Job Description
General Description The Seminole County Sheriff's Office Community Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA) is designed to educate the citizens of Seminole County in the concepts and procedures of law enforcement. There are no physical requirements, and it is a free course taught by members of the Sheriff's Office leadership team, Deputy Sheriffs, Detectives, and other agency staff. The class will meet every Tuesday starting on August 18, 2026, and the final session will be the graduation on October 20, 2026. The classes are from 6:00 - 8:30 PM. NOTE: This academy is not for law enforcement certification . It is offered for educational purposes only. There is no guarantee of employment with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office upon completion of this course. All Community Law Enforcement Applications require a NOTARIZED Background Waiver and NOTARIZED Hold Harmless Indemnification Agreement (). Participating in the Ride Along is optional. View the Ride Along Fact Sheet () and answer yes or no on the application . All forms are included in the bold links provided and are to be uploaded to your application. Accepting applications until June 14, 2026, or until the class reaches capacity. ACADEMY SUMMARY The course begins with an introduction by members of our command staff. Sessions include presentations on topics such as neighborhood policing, investigations, and forensics. Class participants will see demonstrations from the Special Operations Unit (SWAT, Aviation, Range and Water, K9, and the Hazardous Device Unit), and have the opportunity to experience training similar to that of our deputies. Class participants will also tour the John E. Polk Correctional Facility and the Criminal Justice Center. All students will be offered the opportunity to participate in a ride-along with a uniformed Deputy Sheriff. A typical course schedule is as follows: Welcome and organizational overview from Sheriff Lemma and members of the command staff Department of Law Enforcement, Seminole Neighborhood Policing, Traffic Safety and DUI Enforcement (Patrol Operations) Criminal Investigations Division (Major Crimes, Victim Advocate, and Financial Crimes) Visit the Special Operations Section (Canine, Range and Water, Hazardous Device Unit, and Aviation) Special Services Division (Behavioral Services Unit, SCORE - Seminole Collaborative Opioid Response Efforts, Offender Management and Intelligence Section) Gun Range, EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations) Youth Services School Safety Forensic Services Public Affairs Division Visit the 9-1-1 Communications Center Visit the Criminal Justice Center and hear from the Office of the State Attorney Visit the John E. Polk Correctional Facility (Seminole County Jail) Minimum Qualifications To be eligible, all applicants must submit to a background check. To attend the academy, you must: Upload a notarized Background Waiver with Application by clicking APPLY Upload a notarized Hold Harmless Indemnification Agreement () If participating in a Ride Along, please view the Ride Along Fact Sheet () Live or work in Seminole or surrounding counties Be at least 18 years of age Possess a valid driver's license or other form of government-issued photographic identification Disclose any arrests or convictions, including misdemeanors, to include pleas of nolo contendre, regardless of whether adjudication was withheld The Human Resources Division will contact each applicant to schedule fingerprinting upon passing the preliminary background Please direct any additional questions to: Keri Higby Seminole County Sheriff's Office 100 Eslinger Way Sanford FL 32773 khigby@seminolesheriff.org (407) 474-5127 Please disregard the standard footer below as this information does not apply to this posting External applicants for employment will submit to a thorough background investigation, which includes, but not limited to, past employment/education verification, driver license review, credit history, prior drug use history, arrest/conviction record, and computerized voice stress analysis (CVSA) testing. A certified examiner administers the CVSA with questions addressing illegal d