Court Marshal

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the King County Sheriff’s Office. Court Marshals hold a limited law enforcement commission that allows them to perform law enforcement duties while on duty and at their worksite. This is a great opportunity for law enforcement professionals to let previous career experience enhance retirement earnings and/or continue a career of service.

Marshals serve at the following locations

• King County Courthouse, Seattle
• Youth Services Center, Seattle
• Harborview Mental Health Court, Seattle
• Washington State Court of Appeals, Seattle
• Maleng Regional Justice Center, Kent
• Bellevue District Court
• Issaquah District Court
• Shoreline District Court
• Burien District Court
• Redmond District Court
• Vashon District Court (staffed 1x/month)
• Auburn District Court (Scheduled to close at the end of year)
• Other locations as assigned.

WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to the public [OR INTERNAL].

The [name of position] is a civil service classified position. The recruitment and hiring process will be administered in accordance with King County Civil Service Rules. You can access these rules at Civil Service Rules.

For more information about application requirements go to civil-service-application-requirements.pdf

For more information about King County Service please visit our King County Civil Service website.

Job Duties

The Court Protection Unit (CPU) is part of the Technical Services Division (TSD) and is comprised of 3 Sergeants, 36 Marshal positions and 35 noncommissioned Security Screeners. The CPU operates Monday-Friday with weekends and King County recognized holidays off between the hours of 6am and 5pm. Hours of operation vary at each of the 11 work sites. Marshal's will be assigned to the King County Courthouse (Seattle) or Maleng Justice Center (Kent) during the first year of employment (probationary period).

• Marshals follow the Sheriff’s Office General Orders Manual and the CPU SOP.
• Marshal's staff fixed security posts and patrol on foot.
• Marshals make warrant arrests, take defendants into custody on court ordered remands, provide courtroom presence and respond to a variety of different calls for service.
• Marshals are not regularly assigned to work inside courtrooms.
• Marshals also investigate incidents and write case reports.

Qualifications

• Possesses a Washington State Peace Officer Certificate (or equivalent) or Federal Criminal Justice Academy AND at least one year of full-time law enforcement experience. (no more than a 5 year break in service)

OR

• Certified by a Washington State Corrections academy AND at least two year of post-academy experience that includes courtroom correctional detention. (no more than a 5 year break in service)

AND

• Good verbal skills and obvious experience defusing interpersonal conflicts and maintaining orderly conduct in public group situations.
• Able to qualify with a KCSO-issued firearm at least twice a year.
• Able to successfully pass a complete background investigation to include a polygraph exam, psychological evaluation and a medical exam.

Note

You must be a United States citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident or deferred action childhood arrival (DACA) recipient. You must have the ability to read, speak and write in the English language fluently.

All retired WA State law enforcement personnel are eligible to draw their full LEOFF II retirement benefits while working as a Marshal full time and with full King County health care benefits -- OR -- retired LEOFF II personnel can choose not to draw their retirement and instead pay into the WA State Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS).

• Under state law you cannot draw from a state retirement plan and pay into another state retirement plan at the same time.
• Contact the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) to confirm your individual retirement circumstances.
• If you are a PERS I or PERS II retiree, you may be able to work a number of hours and still receive your retirement benefits, but you should check with DRS.

Work Schedule

• This position is FLSA Non-Exempt/Exempt and is overtime eligible/not eligible for overtime.
• Marshals may work 8-to-10-hour shifts (not counting overtime) with varied furlough days based on worksite.
• Workdays are Monday through Friday.
• Shifts generally start no earlier than 5:45am and end no later than 5:15pm.

Recruitment Timeline

• Applications will be screened for clarity, completeness, and competitiveness.
• The most competitive candidates will be invited to participate in a practical examination and oral board interview.
• Below is the timeline for this recruitment:

Oral Board Interview: Varies based on application date - estimated 2-3 weeks after you apply. Please note, dates are subject to change based on resource availability.

Here are resources to help with Civil Service examinations

• Helpful tips for the Civil Service oral board interview: Video - Oral Board Examination Information
• Additional information on King County’s commitment to equity and social justice: Website - Understanding King County ERSJ Values and Commitments

Necessary Special Requirements

The candidate selected for this position will be required to pass a comprehensive background investigation to include fingerprinting and a polygraph examination.

Required Application Matierals

Please carefully review the list of required materials before submitting your application. Additional information on application requirements can be found on the Civil Service website.

• Applications that say “see resume” or do not have any work history listed in the application itself will not be considered. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed job application.
• Answer all the supplemental questions.
• Review the list of KCSO Automatic Disqualifiers and verify your qualification for employment with King County Sheriff's Office.

Additional information

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or if you have questions, please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.

CLASSIFICATION: The classification for this position is County Marshal.

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve.

Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.