Bailiff/Court Security

TARGET CLOSE DATE:

07/01/2024

Note: This job posting may close before, or be extended beyond, the listed Target Close Date based on the employment needs of the Merit System.

Grade 13

The pay range for the listed pay grade varies depending on the employing agency. Click HERE and then select the desired agency to view the pay range for that employer.

JOB SUMMARY:

Bailiff/Court Security personnel in the Merit System are responsible for facilitating court operations and ensuring the safety of visitors, employees, confined persons, and the general public within courthouse and courtroom environments. Employees in this job class perform a variety of duties related to courtroom operations and security, including preparing courtrooms for sessions, guarding prisoners, screening visitors and their possessions upon entry to the courthouse, maintaining order in courtrooms, and completing and filing paperwork from court cases.

ABOUT THE PERSONNEL BOARD OF JEFFERSON COUNTY MERIT SYSTEM:

The Personnel Board of Jefferson County (Personnel Board) Merit System is responsible for ensuring fairness and merit in hiring and promotion, avoiding favoritism or political influence. Our goal is to attract and retain qualified and professional employees for the public sector. The Merit System includes a wonderfully diverse set of city governments, ranging from smaller, community-minded towns to vibrant, bustling cities. Our network consists of nearly 8,000 dedicated public servants, who want to make a positive impact on our communities. We offer many rewarding careers, from public safety and city management to IT, healthcare, skilled trades, engineering and more.

A CAREER WITHIN THE MERIT SYSTEM:

The Merit System is unique as an individual typically only submits one application for a position (e.g., administrative clerk) and that single application can result in employment opportunities with potentially 23 different cities and agencies within Jefferson County, Alabama. These agencies range from the City of Birmingham and 16 surrounding suburban cities to the Jefferson County Commission, Department of Health, and three additional governmental agencies. In the Merit System, you can enjoy the security and benefits of a public sector job with growth potential. Whether you're passionate about public safety, technology, or anything in between, there's a place for you in the Merit System.

TYPICAL JOB DUTIES:

• Prepares, maintains, and retrieves files to assist court officers before and during court sessions (e.g., collects and provides files to the judge as defendants go before the judge, completes various paperwork from cases, maintains statistical records on cases heard and attendance rates).

• Prepares courtroom for hearings (e.g., ensures cleanliness, prepares packets of forms goes over docket, arranges furniture) and administers the flow of defendants through the hearing process (e.g., reads defendant rights, instructs on rules of courtroom procedure) and announces commencement of court sessions.

• Provides customer service, internally and/or externally, via phone, email or face to face interaction.

• Engages in activities designed to ensure professional development, awareness of developments in the field, and knowledge of relevant practices, rules, laws, policies, and/or guidelines.

• Provides security to the presiding judge and those in attendance, explains/enforces rules and regulations that govern the activities of all people entering the courtroom so court can proceed efficiently and safely.

• Announces the commencement of court sessions by explaining court procedures, defendants' rights and penalties, etc. to ensure all in attendance comprehend the proceedings.

• Answers phone calls in order to provide general information (e.g., operation hours) and forward messages to appropriate personnel.

• Restrains individuals and escorts them out of court upon judge's directive to de-escalate the situation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Driver's license.

• Ability to legally carry a firearm.

• Willing and able to obtain a pepper spray certification within 90 days of hire, if required by the hiring jurisdiction.

• Willingness to work in a hostile environment.

• Willingness to use physical agility to restrain and/or detain individuals.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Preferred qualifications are experiences, education, and/or other job-related qualifications considered to be highly desirable by Merit System agencies. The preferred qualifications may be used by the hiring agency to identify applicants to invite to participate in subsequent selection processes.

• Alabama Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (APOST) Certification.

• APOSTC - Corrections.

• Security Guard - State Certification.

• Military Police (MP) Law Enforcement Training.

• Penal or Jail training.

• Governmental Security Contractor experience (e.g., Blackwater).

• Bailiff experience.

CRITICAL KNOWLEDGES:

• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• Knowledge of basic inventory security protocols (e.g., restricted access, secure storage).

• Knowledge of courtroom procedures and protocols for providing testimony (e.g., when you can/cannot speak or answer).

• Knowledge of department policies and procedures on the care and maintenance of firearms.

• Knowledge of firearms safety procedures.

• Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, and procedures to promote effective local security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

• Knowledge of the proper techniques for the care of and handling of firearms and ammunition.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work is conducted primarily in courtroom and office settings. Work may involve the use of pepper spray, pistols, and a variety of restraint devices. May be required to work/deal with angry, physically aggressive, or violent individuals, and thus, may be exposed to potential and real physical violence. Employees in this class may also be required to work during lunch, or after normal working hours.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Job involves physical exertion required for sustained period of light physical activity such as walking or standing, and may occasionally require significant and concerted physical exertion for the purposes of restraining and/or detaining individuals in court and surrounding areas. Job may require applying self-defense and restraint tactics to defend oneself from physical attack.

DISCLAIMER: This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of the job duties, responsibilities, or skills and abilities required to do the job and may be changed at the discretion of the Personnel Board at any time.

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS

Persons requiring special conditions to accommodate a disability when completing the application should contact the Personnel Board at 205-279-3500, Option 1, prior to the target close date.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Personnel Board of Jefferson County (Personnel Board) provides a public personnel system based on merit principles. The Personnel Board strives for the constant improvement of the public service by employing and developing the best-qualified persons available. The Personnel Board provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, creed, religion, political beliefs, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or genetics.

Employment decisions are made by the Merit System agency where the position exists. Each Merit System agency administers its own equal employment opportunity programs in compliance with applicable state and/or federal laws and regulations.

For more information on this job description, please visit http://www.pbjcal.org/employment/Descriptions

DISCLAIMER:

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of the job duties, responsibilities, or skills and abilities required to do the job and may be changed at the discretion of the Personnel Board at any time.

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