Our Hiring Process

The Madison County Sheriff’s Department fills deputy sheriff positions in accordance with Nebraska state statutes which govern these procedures. As a county with a population of approximately 35,000 people, it is bound by statute 23-1722 and others regarding hiring persons as deputy sheriffs.

1. Applications are taken for a finite period of time after which applicants are invited to take a written test.
2. After the written tests have been administered and scored, the results are made available to the applicants.
3. Top applicants are invited to participate in an oral examination by the Merit Commission. The Commission creates a ranked list of applicants who passed the oral examination.
4. The top applicants are then subjected to a rigorous background examination conducted by Sheriff’s Department criminal investigators.
5. Candidates may be asked to submit to a polygraph examination (lie detector test) to confirm the truthfulness of the candidate.
6. A list of applicants who pass the background examination phase is submitted to the Sheriff who then interviews the top applicants and makes the final selection.