By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Deputy Ernie Foster said it was by chance he pursued a career with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office but by choice that it turned into a career, as he works now to encourage like-minded job seekers to consider a job with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
“It really has been a good career, and I don’t regret it at all,” said Foster, who 25 years into his career said what he likes best right now, “is that I’ll be retired at age 48.” Another plus, Foster said, is that throughout his career there were opportunities to work in different departments and divisions, a truism both for those who choose a civilian or law enforcement and detention track.
“One of the things that kept me here as long as I’ve been here is the ability to change my work environment,” Foster said. “You can go from patrol to street crimes, you can go to DUI units, you can go to detective units, you can become a supervisor.” Whatever path is chosen, Foster added, “you’re applying what you’ve learned in the past as you build upon something different.”
Variety exists as well for people seeking a civilian job with the sheriff’s office,.Openings are posted regularly for multi-trade worker positions, as well as for dispatcher and emergency call takers, office assistants, accountants, locksmiths, budget analysts, finance analysts, electricians, network administrators, crossing guards and more.
“People don’t have to start out in detention or law enforcement,” Foster said. “They can start as civilian employees. We have people who go into dispatch, for example. They learn all the codes and the way the office operates and that could spark an interest for going into detention or patrol. It’s a smooth transition for them.”
With a flyer for the Nov. 19 HCSO Women’s Career Forum, Frost was in attendance Saturday at a FACE Academy program open to the community at Brandon High on Saturday. FACE stands for the school district’s division concerned with students and Family and Community Engagement.
Among the crime prevention materials on display were those for the “Lock It or Lose It” car break-in prevention initiative; the “Not So Fast” campaign to “stop speeding before it stops you;” the programs for residential burglary protection and robbery awareness; and the Neighborhood Watch program, billed as “one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear.” According to law enforcement officials, Neighborhood Watch involves “groups of neighbors looking out for each other and their neighborhood,” as the program reportedly has “helped reduce crime by as much as 50 percent.
Items on display for job opportunities included notice for the hiring of law enforcement deputy trainees, a job that requires the applicant to be at least 21 years old and a United States citizen. Special benefits include a no-cost, high-deductible health plan for single tier and a $500 employee referral bonus. Minimum education and experience requirements include an associate’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution of higher education, with either three years of active military duty or two years of full-time HCSO employment or HCSE Reserve Deputy status.
As for Foster, his career started thanks to a friendship that sparked the drive to pursue his life’s work.
“I never thought I wanted to do anything in law enforcement until I started talking to a buddy of mine,” Foster said, noting that a major draw were the benefits, better than anything else he had been considering. “I thought, let me give that a try, and once you’re hired, it’s kind of like the train has left the station and there’s no getting off.” His career, he added, has been “a fast-moving and rewarding ride.”
For more on the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s crime prevention tips and programs, visit www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/. For job opportunities, visit also www.joinHCSO.com/.