BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Sheriff’s Office continues to face staffing shortages but is actively hiring and improving its recruitment efforts to reach full capacity.
- KCSO has increased staffing from 67% to 86% over the past three years but still hasn't reached full capacity.
- A years-long hiring freeze and high attrition rates contributed to the department’s long-term staffing shortages.
- The hiring process is rigorous, including a written test, background check, psychological evaluation, and medical exam.
- Interest in law enforcement careers is rising, making the process more competitive—now is a strategic time to apply.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office says it’s making progress on staffing—but it’s still not fully staffed. Here’s a closer look at where things stand with KCSO’s hiring process.
This marks the third consecutive year that the Kern County Sheriff’s Office has conducted a year-long hiring campaign. Initially, the agency operated at just 67% staffing. Currently, they’ve climbed to 86%—a significant improvement, but still short of their goal.
Lori Meza, is the Public Information Officer for KCSO and she says, “I know here that we had a lot of unique circumstances that led to our shortages. I know that we had a years-long hiring freeze, so we were not able to keep up with the attrition because we were losing too many bodies and not hiring enough. And now we’re seeing a huge increase in interest in law enforcement, and I think in the last couple of years we’ve really seen that go up.”
Meza explains that the application process is comprehensive and includes multiple steps. First, applicants submit an application. If they qualify, they advance to a written test. Those who pass then complete a background check, a psychological evaluation, and a medical examination. “Really, we want to know everything we can about you. We want to make sure that we are hiring people who not only don’t have a criminal history but people who don’t display or demonstrate signs of potential misconduct in the future.”
Meza indicates that, at present, retaining employees is not a significant challenge. However, retirements do occur at times. “It’s a unique career where, when we hire someone, we are hiring entire academies all at once. So even though they might have applied on a different day or different month, we wait until we have an academy, and the whole academy will go through together, graduate together, and start together—so you’re seeing batches.”
Meza notes that the main challenge now is vetting a high number of applicants to select the most qualified candidates. She adds that as staffing levels improve, the hiring process is expected to become more competitive, making this an opportune time to apply.
There will be other training opportunities throughout the year for deputy and detentions deputy positions.
Where:
Regional Training Center
962 Norris Road
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Dates:
6/7/25
8/2/25
10/4/25
12/6/25
Events begin at 8:30 a.m.
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