Security Officer II – Armed

ABOUT FRANKLIN COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT
The Franklin County Municipal Court is the largest and busiest municipal court in the State of Ohio. The Court has fourteen judges in the General Division and one judge in the Environmental Division. Judges preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases and conduct both jury and court trials. The Court’s jurisdiction includes traffic cases, misdemeanor criminal cases, and civil cases where the amount at issue is $15,000 or less. The Environmental Division has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce local codes and regulations affecting real property, such as fire and building codes. The geographic jurisdiction of the Court is all of Franklin County and those portions of the City of Columbus that extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County. Despite its jurisdiction and name, the Franklin County Municipal Court is the judicial branch of the City of Columbus government.

JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW
The Franklin County Municipal Court operates a Court Security Program to maintain a safe environment for judges, employees, and all others having business in the courthouse. The Security Department currently consists of a Director of Security, Security Supervisor, Administrative Assistant, Control Room Supervisor and 21 security officers on the day shift, plus a control room operator on the second and third shifts. The Court contracts with a private security company to provide the Municipal Court with additional support during evenings and weekends.

Court Security Officers are responsible for all security aspects of a courthouse, including ensuring that the judges and judicial staff, court employees and general public visiting the courthouse are safe. Officers also ensure that no weapons are brought into the courthouse and that the staff and public complies with the Court’s Security and Emergency Response
Procedures. Other job duties include watching entrances and exits, working at screening stations and roaming the courthouse hallways to check for suspicious activity.
Full-time, 1st Shift, working hours as assigned by the Director.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILTIES OF THE POSITION
The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required or assigned.

• Provide personal protection for Judges and court staff in courtrooms
• Provide personal protection for Judges and court administrators in parking facilities
• Be assigned personal protection details and escorts of Judges
• Required rapid response and deployment to dynamic, chaotic & evolving situations.
• Appropriately respond to lethal situations, encounters & threats
• Screen vendors, visitors, employees, and packages entering the Court facility using x-ray equipment, closed circuit television surveillance systems, and other access-control devices and procedures
• Investigate any suspicious persons or activity and take any action that may be necessary, including assisting in the apprehension and detention of individuals if necessary
• Monitor cameras on closed circuit system; monitor and respond to radio traffic on multiple channels, address fire alarms, panic alarms, and elevator emergency calls
• Investigate, prepare, review, record, and log security incident reports and disseminate to the appropriate staff
• Proficiency in report writing. Prepare reports of accidents and security incidents
• Proficiently demonstrate the ability to follow operating procedures in dealing with all aspects of security related issues
• Once screened, escort all deliveries throughout the Municipal Court Building
• Maintain and be responsible for court issued equipment (Manuals, radio, extra battery for radio, badges, ID, etc.)
• Comprehensive working knowledge of the rules of conduct and procedures in the Securities Directives Manual
• Conduct security patrols with the purpose of securing and locking doors and monitoring activities on the courtroom floors, with an emphasis on the hallways and restroom areas
• Comprehensive working knowledge of the use and operation of the X-ray equipment, metal detectors and hand wanding units
• Respond to and act as a liaison to the general public and safety personnel during emergencies
• Provide security and, if requested, escort service to and from the adjoining parking facility for judges, jurors, and courthouse employees
• Conduct investigations as directed
• Undergo continuous training to improve job skills
• Treat all visitors in a professional, courteous manner
• Maintain a clean, professional appearance and wear any required uniform or clothing
• Perform other tasks as assigned, and may be assigned to other positions in other departments of the Court if needed

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A high school diploma or equivalent
• A minimum of 5 years full time law enforcement employment or possess a current certificate issued by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission that attests to satisfactory completion of an approved basic training program for bailiff and deputy bailiffs of courts of record, court security or armed security.
• Must be able to successfully qualify with an approved firearm on a yearly basis.
• Knowledge of common office practices, procedures, and equipment
• Ability to operate a personal computer and use Microsoft Office products such as Word, Outlook, and Excel
• Ability to effectively and professionally communicate verbally and in writing to diverse audiences
• Ability to apply principles to solve practical everyday problems
• Pleasant personality and ability to interact and maintain effective working relationships with judges, employees, and others conducting business with the Court
• Conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court’s jurisdiction and ability to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds on a regular basis
• Professional appearance and demeanor appropriate for the position and the work environment expected of a representative of the Court
• Demonstrated dependability, reliability and excellent attendance record
• Patience, objectivity, maturity, sound judgment, effectiveness under stress, initiative, and adaptability
• Training Standards include the ability to pass and re-qualify Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy handgun standards. Become proficient in any specialized training specific to elevated rapid responses.
• The wearing of a provided protective vest is highly encouraged.
• Provide their own duty weapon and ammo which will be approved by the Director of Security.
• Be proficient in any intermediate weapons approved by the Director of Security.
• A yearly assessment of the armed Security officer will be conducted by the Director of Security and reported to the Judicial Security Committee for continued approval to maintain armed security status.
• The Director of Security and the Judicial Security Committee maintain the authority to remove and reassign an Armed Security Officer II to an Unarmed Security Officer I status at will.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Additional consideration will be given to individuals who have any of the following qualifications: an associate’s degree or other advanced schooling; previous experience as a police or security officer; an understanding of basic legal terminology and procedures; the ability to
speak and write Spanish or a language commonly used by people of Somalia for whom English is a second language; or proficiency in American Sign Language.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS
This position requires significant interaction with the public and accused and convicted criminal offenders. This position may require you to respond to lethal force with lethal force.

BENEFITS
The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes medical, prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance; short-term disability; generous vacation, sick and personal leave; 11 paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick-leave reciprocity; employee assistance and deferred-compensation programs; tuition reimbursement; and credit-union membership.

Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees. The Court pays the required employer 14 percent of the employee’s salary. Court employees do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks because they are members of OPERS.

COURT EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEE
In completing the duties and responsibilities of the position, the Court expects the employee will adhere to all Court policies, guidelines, practices and procedures; act as a role model both inside and outside the Court; perform duties as workload necessitates in a timely, accurate and thorough manner and be conscientious about meeting department productivity standards; and communicate regularly with the supervisor about department issues.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT
Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; they are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.