Public safety is our first priority. Our second priority is to ensure new recruits, and all employees, are supported at work and home. We may live in one of the best places in the United States, but we are not immune to natural disasters, accidents, and violence. That’s where you come in.

We ensure our sworn officers have the highest levels of training and top of the industry equipment so you can go home after a shift knowing you made a difference in the lives of everyone you reached. With a patrol area of over 2,600 square miles ranging from mountains to urban to prairie, you will never be bored or stuck in one role. Check us out. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office seeks the best recruits, to serve the best community.

Salary Ranges (2021)

Benefits Overview

LCSO also offers a 24-hour gym, Peer Support, training opportunities, and collateral duties to allow for career growth.

Retirement Matching

Sworn employees have additional matching incentives available:

Total Employer Match = 12%

Individuals applying for employment with LCSO must go through a thorough pre-employment selection process.  Convicted felons or individuals with recent drug use cannot be considered for employment.  All applicants are required to have a high school diploma or GED.  Applicants must be at least 18 years of age (21 years of age for Patrol and Jail Deputy positions).

Phase One

Online assessments
Pre-employment questionnaire

Phase Two

Written exam (required for all entry-level positions)
Pre-hire physical fitness test (sworn positions only)

Phase Three

Oral board interview (Veterans preference points available)

Phase Four

Background investigation
Polygraph exam (required for most positions)

Phase Five

Captain interview

After the captain interview, you may receive a conditional offer of employment.  If so, you will be scheduled for psychological testing (most positions), medical exam, human performance evaluation (deputy positions), and drug screening.

Candidates for all Deputy positions must successfully complete the LCSO Pre-hire Physical Fitness Test.

Pre-hire Physical Fitness Test Criteria

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office uses two exercises to assess the physical fitness of patrol and jail deputy applicants. All exercises are Pass/Fail, and failing any one exercise will result in disqualification. They are performed in the following order:

• 1.5 Mile Run
• Obstacle Course

Both exercises are administered in a single testing period. Applicants are allowed up to five minutes of rest between each exercise.

1.5 Mile Run
You must complete the 1.5 mile run in 16 minutes or less.

Obstacle Course
An instructor will guide you through the course and provide you additional instruction prior to the test. Time will be provided for you to work on different aspects of the course prior to testing.

You will start in the seated position.  An instructor will state a specific color for you to remember and you must repeat that color to the instructor.  Your time starts when you stand up.

The course is a total of 145 yards long and you are expected to run between obstacles as follows:

1. Obstacle Jump: Candidates will run to and jump over a 3-foot wide obstacle. If the candidate does not completely clear the obstacle, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.
2. Wall Climb: Candidates will run to the next obstacle, a 5-foot wall, and climb over the top of it. If the candidate does not climb over the top of the obstacle, or if time expires prior to the candidate climbing over the obstacle, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.
3. Low Crawl: Candidates will run to the next obstacle and low crawl under a 10-foot long obstacle. If a candidate knocks down any portion of the obstacle, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.
4. Step Climb: Candidates will run to the next obstacle, an 8-inch step. The candidate will step 12 times, the motion must be up/up, down/down as demonstrated. If the candidate does not complete the step 12 times as instructed, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.
5. Window Climb: Candidates will run to the next obstacle, a simulated window, and will climb through a 36-inch by 34-inch opening. Candidates must not touch the top of the opening. If a candidate cannot climb through the opening, time has expired, or they touch the top of the opening, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.
6. Suspect Identification: The candidate will run to the next obstacle which simulates different looking suspects. Candidates must clearly identify the suspect matching the color with the number. The candidate must call out the number that corresponds with the color given at the beginning. If the candidate does not remember the number or does not correctly associate the number with the color the candidate will be disqualified and the test will stop.
7. Dummy Drag: The candidate will run to the dummy representing an incapacitated individual. The candidate will drag the entire dummy beyond the mark indicating 5 yards. If the candidate cannot complete this portion of the test, or time expires, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.
8. Weapon Manipulation: The candidate will run to the next obstacle and safely manipulate a weapon as demonstrated prior to the test. Candidates must place the barrel of the weapon through a 6-inch opening with their unsupported dominant hand and pull the trigger once. The candidate must remove the weapon’s barrel from the opening and switch the weapon to their non-dominant hand. The candidate will place the barrel of the weapon through the 6-inch opening with their unsupported non-dominant hand and pull the trigger once. The weapon must not touch the 6-inch opening. If the candidate does not complete the test as instructed or if the weapon touches the opening, they will be disqualified and the test will stop.

Timing of the test stops once the candidate safely places the weapon down in the designated place.

CRITERIA FOR PASSING THE AGILITY COURSE

• Candidates will get three attempts to run the course on the testing date.
• The passing time to complete the course is 1 minute 30 seconds, with no disqualifications.

Pre-hire Physical Fitness Test Preparation Guide

This guide will help you prepare for the exercises that comprise our pre-hire physical fitness test. Video instructions are in the next tab down.

1.5 Mile
This table is organized by weeks and is designed to be a general guideline for your training to successfully complete the running exercises in 12 weeks. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to extend this schedule or jump ahead to find an appropriate level of challenge to increase your capacity. Unless otherwise noted, exercise should be a light jog and can be completed on sidewalks, trails, parks, or anywhere you can safely exercise without interruption.

REMEMBER: ALL EXERCISES IN THE PRE-HIRE PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST ARE PASS/FAIL. IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETE ANY STEP OF THE ASSESSMENT, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE WITH THE TESTING PROCESS.

A RECORD SETTING TIME OR NUMBER OF EXERCISES COMPLETED HAS NO EFFECT ON YOUR ELIGIBILITY.  DO NOT OVER EXERT YOURSELF ON ANY ONE EXERCISE AS IT MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO COMPLETE THE OTHER EXERCISES.

Pre-hire Physical Fitness Test Video

Congratulations for landing on our civilian jobs page! You are taking a big step in making a difference in the lives of our Larimer County community. Our civilian, or non-uniformed colleagues, are the backbone of the Sheriff’s Office. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without these roles, uniformed deputies could not do their job. There is mutual respect and support across the Sheriff's Office divisions and whether uniformed or not, we are one agency with one mission. Consider serving the Larimer County community in a new way; be part of the fabric that makes the Sheriff’s Office one of the best public safety agencies in the region.

Did you know that your skills are highly transferrable to public safety? Record keeping, facility maintenance, IT, and administration support – you can do those jobs in the private sector or you can join us in the Sheriff’s Office and contribute to our public safety mission.

Check here for open positions.

To request a ride-along with a deputy, please complete a Request for Ride-Along Observation / Waiver of Liability form.  Be sure to sign the form in front of a witness.

Return the form by mail or fax to:

Larimer County Sheriff's Office
Attn: Records Unit
2501 Midpoint Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80525
FAX: 970-482-8745

Once you have been approved for a ride-along, we will contact you by email to schedule a date and time for your ride. If you have any questions, please call (970) 498-5107.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Justin E. Smith, who is serving his third term in office. He was elected to the Office of Sheriff in January, 2011 and has been with LCSO for more than 30 years.

Larimer County spans 2,640 square miles extending west to the Continental Divide and north to the Wyoming border.  More than 330,000 residents reside within Larimer County, with over 70,000 living in the unincorporated areas.

We Are - One Agency, One Mission: Public Safety

Our Mission is to protect and preserve life, liberty and property by providing superior public safety services in Larimer County.

More than 400 employees work for the Sheriff's Office serving the citizens of Larimer County.  An annual budget of almost 70 million dollars is used to operate the agency in order to fulfill the statutory duties of the Sheriff.

The statutory duties of the Sheriff are:

·        Law Enforcement
·        Keeper of the Jail
·        Officer of the Court
·        Court Security
·        Transportation of Prisoners
·        Fire Warden
·        Search and Rescue
·        Hazardous Materials

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is divided into four divisions:

·        Support Services - Undersheriff Tim Keeton
·        Patrol - Captain Joe Shellhammer
·        Investigations - Captain Robert Coleman
·        Jail - Captain Tim Palmer

In addition to the dedicated people who work at the Sheriff's Office, hundreds of committed volunteers assist us in our duties every day in order that we may better serve the citizens of Larimer County.

Sign up to receive text alerts about new recruiting opportunities!

Text the keyword JoinLCSO to 833-581-0014! A member from our recruiting team will contact you during business hours to find out which types of positions you are interested in receiving notifications about. 

We have a variety of internship opportunities available. Please call LCSO HR at 970-498-5550 to discuss your academic needs and currently available internships. All interns must apply via our Internship Application.