Editor,
The Sheriff’s Department has a severe shortage of deputies. This shortage is an ongoing long-term chronic problem that needs a solution that works in the real world.
In the past, deputies have been lost to the State Police which has a higher pay scale. It may be time to consider further pay increases to stop these losses by making the department more competitive.
This pay raise might be tied to years of service to provide a cost-effective incentive kicking in after two years with the department. The additional salary costs would be mitigated to some degree by avoiding the hidden costs being incurred every time we lose a deputy to another department. When this happens the training costs invested in these dep-uties have been wasted, not to mention the time and effort spent on in-service training to bring new deputies up to speed.
I would also like to encourage the department to consider a Community Policing Program if they can increase their staffing levels. From personal experience these programs, if implemented properly, have significant pay backs for law enforcement and the community.
Joe Kaffl
Hillsboro
