COVID-19 Updates: Taking steps to return to normal.
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COVID-19 Updates: Taking steps to return to normal.
Join a team that plays an important role in providing care, custody and control of adult and young offenders.
Each correctional peace officer (CPO) helps ensure that Albertans have safe and secure communities in which to live, work and raise their families.
CPOs perform a variety of security-related duties in:
Many people from across Canada and around the world choose to live and work in Alberta each year.
As a CPO, you get:
As a CPO, you:
A CPO maintains a physical presence on living units and interacts with inmates on a regular basis. This position functions in a 24-hour operation with rotating shifts.
All successful candidates are hired at the CPO 1 classification.
You may be eligible for reclassification to the CPO 2 level after you’ve successfully completed:
There’s a 5-step process to becoming a correctional peace officer (CPO) recruit:
Once you’ve submitted your resume and requested documents through the Government of Alberta Jobs website, we will review your education and work experience.
Medical Consent and COPAT form (PDF, 1 MB)
COPAT Consent and Test Record form (PDF, 1 MB)
For the interview, you’re required to bring:
Use academic references instead of work-related ones if:
The interview panel is made up of a human resources consultant and a senior CPO.
In-person interviews are required; however, exceptions may be made for applicants who live outside Alberta.
We check your references and, if applicable, verify your academic credentials.
Our ministry’s Correctional Services Induction Training is a paid comprehensive training program designed for you – the new CPO recruit.
The program runs for 9 weeks at the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General Training Academy in Edmonton. It provides you with inmate management and security skills, plus the basic tools and extensive knowledge that a CPO must know.
Our course instructors will lead you in professional development through these subjects:
To give you a further understanding of offenders, we provide information sessions on:
The safety of our CPOs is a top priority. As a result, you're given significant classroom instruction and skill development in:
Our academy is a structured learning environment. It gets you job-ready – and instils the pride and professionalism that comes with being a CPO.
If you’re being further considered in the competition process, we will email you a request to provide these documents:
If you live outside Alberta, you can obtain these documents from the province you live in. We only accept documents within 6 months of their issue date.
You’re required to produce all your original documents at the interview step of the recruiting process. As well, you’re responsible for all the fees you incur to obtain them.
A CPO must have valid first aid and CPR certification. To learn how to get certified or recertified, visit First Aid Agencies.
A CPO may have to operate a government vehicle to transport inmates throughout Alberta. For this reason, you’re required to provide a current driver’s abstract that includes the last 5 years of your driving history.
Obtain your driver’s abstract from a registry agent.
Any applicant who’s hired to work for our ministry is required to produce a current criminal records check before an offer of employment can be made. Criminal records checks can take several weeks to obtain.
Contact your local police agency for a criminal records check.
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