LAKE COUNTY — On Saturday the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) conducted physical agility testing for sheriff”s deputy applicants at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
Saturday morning marked the first time in two decades that LCSO has required a physical agility test for sheriff”s deputy applicants, according to Capt. James Bauman, LCSO public information officer
After taking office in January, one of Sheriff Rivero”s first steps in assuring that the Sheriff”s Office hired only the best sheriff”s deputy candidates to provide quality public safety services was to implement a more comprehensive testing process for applicants.
A written testing component was added to the process when no written testing was required previously.
Rivero also implemented a physical agility testing component, which the LCSO has not required of sheriff”s deputy applicants for 20 years.
In January LCSO received a total of 95 applications for the position of sheriff”s deputy. A written examination of those applicants was conducted in February with 47 applicants passing the written examination. Those applicants were scheduled for oral interviews. Applicants who successfully completed the oral interview process were scheduled for Saturday”s physical agility testing.
Saturday”s physical agility testing included a battery of five timed events consisting of a 99-yard obstacle course, a simulated 165-pound body drag, a 6-foot chainlink fence climb, a 6-foot solid fence climb, and a 500-yard run. Eleven of the applicants successfully passed Saturday”s test and will move on to the background investigation process.
Those applicants who successfully complete the background process will complete extensive psychological and occupational medical testing before being offered a job.
Another step Rivero added to the hiring process is mandatory drug screening as part of the occupational medical testing phase.
