For the first time in nearly a decade, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office on Friday held job tryouts exclusively to recruit women deputies, and the response was staggering, the department said.
Friday's testing session attracted 95 people, compared with the roughly 60 prospects who show up at most co-ed recruitments, the Sheriff's Office said. In typical tryouts, the applicants are almost all men.
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"We were very surprised at the turnout," said Sheriff's Cmdr. Tracy Brown.
The Sheriff's Office decided to hold a women-only test after its human resources director suggested the method
as a way to help raise the number of female deputies, Brown said.
He said high turnout may stem from women feeling more confident and comfortable at a female-only testing session. Moreover, radio and television coverage of the event likely helped, Brown said.
Under state requirements, the Sheriff's Office must employ women to work in certain jobs, such as dealing with female prisoners, he said.
All deputies start at the jail, but many move to patrol after a few years, and ultimately, to higher positions, Brown said.
At 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, about 25 women in sweat suits and sneakers waited to go through the department's physical agility test.
The group had gone through the written test that morning, and the mood was upbeat as participants prepared for the ordeal.
To pass, they had to complete an obstacle course, which included scaling a wall, sprinting between patrol cars, crawling through a tunnel and jumping through a window, all in 74 seconds. At the start of the course, they were given the description of a suspect, whom they had to identify from four pictures. Finally, they had to drag a 160-pound dummy 15 feet.
Tara Magpusao, 21, said she liked the idea of a women-only tryout to one with men.
"It would just be intimidating, but I would do it," Magpusao said.
Her aunt Rosemary Sanchez, 47, said she also felt better without men present.
"That was a huge factor in us being here," Sanchez said.
Prospective deputies who pass testing like Friday's may be called for final-selection interviews. Candidates given conditional job offers must also clear several more hurdles, including a voice-stress analysis, which is similar to a polygraph, a psychological examination and medical examination, according to the sheriff's Web site.
thecalifornian.com
