Adult Surveillance Officer

Posting Date

Application Deadline

Pay Range

What We Offer

We offer generous paid time off, paid sick leave, and 10 paid holidays! We have affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance, and our employees are entitled to coverage by one of several State-sponsored retirement pension plans, our employee assistance program, and wellness incentives. Additionally, our employees have the option of life insurance, disability, a group legal plan, and pet insurance. Under the current guidelines for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, the Maricopa County Superior Court is a qualifying employer. Therefore, any full time Judicial Branch employee, who meets other eligibility criteria may be eligible for loan forgiveness under this program. Click here to learn more!

Job Type

Department

About the Position

The Adult Probation Department of the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County is dedicated to providing a safe, fair and impartial forum for resolving disputes, enhancing access to our services, and providing innovative, evidenced-based practices that improve the safety of our community and ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the Judicial Branch. Join our nationally recognized Adult Probation Department and become part of an award-winning agency of professionals committed to enhancing community safety through service, accountability, and influencing change.

Position Qualifications

We recognize your time is valuable, so please apply if you meet the following required qualifications:

Education:

• High School diploma or GED

Experience:

• Two (2) years of case management experience, probation experience, court experience, direct work with justice-involved individuals, direct work with Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) populations, direct work in a behavioral health setting, or public safety experience. We define public safety experience as military experience, law enforcement officer, corrections officer, EMT, firefighter, or security positions for a Federal, State, County, or local government.

OR

Combined Education and Experience:

• Associate degree or the completion of sixty (60) credit hours from an academically accredited college or university accredited through the Council for Higher Education (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education (USDE).

• Other combinations of education and experience may be considered in substitution for the minimum qualifications.

Other Requirements:

• Twenty-one (21) years of age by time of hire

• Must be a US Citizen or Legal Resident of the United States of America

• Must successfully complete a pre-employment polygraph and psychological examination

• Must possess or have the ability to obtain by the time of hire, a valid Arizona driver license

• Completion of the 40-hour Defensive Tactics Training Academy (as described in working conditions) no more than 120 days from the date of employment

• Submission to a medical examination required by Correctional Officer Retirement Plan

• Successfully complete eight (8) hours of defensive tactics refresher training on an annual basis and maintain certificate of successful completion of defensive tactics training

Our Preferred Candidate has:

• Experience working within a probation environment

• Experience working in a criminal justice or court environment

• The ability to communicate in Spanish

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Knowledge of:

• The principles and practices of social and correctional casework, interviewing and counseling.

• The criminal justice system and community resources.

• Principles of human behavior and evidence-based practices in community corrections.

• Diversion, Standard and Juvenile and/or Adult Intensive Probation and community supervision.

• Principles and practices of pre-sentence investigations and case load management.  

Skill in:

• Self-control, patience, initiative, courtesy, tact and diplomacy in order to maintain effective relationships with a diverse population; demonstrate professional behavior and ethical standards of conduct.

• Interviewing, motivating, and interpersonal relationships.

• Time management and organization with the ability to apply principles and methods of correctional casework; planning and managing multiple assignments efficiently and effectively.

• Critical analysis of individuals and situations in order to problem solve and make sound decisions.

• Effective oral and written communication in English with individuals of varying educational levels.

Ability to:

• Operate a variety of equipment necessary to perform job duties such as motor vehicles, computers, telephones, radios, handcuffs, body armor and other equipment depending on case assignments.

• Independent body mobility to stand, walk, bend and sit for prolonged periods of time and/ or drive a vehicle.

• The manual dexterity necessary to reach, grasp, handwrite, and use a computer.

Essential Job Tasks

(This is not an all-inclusive list of all job duties that may be required; employees will be required to perform other related duties as assigned.)

• Coaches justice involved individuals on cognitive-behavioral and problem-solving skills for the purposes of upholding compliance with conditions of probation, while simultaneously working to reduce future criminal behavior.

• Conducts accurate assessments to identify risk and needs and develops/implements individualized case plans focusing on risk reduction.

• Conducts meaningful contacts, including directing and counseling the justice involved individuals and conducting field contacts (home, work, treatment facilities, community restitution or jail) and office visits, as a member of a team, to employ appropriate risk-reduction strategies based on assessment results.

• Obtains, assembles, secures, keeps and files a complete identification record concerning the justice involved individual, including arrest reports, contact notes regarding compliance with conditions of probation and case plan to prepare written reports for the probation officer.

• Builds relationships to encourage compliance with the case plan, including conditions of probation, through frequent telephone contacts and work site contacts to include day and evening home contacts.

• Works with justice involved individuals by using targeted interventions in order to help build skills in areas connected to criminogenic risk. Directs and/or refers individuals to community resources, treatments or other interventions based on assessments, behaviors and conditions of probation.

• Participates in case review conferences to determine if change in level of supervision is warranted.

• Performs searches, breathalyzers/urinalysis collection, and makes a documented effort to locate absconders.

• Serves warrants, makes arrests, and brings justice involved individuals before the court who are on probation including defaulting individuals facing revocation.

• Appears and testifies in court.

• Monitors payment of restitution and probation fees and ensures victims’ notification rights are provided according to statutory requirements.

• In confrontational situations with probationers or others, appropriately and effectively responds and uses defensive tactics and techniques, as learned at the Defensive Tactics Safety Training Academy, when necessary.

• Collaborates, cooperates, and maintains contact with stakeholders, including social and law enforcement agencies, to further rehabilitative and/or public safety goals.

• Maintains attendance and training standards.

Working conditions: 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak clearly and hear; see details of objects that are less than a few feet away; sit for long periods of time; stand, walk, use hands or fingers to feel; reach with hands and arms; and occasionally push, pull or lift up to 20 pounds.

Surveillance Officers have the authority of Peace Officers in the performance of his/her duties per A.R.S. 12-253.3 and can thus serve warrants, make arrests, and bring persons before the court who are under suspended sentences.  Because justice involved individuals under Court supervision are convicted felons and/or persons with domestic violence convictions, these job duties expose surveillance officers to a risk of being assaulted by justice involved individuals, family members and others in proximity to the person being supervised.  Officers must be able to recognize and handle confrontational situations using defensive tactics and techniques, when necessary.  For these reasons, the Surveillance officer position is designated as a safety-sensitive position in accordance with ACJA § 6-106(A) and ACJA § 6- 107(A). All surveillance officers must “demonstrate, by proficiency testing, competency and understanding of the physical and verbal techniques and tactics presented at the defensive tactics training academy.” ACJA § 6-107(G)(1)(b). The proficiency testing is based upon whether they can perform the skills or tactics (or comparable alternatives) necessary for self-defense.  Therefore, those selected for the position must successfully complete 40-hour Defensive Tactics Training Academy as soon as practical, but no later than 120 days from the date of employment.

The Defensive Tactics Training Academy requires that a Surveillance Officer performs and demonstrates through proficiency testing, competency in, and an understanding of physical and verbal defensive tactics and techniques, including the following, or their comparable alternatives:

• Forcefully raise arms above head (straight arm wristlock and takedown)

• Perform minor aerobic activity

• Stand for up to 2 hours at a time

• Engage in balanced movements

• Throw hand strikes (fist strikes and palm heel strikes)

• Use impact weapons (ability to swing arms in a striking action with a baton that weighs 16 ounces)

• Kick at targets below 24” (front snap kicks)

• Perform controlled falls and return to standing position unassisted (break falls and recovery)

• Complete hand strikes and kick drills at partial speed

• Sustain exposure to Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray

• Engage in fighting techniques while on the ground

• Be able to bend knees lower center and touch the ground with one hand (break fall recovery and baton closing technique)

• Be able to bend knees to a 45-degree angle (all ground techniques)

The person(s) selected will make 60% to 80% of their client contacts in the field. These various geographic locations throughout Maricopa County may be inaccessible by public transportation.  Must possess a valid Arizona driver's license. Officers will be reimbursed for the authorized use of a private vehicle; employees must provide proof of insurance.

Additional Information

Judicial Branch Human Resources reserves the right to move forward candidates based on the information provided directly on the application. The hiring authority will select the successful candidate based on departmental needs. 

Typically, successful candidates are hired at a salary rate up to the midpoint of the range, based on applicable experience, internal equity, and budgetary allowances. 

All Judicial Branch offers of employment and continued employment are contingent upon passing a thorough background and/or fingerprint check. Applicants must completely and fully answer any questions regarding felony and misdemeanor convictions including any convictions that have been expunged or set aside. Failure to include criminal history information is grounds for termination of an offer and employment. A conviction may not automatically disqualify an applicant. 

The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County participates in the State Retirement systems ASRS or PSPRS. As such, mandatory membership for all full-time employees includes payroll deducted contributions consistent with each retirement system's requirements. The current contribution rate for ASRS is 12.27% and the current contribution rate for PSPRS is 5.84% and up for the defined contribution plan and 8.82% for the defined benefit plan. For more information about contributions and benefits of these plans visit https://www.azasrs.gov/ or https://www.psprs.com/corrections-officer/

Judicial Branch facilities are located throughout Maricopa County.  This position may be reassigned to other locations.  Assignments will be made based upon the needs of the department.

The Judicial Branch in Maricopa County is an EEO/ADA Reasonable Accommodation Employer. 

Apply Now!