PARS Public
Viewer Table of Contents View
Manual of Policy and Procedures / Volume 3 - Policy and Ethics / Chapter 2 - Personnel

3-02/080.15 - Educational Advancement Program


3-02/080.05 - V.A. Apprenticeship Program
3-02/080.20 - Special Institutes and Seminars

The County Code provides for a program whose objectives are:

  • To provide deputies with the educational tools needed to improve skills in front-line law enforcement;
  • To enable deputies to meet the increasing need for greater community understanding and effectiveness; and
  • To encourage deputies to continue their formal education with County financial assistance.

The Sheriff shall set training and education standards and administer the program, except the budgetary aspects of the program are subject to approval by the chief administrative officer.

Any member of the Sheriff's Department in the following classifications are eligible for participation in this program:

  • Deputy Sheriff Trainee through division chief;
  • Deputies (without compensation), but only those personnel in this classification who are required by the Sheriff to attend Department classes;
  • Civilian personnel, but only personnel in those classifications who are required by the Sheriff to attend Department classes and who are permitted by the Sheriff to attend certain advisory board approved classes.

The school or college attended must be accredited, and the course must meet the requirements of the Department's Educational Advancement Program.  Eligible employees are covered as follows:

  • An employee is eligible for two classes of training per semester for two semesters per fiscal year and for the number of required textbooks for the designated four classes per fiscal year;
  • An employee is eligible for reimbursement for two courses of training for two quarters or semesters per fiscal year and for the number of textbooks required for the designated four courses per fiscal year;
  • An employee is eligible for reimbursement for two trimesters of training per fiscal year for those designated schools on the trimester system and for reimbursement for the number of required textbooks per fiscal year for said trimester.

Employees shall take the training on their own time unless the employee's division chief or division director shows to the satisfaction of the Sheriff that the interest of the County requires otherwise in accordance with the training policy of the Board of Supervisors.

The above courses of training includes graduate and undergraduate attendance at a college or university and are limited to the current tuition fees charged by state colleges and universities.

NOTE:    The County Code provides that each Department Head may appoint a Departmental Training Advisory Committee to assist him in the planning and administration of the Tuition Reimbursement Program.

When the Sheriff requires attendance at the given class, he may approve pre-payment of all required fees, books, and supplies for those personnel assigned to attend such class.

Upon completion of the approved course, the County shall reimburse the employee up to the current allowable amount for required fees, books and certain required supplies, if:

  • He files a claim on the Application for General Education Reimbursement (SH-AD-506), as required by law, and said claim includes an original receipt or copy of canceled check (both front and back) proving the payment of the fees by him and a certification that he completed the course for credit with a passing grade of not less than C;
  • He is still in the service of the County.

A refund will not be made for student activity fees and other special student assessments except at state schools where such charges are mandatory.  Except in the case of retirement, if an employee terminates his employment within one year of the date of completion of the course for which he has been reimbursed, he shall return the amount of such reimbursement to the County.  This amount may be collected by deduction from the employee's last salary warrant.

A refund will not be made for any costs or expenses reimbursed out of any federal or state educational benefit program; however, refunds may be made in specific cases where there exists a difference between the allowable grant maximum and the college required fee.

Except in the case of retirement, textbooks shall be returned to the Sheriff in the event an employee terminates his County service within one year from the completion of the course.