Investigator, Probation Department

Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Supplemental Questionnaire : A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted on-line.

DESCRIPTION

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Alameda County Probation Department is to protect the public safety by providing supervision, services, support and opportunities to our clients on behalf of the people of Alameda County through quality supervision, leadership, services and effective partnerships.

THE AGENCY

The Alameda County Probation Department is an essential element of the County’s system of public protection and human services. The Department’s role is to reduce the impact of crime in the community by providing accurate, comprehensive and timely information and recommendations to the Courts, providing community-based sanctions and treatment for offenders, and working cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and community organizations with similar objectives. The Department provides a wide range of mandated and discretionary investigative, advisory, and supervisory services to adult and juvenile probationers pursuant to State law and the County Charter.

For more detailed information about the department, visit: Alameda County Probation Department.

THE POSITION

Under the general supervision of the Supervisor of Professional Standards, Probation conducts background and internal affairs investigations in the Probation Department’s Professional Standards Unit and performs related investigative duties as required.

For more information about the job classification, visit: Investigator, Probation (#8588) .

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education :

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (180 quarter or 120 semester units) with major coursework in sociology, psychology, penology, or a closely related field.

AND

EITHER I

Experience :

The equivalent of three (3) years of full-time experience in the classification of Deputy Probation Officer III or in an equivalent or higher-level Probation classification in the County of Alameda classified service.

OR II

Experience :

The equivalent of six (6) years of full-time increasing responsibility and experience in a comparable classification to Deputy Probation Officer III in the County of Alameda classified service, conducting background or internal affairs investigations on peace officer applicants in a probation, law enforcement agency, parole agency, or correctional institution.

Substitution :

Additional full-time, journey-level professional experience in background investigations, internal affairs, criminal investigations, and/or other related investigative functions in a law enforcement agency, parole agency, or correctional institution may substitute for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Special Requirements :

• • Meet the minimum requirements for Peace Officer (Section 1031 of the Government Code).
  • Applicants are not required to be a US citizen but must be legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law (Per SB 960).
  • Successfully pass a Peace Officer background investigation, psychological and medical examination.
  • Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s license and a good driving record according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ negligent operator guidelines and qualification for automotive insurance.
  • Any felony conviction is disqualifying.
  • As a condition of employment, use, maintain, carry, and qualify with approved department firearms.
  • Travel is required to interview staff and perform investigative tasks.

NOTE : The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of :

• • Selection standards as set forth by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.
  • Current investigation interviewing and interrogation techniques.
  • State, federal, and local statutes, ordinances, regulations, rules, policies, and procedures related to background investigations and internal affairs investigations.
  • Probation Department policies, processes, and procedures.
  • Probation bargaining unit memoranda of understanding; California Penal Code; Government Code; Evidence Code; Code of Civil Procedures; Peace Office Bill of Rights; laws of arrest, search, and seizure case law, and rules of evidence; County Civil Service rules, policies, and procedures; personnel rules; and disciplinary guidelines.
  • Current practices and methods employed in background and internal affairs investigations.

Ability to :

• • Utilize principles and practices of confidentiality to prevent compromising the integrity of an investigation or investigation file documents.
  • Define problems, collect information, establish facts, analyze and evaluate alternative solutions, draw valid conclusions, and select and act on the best course of action.
  • Write clearly, accurately, and concisely, and use grammatically correct English to convey ideas in written reports, letters, memoranda, and other documents.
  • Set goals and objectives, establish priorities, meet deadlines, coordinate work with others, and work closely as part of an investigative team.
  • Demonstrate effective public speaking skills, plan and deliver effective presentations, and prepare related materials.
  • Effectively utilize interviewing, interrogation, and investigative techniques and procedures.
  • Be flexible and tolerant in adjusting to interruptions and/or changes in workload and assignments.
  • Demonstrate self-restraint, good judgment, and strategic decision-making when interacting with a variety of people under varying situations, conditions, and circumstances.
  • Recognize, collect, gather, and preserve evidence.
  • Evaluate the credibility of the people interviewed.
  • Effectively apply laws of arrest, search, and seizure case law, and rules of evidence.
  • Use laptops, personal computers, and word processing software.
  • Maintain monthly statistical data on time utilization and cases completed.
  • Gather, record, interpret, and report statistical data.
  • Effectively utilize a firearm.
  • Effectively utilize self-defense techniques.
  • Conduct training.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
A review of applicants' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. A review of the supplemental questionnaire to determine best qualified. Those candidates considered the best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process. An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.
CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components .

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PLAN:

Deadline for Filing:

5:00:00 PM Friday, October 24, 2025

Review of Minimum Qualifications:

Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified:

Week of December 8, 2025
Oral Examination*:

Week of January 5, 2026

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:
Departmental Hiring Interviews* Week of January 5, 2026

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website: https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/reasonable-accommodation/

BENEFITS

The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• • Medical - HMO & PPO Plans
  • Dental - HMO & PPO Plans
  • Vision or Vision Reimbursement
  • Share the Savings
  • Basic Life Insurance
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
  • Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
  • County Allowance Credit
  • Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• • Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• • 12 paid holidays
  • Floating Holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Management Paid Leave**
  • Catastrophic Sick Leave
  • Pet Insurance
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1 st United Services Credit Union

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three (3) days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to eight (8) days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, Noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org and Noreply@jobaps.com as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box Noreply@jobaps.com and Noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our websi te at hrs.alamedacountyca.gov . Y ou may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Tracy Gonzalez | Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
510-272-5085 | Email: Tracy.Gonzalez@acgov.org
hrs.alamedacountyca.gov .

Disaster Service Worker

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.

Closing Date/Time: 10/24/2025 5:00:00 PM

• 

• County of Alameda

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