Detention Officer Part-time Juvenile Center

Vigo County, Indiana is seeking a highly skilled and dedicated Detention Officer to join our team at the Vigo County Juvenile Center. As a Detention Officer, you will play a critical role in maintaining a safe and secure environment for the youth in our care.

• Enforce local, state, and federal laws by implementing effective policies to protect the lives and property of the people.
• Provide security for the Vigo County Juvenile Detention Center, enforcing all facility and County policies and procedures, including housing rules for youth detained.
• Supervise residents detained in the facility during daily activities, including personal hygiene, meals, recreation, and classroom.
• Receive and process all new residents into the facility, including gathering and documenting personal information, notifying parent/guardian, logging personal property, searching juvenile and their clothing, showering, delousing, and providing basic orientation of facility policies and regulations.
• Escort residents to various appointments, such as court, doctor's appointments, and placements.
• Administer prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to residents. Collect residents' laundry.
• Conduct security checks and room searches. Evaluate residents on a continuous basis for behavioral changes and report all changes.
• Observe residents in cells at required intervals for observation of suicide assessment confinement and security checks and log daily observations.
• Remain alert to respond to problems, emergencies, and safety or security violations, including rule infractions, conflicts between residents, attempted escapes, irrational or inappropriate behavior, and illness, responding with appropriate actions and/or disciplinary measures. Intervene in any situation requiring prompt attention, including physical intervention.
• Maintain a clean and organized work area, including daily cleaning of the facility. Serve as a liaison between residents and other agencies.
• Meet and maintain core competency requirements yearly. May provide testimony in legal proceedings/court.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

• High school diploma or GED.
• Possession of or ability to obtain/maintain required certifications, including First Responder/CPR certification, OC Spray, cell extraction, blood borne pathogens, medication distribution, and ServSafe certification.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Ability to meet all Department hiring requirements, including passage of a criminal history check, sexual registry check, BMV check, physical exam, and a drug test.
• Thorough knowledge of and ability to make practical application of the customary practices, procedures, rules, and regulations of the Department, and take authoritative action as situations demand.
• Working knowledge of and ability to use all assigned Department equipment and weapons, including computer, camera, radio, vehicle, calculator, fingerprinting equipment, tear gas/mace, handcuffs, shackles, metal detector, and soft restraints.
• Working knowledge of standard English grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and ability to complete required reports within Department deadlines.
• Working knowledge of universal health precautions and blood borne pathogens control, and ability to apply such knowledge to protect oneself against infection.
• Working knowledge of radio frequencies, codes, procedures, and limitations, and ability to speak clearly, hear, and be heard when communicating by radio, by telephone, or in person.
• Knowledge of and ability to work with troubled youth in a group or individual setting, apply and enforce group living guidelines on a daily basis, and handle threatening situations with minimal amount of physical force.
• Ability to obtain and apply knowledge of applicable local, state, and federal laws, codes, ordinances, and accepted police procedures.
• Ability to appropriately receive, maintain, and account for detainee articles received.
• Ability to effectively communicate with co-workers, other County departments, law enforcement, residents, and residents' family members, and members of the public, including being sensitive to professional ethics, gender, cultural diversities, and disabilities.
• Ability to provide public access to or maintain confidentiality of Department information and records according to state requirements.
• Ability to comply with all employer and Department policies and work rules, including, but not limited to, attendance, safety, drug-free workplace, and personal conduct.
• Ability to competently serve the public with diplomacy and respect, including occasional encounters with violent/irate persons.
• Ability to understand, memorize, retain, and carry out verbal or written directives, and present findings in oral or written form.
• Ability to deal swiftly, rationally, and decisively with potentially violent individuals in precarious situations, and take authoritative action applying appropriate discretion and common sense.
• Ability to perform essential functions of the position without posing a direct threat to the health and safety of self and other individuals in the workplace.
• Ability to compare or observe similarities and differences in data, compile, collate, or classify data, analyze and evaluate, and make determinations based on data analyses.
• Ability to work alone with minimum supervision and with others in a team environment.
• Ability to work on several tasks at the same time and work rapidly for long periods, occasionally under time pressure.
• Ability to apply knowledge of people and/or locations, and occasionally plan and lay out assigned work projects.
• Ability to count, perform simple arithmetic calculations.
• Ability to occasionally provide testimony in legal proceedings/court as required.
• Ability to work irregular, extended, weekends, and/or evening hours, and occasionally travel out of town for training/continued education, sometimes overnight.
• Possession of a valid driver's license and a demonstrated safe driving record.

Incumbent performs duties according to established Departmental policies and procedures, making independent decisions and taking authoritative action in response to situational demands. Work is subject to frequent inspection, with errors primarily detected or prevented through legally defined procedures and/or prior instruction from supervisor. Undetected errors could lead to endangerment to self/others and have adverse effects upon Department operations.

Incumbent maintains frequent contact with co-workers, other County departments, law enforcement, residents, and residents' family members, and members of the public for purposes of exchanging information and transporting detainees.

Incumbent reports directly to Shift Supervisor.

Incumbent performs duties in a youth residential center and is regularly exposed to hazards and violence associated with confinement centers, involving sitting/walking at will, standing/walking for long periods, lifting/carrying objects weighing more than 50 pounds, pushing/pulling objects, reaching, bending, crouching/kneeling, color/depth perception, close/far vision, handling/grasping/fingering objects, speaking clearly, and hearing sounds/communication.

Incumbent may be required to encounter resistance, walk up/down flights of stairs, and wear protective clothing. Safety precautions must be followed at all times to prevent injury to self or others.

Incumbent works irregular, extended, weekends, and/or evening hours, and occasionally travels out of town for training/continued education, sometimes overnight.

Vigo County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.