ROANOKE, Va. – With several sheriff's deputies retiring from Roanoke City, the office is hiring some new faces for the force. Department officials are hoping the first one-day recruitment event is hoping brought in the best candidates for the job.
"It's not a job for everybody. You have to have a good temperament for the position. You have to want to serve your community because you're in the community a lot. Even the inmates in the facility, you have to be a people person," said Deputy Teresa Benson, recruitment specialist.
The Sheriff's Office has about 10 vacancies it wants to fill. Richard Bryant says he wants to switch careers to pursue his dream of being in law enforcement.
"I have always respected the law enforcement community ever since I was little so it just kind of drew me to it. I like to serve my community and stuff like that," Bryant said.
The one-day recruitment event involved several steps such as a written exam, the agility test course, fingerprinting, and an initial interview. Bryant says there was one area that was challenging for him.
"Jumping the wall was the hardest part but other than that it was pretty good," said Bryant.
"You'll have everybody pass sometimes and you'll have a few pass sometimes. A lot of times people will have issues with the obstacle course. The 5-foot wall you see over here, sometimes it pushes people off a little bit," Benson aid.
The course must be completed in a minute and a half. With three hiring sessions throughout the afternoon, the Sheriff's Office says there was a good turnout of candidates applying for a position.
More than 30 people showed up. Some came as far away as New Jersey.