I was a but optimistic on my wording, But in the US they are not government employees(they are not paid any sort of salary) just citizens who are authorized to verify signatures(a governmental duty, which is why I called them minor government officials) and are are allowed to collect a small fixed fee for their effort.
FWIW in Germany in order to apply as a notary you have to be a lawyer and the number of notaries is very limited and they're lifetime positions. As with all public officials, there are severe penalties for professional misconduct and losing your lifetime position and benefits is usually enough of an incentive to keep these people honest and careful.
