Employment

To be eligible for a position as a sheriff’s officer, applicants must first take the Law Enforcement Examination (LEE) administered by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission.

The purpose of this written test is to generate a pool of eligible candidates who are then placed on a list which is used to fill law enforcement positions throughout the state. For more information about the LEE, a free law enforcement entry-level exam preparatory course, as well as the Sheriff’s Officer job announcement, please click on the links below:

Public Safety Testing Information from the NJ CSC
Job Announcement from the NJ CSC
Registration Form the New Jersey Civil Service Commission Law Enforcement Examination Preparatory Course

When a vacancy occurs within the sheriff’s office, the Civil Service Commission is asked to provide the Union County Sheriff’s Office with a list of the highest ranked eligible candidates. This sets in motion our selection and hiring process. The eligibility list is generally valid for two years.

Note: Applicants must be residents of Union County

The Selection Process

Criteria for Becoming a Sworn Member of the Union County Sheriff’s Office

All qualified candidates will be considered for employment. The County of Union and the Union County Sheriff’s Office are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employers. The Union County Sheriff’s Office application procedure is designed to identify the most qualified candidates. At the completion of each stage of the application process, only qualified candidates will continue to be processed for possible employment. The decision to continue in this process and move a candidate forward is made based on the totality of the information available on each applicant. Only applicants that meet the high standards of the Union County Sheriff’s Office are selected to continue in the application process.

Before you begin the process of applying for a position as a Sheriff’s Officer, you should know that:

Applicants must not have been convicted of an indictable offense or be presently under the indictable expungement, or have been convicted of any offense involving domestic violence.
Applicants must be of high moral character and free of any recent major or habitual violations of the law, including drug usage or other activities or associations that would affect his or her credibility as a Sheriff’s Officer/Investigator. Applicants must have never possessed or used any illegal drug or drugs other than those prescribed by a licensed physician, (including the use of anabolic steroids since February 27, 1991) within the past five years.
Applicants must not have been adjudicated by a court of found guilty by an employer to have violated any person’s civil rights in this or any other State.
Applicants must not have been convicted of driving while intoxicated more than once in his or her lifetime, or within the past five years in this or any other State.
Applicants must not have been dishonorably discharged from any branch of military service or any law enforcement agency.
Applicants must have never renounced their United States citizenship.
Applicants must not have been terminated or asked to resign from a public office, position, or government employment for misconduct involving such public office, position, or employment.
Applicants must possess a valid New Jersey Driver’s License.
Applicants must be residents of the County of Union.

Sample Benefits of Employment at the Sheriff’s Office

Category	Benefit
Starting Salary	Sheriff’s Officer: $43,555
Typical Schedule	40 hour work week
Sick Days	1 day per month for first year of employment, 15 days per year for each subsequent year.
Paid Vacation	Less than 1 year: 1 day for each month worked (first month pro-rated) 1 to 8 years: 13 days 8 completed years to 10 years : 14 days 10 completed years to 15 years: 17 days 15 completed years to 20 years: 19 days 20 completed years to 25 years: 22 days 25 completed years to 30 or more, see below: 25 years- 27 days 26 years- 28 days 27 years- 29 days 28 years- 30 days 29 years- 31 days 30 or more- 32 days
Health Insurance	Medical, prescription coverage, dental and optical coverage
Other	College credit reimbursement program

Police Academy Minimum Requirements:

Applicants must meet the Police Academy Minimum Requirements (listed below) to successfully complete the application process.

1.5 Mile run in 15:55 minutes
28 Sit-ups in 1 minute
300 Meter run 70.1 seconds
24 Push-ups in 1 minute
Vertical jump of 15 inches