Careers in the Guilford County Sheriff's Office

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office protects its citizens more efficiently by having three (3) district substations that consist of patrol officers and criminal investigators readily accessible to the public. District One is in the Northwest area, District 2 in the Eastern area and District 3 in the Southwest area of Guilford County. Other divisions of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office include Legal Process, Transportation, Courtroom Services and Special Operations Divisions.

• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be 20 years of age at the time of application
• Be a resident of Guilford County, of one of its contiguous counties (Rockingham, Alamance, Randolph, Davidson, Stokes and Forsyth), or be willing to relocate to one (1) of these counties within 90 days of hire
• Be able to perform all of the essential job functions of an inexperienced detention services officer, unassisted, and at pace and level of performance consistent with the actual job performance requirements
• Minimum Education: High School Graduate or G.E.D.
• Candidate must possess a valid driver's license
• Candidate must be able to pass a drug screening and a complete medical examination by a licensed physician, including psychological testing, and evaluation

Successful candidates must be able to pass a comprehensive background investigation by the Sheriff's Office, which includes fingerprints and a photograph. Candidate must be of good moral character and must have no serious criminal history which would prevent the applicant from being able to obtain certification as a Deputy Sheriff from the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission.

Successful candidates must currently possess, or be able to obtain, North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training Certification, which requires successful completion of various academic exams, skills tests, the Police Officer Physical Agility Test, and a state comprehensive exam.

Employment Drug Policy:

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office is firmly committed to a drug-free society and workplace. Therefore, the unlawful use of drugs by GCSO employees is not tolerated. Furthermore, applicants for employment with the GCSO who currently use illegal drugs will be found unsuitable for employment. The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office does not condone any prior unlawful drug use by applicants. During the application process, all applicants will be required to fully disclose any prior illegal drug use. An applicant’s history of illegal drug use will be considered, along with the applicant’s full personal/professional background, when evaluating the applicant’s history and character for honesty, reliability, and integrity in order to select the most qualified candidate for an available position. We realize, however, some otherwise qualified applicants may have used drugs at some point in their past. The following policy sets forth the criteria for determining whether any prior drug use makes an applicant unsuitable for employment, balancing the needs of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office to maintain a drug-free workplace and the public integrity necessary to accomplish the mission of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. Applicants who do not meet the listed criteria should not apply for any GCSO position.

Criteria:

You can easily determine whether you meet the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office’s illegal drug policy by answering the following questions:

1. Have you used marijuana at all within the last year?
2. Have you used any other illegal drug (including anabolic steroids) at all in the past 10 years?
3. Have you ever sold, distributed, manufactured, or transported any illegal drug?
4. Have you ever used any prescription drug or used a legally obtainable substance in a manner for which it was not intended within the past three (3) years (36 months)?

*If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you are not suitable for employment with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.

We offer health insurance (UnitedHealthCare) to all benefitted employees working a minimum of 20 hours per week. The shared cost of the premium is based on scheduled/budgeted hours. If you are a full-time employee working 40 hours a week you can expect to pay less than $35 a month for medical coverage, dental coverage for $4 a month and vision coverage for $5 a month. That's less than $45 a month for medical, dental & vision coverage; that's unheard of.

Telehealth UHC virtual visits are available to you with no copay or out of pocket expense. 

We are excited to inform you Guilford County has an Employee Wellness Center (24/7 access) with strength training equipment, cardio machines, and a group exercise room with virtual or in person coaching from our wellness specialist.

Employee Assistance Program, 100% funded by the county. A superb benefit for you and your family absolutely free. Confidential help with personal or work-related issues. 

13 paid holidays, 12 sick days, and 12 vacation days a year. That's 37 paid days a year, totaling almost two (2) months of paid time off.

Employer contributes 5% into your 401(k) - no match required.

Enrollment in the State Retirement Plan by contributing 6%.

Longevity pay beginning at five (5) years of service.

We provide a $10,000 Life and AD&D benefit to eligible employees.

Flexible spending accounts (FSA) allow you to set aside tax-free dollars for health care and dependent care.

Voluntary Life, AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability. 

• Detention Response Team
• Field Training Officer
• Gang Intelligence Unit
• Intake/Booking
• K-9 Unit

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office maintains and operates detention facilities in Greensboro and High Point. As a Detention Services Officer, qualified candidates will be trained to operate a detention facility. Duties include monitoring inmates to ensure a safe and secure environment for Sheriff's Office personnel, civilian staff, and inmates.

• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be 20 years of age at the time of application
• Be a resident of Guilford County, of one of its contiguous counties (Rockingham, Alamance, Randolph, Davidson, Stokes and Forsyth), or be willing to relocate to one of these counties within 90 days of hire
• Be able to perform all of the essential job functions of an inexperienced detention services officer, unassisted, and at pace and level of performance consistent with the actual job performance requirements
• Minimum Education: High School Graduate or G.E.D.
• Candidate must possess, or be able to obtain, a valid driver's license
• Candidate must be able to pass a drug screening and a complete medical examination by a licensed physician, including psychological testing and evaluation

Successful candidates must be able to pass a comprehensive background investigation by the Sheriff's Office, which includes fingerprints and a photograph. Candidate must be of good moral character and must have no serious criminal history which would prevent the applicant from being able to obtain certification as a detention officer from the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission.

Employment Drug Policy:

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office is firmly committed to a drug-free society and workplace. Therefore, the unlawful use of drugs by GCSO employees is not tolerated. Furthermore, applicants for employment with the GCSO who currently use illegal drugs will be found unsuitable for employment. The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office does not condone any prior unlawful drug use by applicants. During the application process, all applicants will be required to fully disclose any prior illegal drug use. An applicant’s history of illegal drug use will be considered, along with the applicant’s full personal/professional background, when evaluating the applicant’s history and character for honesty, reliability, and integrity in order to select the most qualified candidate for an available position. We realize, however, some otherwise qualified applicants may have used drugs at some point in their past. The following policy sets forth the criteria for determining whether any prior drug use makes an applicant unsuitable for employment, balancing the needs of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office to maintain a drug-free workplace and the public integrity necessary to accomplish the mission of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. Applicants who do not meet the listed criteria should not apply for any GCSO position.

Criteria:

You can easily determine whether you meet the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office’s illegal drug policy by answering the following questions:

1. Have you used marijuana at all within the last year?
2. Have you used any other illegal drug (including anabolic steroids) at all in the past 10 years?
3. Have you ever sold, distributed, manufactured, or transported any illegal drug?
4. Have you ever used any prescription drug or used a legally obtainable substance in a manner for which it was not intended within the past three years (36 months)?

*If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you are not suitable for employment with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.

The Reserve Unit provides supplementary manpower to the Department in the Field Operations and Detention Services Divisions. Reserve Officers have all the powers of full-time officers, but their duties and responsibility are restricted by departmental policy.

Reserve Officers must meet the same requirements for employment as full-time officers. These requirements are:

• Must be at least 21 years of age, maximum age not exceeding 70 years
• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be a high school graduate or have a G.E.D. certificate.
• Must satisfactorily pass thorough background investigation conducted by the department
• Must not have been convicted of a felony in any state and not have been convicted of any serious misdemeanor, other than minor traffic violations
• Must pass physical and psychological examinations
• Must be Certified by the North Carolina Sheriff's Education and Training Standards Commission
• Must be accepted by the Sheriff for the program

Reserve Officers are required to perform a minimum of 10 hours of duty each month. Reserve Officers must work a minimum of four (4) consecutive hours and may not work more than 12 hours per shift. Duty assignments may be made by the Reserve Commander or his designee.

Students from these universities who are enrolled in the Criminal Justice Program may perform an internship at the Sheriff’s Office, learning about administrative functions and basic detective techniques.

In most cases they work in the Patrol Divisions, Detective Division and spend time in the following units:

• Special Operations
• Legal Process
• Court Services
• Detention Facilities

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office has developed unpaid internship programs with many of the local universities and colleges such as:

• Appalachian State University
• Greensboro College
• Guilford College
• High Point University
• North Carolina A&T State University
• University of North Carolina Greensboro

GCSO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Application Deadlines:

• Spring Semester: November 30^th
• Summer Semester: January 31^st
• Fall Semester: May 31^st

Download Internship Application