citizens in the county, in serving a variety of civil court papers, and in serving all subpoenas and a variety of criminal papers in the Guilford County Sheriff's Department.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS

An employee in this class performs a variety of law enforcement duties on an assigned shift. Work is derived from the requirement to protect life and property, to conduct initial investigations in an assigned zone of the county, to patrol in an official vehicle to deter crimes, and to apprehend violators or suspects. Duties may include: serving criminal court papers such as warrants and subpoenas; receiving and serving civil process papers such as civil and magistrate summons, subpoenas, notice of rights, and court orders. The employee is subject to the usual hazards of law enforcement. Considerable tact, firmness and courtesy are required in serving the public. The employee is expected to exercise alertness and independent judgement in dealing with unusual situations. Work is performed in accordance with established policies and procedures of the Sheriff's Department and is evaluated by a superior for adherence to departmental policies through observation, conferences, and review of records and reports, and for the effectiveness of assigned duties.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential Duties and Tasks

• Patrols an assigned zone of the county to detect and deter crime; responds to citizen calls for assistance; conducts preliminary investigations of crimes and complaints; makes arrests and transports prisoners; testifies in court concerning enforcement and investigative activities; participates in special investigations; explains law to citizens; and maintains records of patrol and investigative activities.
• Serves criminal papers such as warrants, subpoenas, notices of hearing, orders of forfeiture, and commitment papers; locates people to serve papers on, explains briefly the meaning of papers served, and makes arrests when necessary.
• Serves civil process papers such as civil summons, magistrate summons, notice of rights, subpoenas, and court orders dealing with child support, child custody, and domestic violence; explains briefly the meaning of papers served and remains on the scene after serving certain civil papers until the civil process is completed.
• Participates in surveillance and stake out duties; assists with raids and searches.
• Cooperates with other law enforcement officers of other governmental units in conducting investigations and making arrests.
• Performs related work as required.

RECRUITMENT STANDARDS
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Working knowledge of the operations, functions, procedures, and legal processes of the Sheriff's Department.
• Working knowledge of the criminal and civil papers issued by the courts and the practices involved in serving them.
• Working knowledge of county, state, and federal laws relative to civil and criminal procedures.
• Working knowledge of the content and purposes of legal papers and the practices involved in serving them.
• Considerable knowledge of the operation of two-way radio equipment and related FCC regulations.
• Working knowledge of the geographical layout of the county as to location of roads, important buildings, and other landmarks.
• Skill in the use of firearms and other law enforcement equipment.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement in emergency and routing situations and to adopt quick, effective, and reasonable courses of action.
• Ability to speak clearly, distinctly, and politely.
• Ability to deal tactfully and courteously with the public.
• Ability to prepare and maintain clerical records.

Minimum Qualifications

High school graduation or equivalent and demonstrated work experience to perform job duties; OR, two year degree program with emphasis in Criminal Justice or related field; OR, graduation from an accredited four year college or university. Preferred: Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET).

Special Requirement

Must possess the requirement for the employment, education, and training standards for law enforcement officers as required by the North Carolina Criminal Training and Standards Council Act and the North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Standards Council.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

An employee in this position must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions. Additionally, the employee must be able to perform heavy work exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally and/or in excess of 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 pounds of force constantly to lift objects. The employee is required to have visual acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned.

Employee is subject to environmental conditions (activities occur inside and outside), extreme cold (temperatures below 32 degrees for periods of more than one hour), and extreme heat (temperatures above 100 degrees for periods of more than one hour).
 
Driving is Essential 
Driving is an essential requirement of this position whether driving a County owned or personal vehicle to conduct county business. Motor Vehicle Reports may be verified for valid driver's license and that the driving record is compatible with the county's driving criteria.
If a personal vehicle is operated for county business proper insurance is maintained as per Guilford County's vehicle use policy.

Special Note

This generic class description gives an overview of the job class, its essential job functions and recommended job requirements. However, for each individual position assigned to this class, there is available a completed job description with physical abilities checklist which can be reviewed before initiating a selection process. They can provide additional detailed information on which to base various personnel actions and can assist management in making legal defensible personnel decisions.