Bernalillo County is 1,160 square miles and is New Mexico’s most populous county with more than 676,000 residents. Bernalillo County government provides a wide range of public services to residents who live in Albuquerque, Los Ranchos and Tijeras with approximately 106,000 residents living in unincorporated areas of the county. Bernalillo County employs approximately 2,500 people and has an annual operating budget, capital investments and other funds of more than $1 billion. Elected officials include five county commissioners, assessor, clerk, probate judge, sheriff and treasurer.

Bernalillo County

Department of Human Resources

Job Descriptions

What does the red Zia symbol mean? The Zia sun symbol represent the four cardinal directions, the four seasons of the year, the four period of each day (morning, noon, evening, and night), and the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle age, and old age). The centre of the sun symbol stands for life itself. The yellow field with red symbol pays recognition to the Aragon Realm of the conquistadors and their homeland in Spain.
JCV207: Cadet Trainee

Cadet Trainee

Job Code
Grade
Bargaining Unit
JCV207
2
None
       
       
Hourly
As Hourly
As Annual
17.41 - 19.45 - 22.40 USD Hourly
$17.41 - $19.45 - $22.40
$36,212.80 - $40,456.00 - $46,592.00

POSITION SUMMARY

Cadet Trainee will perform duties of a police officer while assigned to a training section and/or an experienced officer. This procedure will be followed until selected for commencement of Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department Regional Training Academy basic class.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Participate in various law enforcement activities designed to qualify the employee to perform duties as a police officer.
  • Train and preparation to begin a certified Law Enforcement Academy.
  • Initiate field training under direct supervision of an assigned training officer.
  • Investigate minor accidents on streets and private property; direct traffic and assist motorists; assist investigative officers at major accidents and crime scenes as required.
  • Enforce parking regulations, complete tow reports and await wrecker.
  • Write routine police reports for incidents such as theft, missing persons, stolen automobiles, vandalism and petty larceny.
  • Deliver department correspondence as required.
  • Conduct house and business security checks.
  • Monitor welfare and safety of elderly and/or disabled residents.
  • Assist with patrolling major infrastructure buildings such as; PNM, FAA Center, City and County Communications and Pump Centers, and any other major buildings as assigned.
  • Responsible for retrieving VIN numbers from abandoned or stolen vehicles during any shift.
  • Attend briefings with deputies before their shift.
  • Responsible for driving, set up, upkeep, and take down of the mobile crime unit lab.
  • Transport victims and witnesses to designated places as assigned.

*The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities required of all employees assigned to this job.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • High school diploma or GED.
  • Ability to understand and carry out written and oral instructions.
  • Ability to develop productive work relationships with supervisor, other officers, and other department personnel.
  • Ability to maintain law and order while recognizing social importance of the law enforcement function.
  • Ability to observe situations analytically and objectively and to record such clearly and completely in writing and orally in English.


ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

SCREENING AND COMPLIANCE

The offer of this Bernalillo County position requires compliance with the following:

  • Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age at the time of certification by the State of New Mexico.
  • This position is safety sensitive. Employment is subject to a pre-employment and random drug testing in accordance with all terms and conditions of federal and state rules and regulations regarding alcohol and/or drug testing.
  • Must pass a County written examination.
  • Must pass the Bernalillo County pre-employment medical examination.
  • Must pass a background investigation performed by authorized law enforcement agencies.
  • Must comply with Bernalillo County Safety Policy requirements and have a valid New Mexico driver’s license by employment date.
  • Must pass an eye and audio examination with vision equal to or better than 20/60 - 20/100, both correctable to 20/30.
  • Must pass oral broad examination.
  • Must pass a polygraph examination.
  • Must pass a written and oral psychological examination.
  • Must pass the following physical agility test.

WORKING CONDITIONS

  • The majority of essential duties are performed in the field.
  • Outdoor duties are sometimes required in performance of essential duties.
  • Indoor duties are performed in a temperature controlled environment.
  • Worker is exposed to natural weather conditions while performing outdoor duties.
  • Worker may be exposed to intermittent noise and vibration factors, particularly while in the squad car.
  • Worker may be exposed to a variety of fumes, odors and gasses in the performance of essential duties.
  • Indoor working surface is even and may be carpeted or tiled.
  • Indoor surfaces are typically dry and may involve the use of stairs.
  • Outdoor surface may be even or uneven and may be wet or dry.
  • Outdoor duties may involve the use of stairs or ladders and may be performed in inclines or hills.
  • Outdoor surfaces may include natural ground, asphalt, or concrete.
  • Worker may perform duties alone, both with and without directions from supervisor.
  • Other duties are performed as part of a select team or as part of a group of individuals.
  • Work hazards include high stress level of job, operation of vehicle at potentially high speeds and exposure to bodily harm or possible death in performance of certain job duties.

EQUIPMENT, TOOLS, AND MATERIALS

  • Equipment typically used to perform administrative duties include the telephone, computer, telefax machine, typewriter, photocopy machine, pager and two-way radio.
  • Equipment and materials used to perform patrol duties include a law enforcement vehicle, two way radio, officer’s uniform and badge, body armor, duty belt, fire arm, baton, traffic vest, flashlight, helmet or riot shield, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, flares, gloves and mouth piece for performance of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
  • Materials and products typically handled in the performance of administrative duties include a wide variety of forms and paperwork, reports, various writing utensils and a wide assortment of other basic office supplies and materials.

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

**NOTE: You are not required to disclose information about physical or mental limitations that you believe will not interfere with your capability to do the job. On the other hand, if you want the employer to consider special arrangements to accommodate a physical or mental impairment, you may identify that impairment in the space provided and suggest the kind of accommodation that you believe would be appropriate.

MENTAL FUNCTIONS

1. Must be able to ask questions of supervisors and be able to listen to and follow verbal directions in English.
2. Must be able to read and understand written directions in English.

3. Must be able to communicate verbally with superiors, co-workers and the general public.

4. Must be knowledgeable of and able to apply knowledge concerning laws, regulations and safety.

5. Employee must be able to communicate orally and in writing in English.

6. Must be able to write reports and narrative in proper format using correct punctuation, spelling and grammar.

7. Must be able to speak effectively before a group of people using correct English.

8. Must be able to understand such concepts as ratios, proportions and percentages.

9. Must possess basic math skills.

10. Must be knowledgeable of all traffic laws and regulations.

11. Must be able to accurately estimate distances in order to maintain safety while operating equipment.

12. Must be able to plan and direct the work of others as well as being able to plan own work.

13. Must be able to use tact and courtesy in working with a wide range of individuals, sometimes under tense or extreme circumstances.

14. Must posses good judgement for quick action in emergency situations.

15. Must posses the adaptability to perform a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another task of a different nature without loss of efficiency or composure.

16. Must posses the ability to understand and apply knowledge of policies and procedures of the Sheriff’s Department, County Ordinances.

17. Must posses the ability to analyze situations in order to take effective and reasonable courses of action.

PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS

1. Must be able to stand/walk for up to eight hours per day with periodic breaks.

2. Must be able to sit up to eight hours per day with periodic breaks.

3. Must be able to kneel and crouch for short periods on an occasional basis as needed when performing essential duties.

4. Must be able to drive, enter and exit squad car on a sometimes constant basis while on duty for up to eight hours total per day.

5. Must be able to bend at the waist and twist/rotate waist as needed on a frequent basis when performing essential duties.

6. Must be able to push/pull with arms with sufficient force to drag or restrain persons of varying strengths and size as needed.

7. Must be able to work with arms extended on a frequent basis up to two hours at one time and up to eight hours total per day.

8. Must be able to use legs to lift, restrain, or drag individuals as needed.

9. Must be able to use legs to maintain balance in the performance of essential duties, sometimes in emergency situations.

10. Must be able to use hands and fingers to grasp/manipulate equipment, persons, and materials as needed in performance of essential duties.

11. Must be able to coordinate the use of hands and eyes in the operation of a vehicle, operation of equipment, and the performance of other essential duties.

12. Must be able to pass the physical agility test, involving the following activities in the time frame deemed appropriate for the employee’s age: Walk a 20 foot balance beam; run 10 yards; jump six foot cinder block wall; run 50 yards; go through a 30 inch window; around a wall; then through another 30 inch window; climb an eight foot chain link fence; run another 377 yards; pull arrest simulator down and hold three seconds; run 3 yards; pull 165 pound body bag 20 feet; push full size police car 20 feet on asphalt or concrete surface (time limit one minute); scale, without running start, a six foot cinder block wall (time limit 30 seconds); complete one and one-half mile run within national aerobic category according to age.

Revision: 8/21/2025 1:40:29 PM