Municipal Court Marshal

Position Description

Seattle Municipal Court’s (SMC) mission is to provide a forum for citizens to resolve alleged violations of the law in a respectful, independent, and impartial manner. The Court is dedicated to advancing social justice issues by supporting personal, structural, and systemic change in our community, and building a diverse workforce. The Court works collaboratively to realize the City’s vision of racial equity by participating in the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative. Candidates with the ability to effectively work with multi-cultural communities are encouraged to apply.

SMC, recognized for our proactive and innovative approach, is seeking experienced law enforcement or correction officers for the position of Court Marshal. The unit consists of 11 specially commissioned officers, two Sergeants, and a Chief leading the team. Join the Court's specially commissioned team as an officer responsible for all aspects of security and creating a safe environment for defendants, the public, and Court employees. This high-volume work unit seeks to hire dedicated, agile, and motivated staff. Candidates with the ability to speak multiple languages are encouraged to apply.

This recruitment is for a Court Marshal position at Seattle Municipal Court. The Court may consider applicants from this recruitment process for full-time regular and on-call, intermittent Court Marshal openings. When hired as an on-call, intermittent Court Marshal, you may later be offered a full-time regular position when/if a vacancy opens.

You will be successful in this role if you are committed to:

• Public service and the justice system.
• Upholding strict standards of ethical behavior.
• Working in a fast-paced collaborative team environment.
• Building relationships
  
  

Job Responsibilities

• Guard and protect prisoners, Court staff and the public in courtrooms, holding cells and court-related areas. Intervene in potential incidents of violence.
• Report criminal violations to the Seattle Police Department.
• Transport SMC defendants on Court Transport Orders from other jail locations.
• Transport SMC defendants held at other jails to be booked into King County Jail for SMC warrants. Escort prisoners or detainees between secured facilities and courtrooms.
• Monitor, assist, and oversee security screeners to ensure screening of the public is conducted in a professional manner.
• Operate security devices: firearm, baton, Taser, etc. in the discharge of their duties.
• Act as first responder to fire alarms, bomb threats, activated alarms, and various safety concerns, and assist with building evacuations within the Seattle Justice Center.
• Complete incident reports and various required paperwork.
• Successfully secure and maintain Seattle Police Department special commission which includes passing an annual firearm qualification at the Seattle Police Department range.
• Arrest a person in compliance with an arrest warrant after confirming the existence and extradition. Arrest and remand a person into custody pursuant to a judicial officer’s order.
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Certified by a criminal justice or corrections academy program AND at least two years of full-time law enforcement or corrections experience. (Previously certified by a basic law enforcement OR corrections academy)

• Can successfully pass a polygraph, psychological, medical, and drug testing. Is trained and experienced in the use of defensive tactics and use of force.
• Ability to become certified in the use of firearms.
• Valid Washington State Driver's license.
• 21 years of age upon hire.
• High school diploma or GED.
• U.S. citizen.
  
  

Minimum Employment Standards:

The following are automatic disqualifiers - applicants should not apply to our agency if any of the following apply:

Criminal Record: any adult felony conviction; any misdemeanor or felony conviction while employed in a criminal justice and/or law enforcement capacity; or any domestic violence conviction. Prior to the date of this application, the applicant has not manufactured or cultivated illegal drug(s) for the sales/marketing of the drug(s) and has not sold or facilitated the sale of illegal drugs.

Drug Use: Prior to the date of this application, the applicant has NOT used:

• Marijuana within twelve (12) months, and
• Cocaine or crack within the previous ten (10) years, and
• Club drugs, such as, but not limited to: Ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol, or MDMA (ecstasy) within the previous five(5) years, and
• Any Hallucinogens; PCP, Angel Dust, Wet, Phencyclidine, LSD, Mushrooms, or Psylocibin, within the previous ten (10) years, and
• Opium, Morphine, or Heroin within the previous ten (10) years, and
• Methamphetamine, Crank, Crystal, Ice, Speed, Glass, or Amphetamine within the previous ten (10) years, and
• Aerosols, sometimes referred to as Huffing (paint) or Whippits (Nitrous Oxide) or used Khat within the previous five (5) years, and
• Four (4) or more controlled substances within the previous ten (10) years, andAny illegal drug(s) while employed in a criminal justice and/or law enforcement capacity.
  
  

Case-by-Case Disqualifiers: The following are behaviors that will be given case-by-case consideration:

• Military Discharge: Any discharge from any military service other than honorable circumstances (fair employment laws apply).
• Traffic Record: An applicant's driving record will be thoroughly assessed and may be a factor for disqualification. Examples of infractions/traffic crimes that may be disqualifying include: Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), reckless driving or hit and run driving, or suspension of your driver's license within five years of the date of application.
• Employment Record: An applicant's employment history, including any terminations, or leaving an employer in lieu of termination, will be thoroughly assessed and may be grounds for disqualification.
• Financial Record: An applicant's credit history, including excessive credit card debt or unresolved accounts in collections will be thoroughly assessed and may be grounds for disqualification. The following will be disqualifying failure to pay income tax, or child support.
• Professional Appearance: All applicants are always expected to maintain a professional appearance. SMC has the discretion in determining what is considered professional, as it relates to the position the applicant is applying for. All tattoos, branding (intentional burning of skin to create a design), voluntary disfigurement (marring or spoiling of the appearance or shape of a body part), or scarification (intentional cutting of the skin to create a design) shall be carefully reviewed by SMC on a case-by-case basis.
  
  

SPECIAL COMMISSION ELIGIBILITY

This position has a special commission issued by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) which requires all Court Marshal candidates to meet certain hiring standards. Please review the automatic and case-by-case disqualifiers to determine if you are qualified to submit your application for the Court Marshal position.

SPD is interested in the applicant's life story as a complete picture. SPD understands that, at times, people encounter challenges in their lives. During the background investigation process, SPD will learn in detail about those challenges, as well as the lessons learned, and the life changes the applicant has made.

Note: The Physical Agility Test (PAT) and WA State Basic Law Enforcement equivalency academy training are not required. For more information on the Seattle Municipal Court, visit www.seattle.gov/courts.

Additional Information

Work Environment:

This position will primarily be onsite at the Seattle Justice enter at 600 5th Ave, Seattle. Alternative Work Arrangements may be considered and will be based on operational needs.

Why Work at the City:

The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in the Race and Social Justice Initiative by working to dismantle racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and provide equitable processes and services.

Benefits:

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans

Pay:

The full hourly pay range for this position is $44.13 - $53.53 per hour. To ensure internal equity, the expected starting salary is $44.13 which is Step 1 of the 6 Step Salary Range.

Hiring Process:

There are four steps for candidates applying to start their career as a Seattle Municipal Court, Court Marshal.

Before applying, please make sure you meet the qualifications for the position.

Steps

• Application: Qualified candidates must submit the following to be considered. Applications that do not include the required information outlined below will be considered incomplete and may not be reviewed:
• Completed NEOGOV online application and supplemental questions.
• PDF of your cover letter describing WHY YOU WANT THIS JOB AND WHY YOU WANT TO WORK FOR THE SEATTLE MUNICIPAL COURT.
• PDF of your resume.
• Copy of your law enforcement or corrections certification and/or transcript.
  
  

Application Tips:

Update your application to make sure the employment dates on your application match the employment dates on your resume.

Give us the details of the responsibilities and tasks you performed in your current and previous positions. The more detail you provide, the better we can understand how your qualifications align with the needs of our opening.

• Background Investigation: Top candidates, who have successfully passed the interview process will be moved forward to the backgrounding process in which an extensive background investigation will be conducted by the Seattle Police Department. SPD will send candidates a link to an online personal history information questionnaire. The Seattle Police Department background unit will then conduct a thorough background investigation. Note that this process can take some time while the assigned detective investigates.
• Evaluation: All candidates must complete a medical evaluation, a psychological evaluation, and a polygraph exam. The medical evaluation can only be completed at in-person Seattle locations includes drug screening, medical history, vision & hearing test, and a stress EKG test. The psychological evaluation will be completed virtually. The polygraph exam can only be completed in person at Seattle Police Headquarters.
• Employment Offer: The most competitive candidates may receive an offer of employment after completing and passing all the above steps, depending on the candidate’s backgrounding results and evaluation scores.
• Out- of-state candidates must make travel arrangements, at their own expense, to participate in-person for this portion of the recruitment process.*
  
  

Union Information: This position is represented by Seattle Municipal Court Marshal’s Guild.

Recruitment Process and Timeline: The entire recruitment process, application to start date, can take approximately six (6) months.

Special Commission: As a condition of employment, Marshals must obtain and maintain a Special Commission issued by the Seattle Police Department, which includes annual firearms qualifications.

Note: The Physical Agility Test (PAT) and WA State Basic Law Enforcement equivalency academy training are not required.