Sheriff: Lower Salaries Create Hiring Challenges

McCracken County's Sheriff got a partial solution a few months ago, but says he still is facing a staffing dilemma.
 
Jon Hayden gave a presentation to McCracken County Fiscal Court on May 4, saying he had a shortage of patrol deputies, and unless salaries were increased, it would be hard to catch up. That's because there is a difference of over $12,000 in starting pay for deputies compared to new officers at the Paducah Police Department, he said.
 
Hayden's presentation outlined the disparity, which he said contributed to the loss of two deputies who went to work for the police department. His
data compared dispatch calls and numbers of on-duty officers to similar-sized counties in the state, and to Paducah Police as well. Comparisons between city and county budgets and salaries related to law enforcement were also shared.
 
"We provided them with a comparison so they would have a better understanding of how under-staffed we were," Hayden said. "Not only was I concerned about the manpower issue, but the recruiting and retention issue that we've had for a long time here with the pay disparity."
 
Hayden said when the budget for Fiscal Year 2016-2017 was approved, he was given funding to hire three additional road deputies, and also got raises for existing officers. But he knows several in the department will likely retire in the next couple of years, so recruiting more help has to be a priority.
 
The looming issue is starting pay. For a deputy it's $33,000, but a new officer for Paducah Police earns over $42,000. In fact, a new officer for the city makes more than the highest paid road deputy. Hayden says that makes recruitment difficult, since they can't compete to hire from the shrinking pool of interested experienced officers.
 
He said the expense to train an inexperienced officer is about $20,000, and the process takes more than six months.
 
"If we have to hire recruits with no experience, the academy is 23 weeks long, and then there is 6-9 weeks of in-the-field training before that employee is of any benefit to your agency," Hayden said.
 
Hayden said they sometime lose officers to other agencies because of the difference in pay.
 
"You can't fault an individual that is trying to provide for his family when he can do the exact same job, work for the same people, service the same court system, same dispatch center and make $10,000 less a year. You can't fault someone for wanting to better themselves and go to an agency that pays that much more money," Hayden said.
 
Hayden said he is thankful for the help he got in this year's budget, but also feels it's his duty to keep the Fiscal Court informed of the issues he's
facing as Sheriff, so they can make informed decisions on behalf of the county's residents. He plans to re-evaluate the situation in the spring, before budget discussions begin for the next fiscal year.