Sheriff's office posts for lateral recruits, plans new‑recruit posting this summer ahead of 2026 academy

Deputy Chief Nemak of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office told the Criminal Justice Committee the office is actively recruiting and is currently hiring lateral recruits with a new posting open for roughly four weeks.

Nemak said the department counts about 156 sworn personnel and is three below authorized staffing as of the meeting. He also described recent attrition: two deputies left training or failed certification and the office expects six retirements through the calendar year and one anticipated resignation.

Recruitment approach and timeline: Nemak said the sheriff's office has launched a recruiting website (teamdcs0.org) and that lateral recruitment is the current focus; officials plan a new‑recruit posting likely in August or September to prepare hires for a January 2026 academy. "We're just posting for laterals... but we're also recruiting through that to that August, September time frame of when we will post for new recruits," Nemak said.

Outreach and support: Nemak said recruiters will provide applicants with materials and training tips, including physical‑test preparation, and plans to distribute recruiting cards to deputies for on‑the‑spot referral. He said hires for the January academy typically would be onboarded in December to receive initial local training before the academy.

Committee questions: Commissioners asked whether the office is hiring only laterals; Nemak said both lateral and new recruit paths are planned and encouraged interested candidates to use the recruiting site to contact recruiters. No formal personnel actions were taken at the meeting.