Note: Current Employees must use the Workday Dashboard career section to apply for this position.
The mission of Yakima County Government is to provide accessible, responsive and responsible public service through leadership and teamwork committed to understanding and meeting public needs.
Our Values:
Integrity
Common Sense
Innovation
Accountability
Position Data:
Office Specialist-U23-H Regular Non-Exempt (eligible for overtime)Overview:
Pay Range: $20.27 - $25.70 per hour (Step 1-13 B21 YSO Non-Commissioned Employees Guild)This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies that occur within 90 days of the closing of this position. (This excludes Yakima County Sheriff's Office and Department of Corrections)
Responsibilities:
Customer Service
Provides outstanding Customer Service to the citizens of Yakima County by:
receiving and responding to all telephone calls and providing answers and/or directing the caller to the proper agency for assistance;
recognizing and responding to sensitive/confidential issues in a professional manner;
acting as an advocate to the public by developing and researching referral resources to verify what type of assistance they may provide to a customer when law enforcement is not the resource they need; taking initial incident reports from citizens at the front counter to alleviate the need for deputy response to incidents which are not in progress;
acting as the first point of contact for angry and/or confrontational citizens who are afraid when offender(s) move into their area and want information; Intaking of various applications and paperwork for processing;
Financial Duties
Accepts and processes payments for various transactions such as purchase of concealed pistol license applications, fingerprinting and service of court orders.
Reconciles cash on-hand and cash receipts daily for the public counter cash register till; Collates and reconciles Concealed Pistol Licenses for warrant requests for submission of payment to Department of Labor; processes billing for service of bench warrants.
Monitors monthly billing reports generated from processes received/served to include 1st, 2nd and 3rd notices to pay, sends bills to collections when necessary.
Clerical Duties
Provides clerical support services to Commissioned Personnel by entering data such as: handwritten traffic infractions and/or criminal citations, Sector citations and collision reports, documents deaths from the Yakima County Coroner’s monthly report and WACIC notices, and verifying accuracy within multiple databases.
Handles workflow received from Commissioned Personnel, ensuring it reaches the prosecutors and other agencies (law enforcement, social services, probation, code enforcement, etc. Workflow is processed both electronically via records system software, by direct data transfer using email, online and file sharing systems, by fax and by hard copy data sharing processes such as interoffice mail or outside mailing services;
Creates arrest records for tracking statistics for the State and FBI; Assists with resolving Incident Based Reporting (IBR) issues which may interfere with statistical reporting to state and federal agencies;
Responsible for taking rolled fingerprint impressions for personal use (i.e. criminal history, immigration, adoption purposes, employment etc.) and processing of applications (concealed pistol licenses, Sheriff's Office criminal justice employment applicants and volunteers).
Intakes and routes Public Records Requests.
Assists the Records Supervisor with processing public records requests which do not require redaction, compiling and redacting responsive records as specifically directed to aid in responding to larger, more complicated requests and releases public records to the public after preparation is complete. Accepts payment for public records upon completion of processing.
Intakes property and evidence at the front counter by: accepting and processing the item(s) following the protocol outlined for chain of custody, preservation of evidentiary value. handling biohazardous material and enters evidence into the property and evidence tracking software.
Records and processes sex offender registration documents received from the public and law enforcement agencies and divisions; may serves civil documents as requested.
Files/archives/scans hard copy records for retention; Researches retention laws to determine mandatory retention periods for various records in area of duty expertise.
Creates photo montages for victim/witness viewing as needed;
Designated as a Public Notary for the needs of the Sheriff's Office;
Responsible for daily mail pickup/distribution.
Administrative Duties
Responsible for the performing the following civil processes: processing and assigning caseload work to Civil Deputy, providing instruction/assisting other clerks with methods and proper procedures to carry out civil duties, accessing, collecting, compiling, reviewing, auditing and entering confidential information into a computer data base, maintenance and organization of accurate and complete records.
Inputs protection orders into state and nationwide database, researching and ensuring accuracy of information such as date of issuance, expiration and date of service, along with prohibitors, to include state and federal firearms restrictions (if applicable), and alias’s.
Prepares, coordinates and monitors civil court documents for service such as: Writs of Habeas Corpus, Writs of Restitution, (Foreclosure) Order of Sale such as Public Notice, Notice to Judgement Debtor, Exemptions, Publication Letter. Legal Certificate of Sale, Legal Deed upon redemption period, Writs of Execution, Replevin and Attachment, Orders and Writs. Drafts documents and/or communicates information to the public and legal community on levy on property being auctioned; Communicates with attorney pre/post sale, coordinates publication with newspaper agencies, posts the Public Notice (2) location/website, sends out certified/regular notices to the judgement debtors, auctions real property on the courthouse steps and, sometimes, auctions personal property at remote locations.
Validates 1/12 of all entries each month using the Criminal Justice Information System database in accordance to federal law and FBI standards (Audited tri-annually by the FBI and tri-annually by the WSP). Gathers information to prepare technical reports and provide recommendations to the supervisor reference streamlining processes and complying with law changes
Processes Bench Warrants by: Receiving bench warrants for service; Entering, clearing and canceling bench warrants in the Criminal Justice Information database in accordance to federal law and FBI standards (Audited tri-annually by the FBI and tri-annually by the WSP); Validates 1/12 of all warrant entries monthly by verifying the accuracy of records with the Court, the Prosecutor's Office and within the criminal justice information system
Processes Concealed Pistol License (CPL), WA State Firearms Dealer License and Alien Firearms License (AFL) Applications by: completing background checks utilizing multiple criminal justice data bases and DSHS record inquiries requiring in-depth research and interpretation of inquiry responses; making determination of firearms rights under various circumstances based on the results of the background checks; tracking and assigning record numbers to CPL’s per a state mandated and agency tracked numbering system for official filing with Department of Licensing; issuing, recording and disseminating licenses, making entries into the Criminal Justice Information System for denied applications and/or National Instant Check System (NICS) Index entries to document denial information which is not available via the standard criminal history search.
Processes, reviews and either approves/denies Firearms Transfer Applications by: performing a complete and thorough background check that includes a mental health check through Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), immigration queries, Local, WA State and Out of State Criminal History checks, reaching out to local and out of state criminal justice agencies via phone, mail, facsimile and e-mail, inquiring on incident reports, arrests and dispositions of court cases. Performs investigation of prior involvements, adverse findings and reduced sentences, scans involvements for any current drug use. Analyzes the data and prepares notifications to be sent to arms dealer(s), legal documentation informing purchaser in the event of denial, listing proper RCW prohibitors and forwarding to purchaser via USPS. For denied applications, adds Denial to applicant involvements in Spillman for access and availability for other local law enforcement agencies and scans proper documentation of denial findings to the files of the Denied Firearms Transfer entry in the records system, the Criminal Justice Information System and/or National Instant Check System (NICS) Index.
Processes and registers all sex offenders residing, working or attending school within the boundaries of Yakima County by: informing the Offender of all the laws and regulations regarding registration to help ensure compliance, takes rolled fingerprint impressions and offender photographs, obtains oral swab DNA samples, tracks address changes and compliance of offenders. Prepares public notification bulletins and notices for schools, notifies other law enforcement agencies as necessary and updates state registry.
Validates descriptor, personal identifiers, conviction data and registration data of 1/12 of all current Yakima County registered sex offender entries each month in the Criminal Justice Information System database in accordance to federal law and FBI standards,
Works closely with commissioned personnel and the Prosecutor’s Office for requesting charges on offenders failing to meet their requirements. Receives updates from the Prosecutor’s Office and probation offices reference warrants issued for registered sex offenders with requests to alert officers to arrest when they come to YCSO to check-in.
Testifies in court reference knowledge of the RSO registration requirement laws and reference the records of compliance of offenders. Collaborates with Prosecutors during trial and sentencing to assist with charging and sentencing decisions based on offender registration history; scans and attaches offender files into Offender Watch, the WA State sex offender registration software which is also used by numerous agencies across the nation, resulting in accessibility of detailed registration data from multiple jurisdictions.
Assist with Coordinating Yakima County Crime Stoppers Law Enforcement requirements by being trained as the backup for: Selecting fugitives to highlight in various formats for Crime Stoppers wanted person campaigns; Receiving tips from citizens and corresponds with tipsters to ascertain necessary information; Forwarding same to appropriate law enforcement agencies to include local, county, state and federal agencies; Providing photos/bulletins to the media; Maintaining website photos; Coordinating billboard wanted poster campaigns; Creating a flyer highlighting current wanted persons three (3) times a year;
Attends monthly Yakima County Crime Stoppers Board of Director meetings to present a comprehensive Coordinator’s Report which includes information on arrested persons and recommendation of the amount of the reward for Board review and approval;
Coordinates with informants to ensure payment.
Other duties performed:
Assists in training new hires in assigned duty areas of expertise; training and advising of other local agencies when assigned/requested in the use of the Spillman records system for managing records, data entry and inquiring in the criminal justice information system; assigning and monitoring work to unpaid interns and inmate workers.
Monitor and report supply needs to appropriate personnel, or order necessary supplies if applicable (i.e. printing supplies); Monitor and maintain equipment; Responsible for contacting repair personnel as needed (i.e. request help ticket to County TS, help ticket submission to printer maintenance company, etc.);
Monitor and report facility issues to the appropriate personnel;
Other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience:
High School Diploma or GED plus 3 years of legal clerical experience or the equivalent education and experience to perform the essential duties of the job.
Required:
You must complete the testing within 48 hours of the closing date in order to be considered further.
Preferred:
Computer, printer, cash register, document imaging scanner, fax machine, copy machine, Live Scan fingerprint machine, digital telephone system, alarm panels, bar code scanner, hand truck, passenger vehicle, protective gloves (non-latex), DNA swabbing equipment, photography equipment.
“AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER”
Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans and the Disabled are encouraged to apply.
Yakima County ensures equal employment opportunities regardless of a person’s age, color, creed, sensory, mental or physical disability, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political belief, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and military status, or any other protected status under federal or state statute.
PAY TRANSPARENCY NONDISCRIMINATION PROVISION
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish the information.
Disabled applicants may request accommodation to participate in the job application and/or selection process for employment. Please contact Human Resources for further information.
Yakima County is a qualified Public Service entity for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more information, go to https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service or contact your federal loan servicer.
In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Yakima County will hire only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States.
Yakima County is an E-Verify Employer.