SALEM, Ind. (WDRB) -- A week after the sheriff in Washington County, Ind. raised concerns about pay and staffing, his deputies are getting help with overnight patrols and pay raises approved during a county council meeting Friday morning.
Last week, Sheriff Brent Miller said his department has one of the lowest starting salaries for deputies in southern Indiana. He said 10 deputies have left the department since he started in 2019 -- seven for positions at other police departments -- and he is now down to 10 deputies, with three openings. He also announced he would no longer be able to have deputies available for overnight calls.
"This is not news that I want to deliver to the citizens of Washington County," Miller said in a Facebook post last Friday. "This is not a decision that has been made lightly. To the contrary, we have made change after change to the schedule in an attempt to continue 24/7 coverage for the county."
After that post by Miller, he said on social media Friday afternoon that there had been an offer to help patrol the county in the overnight hours.
"Effective immediately, the Indiana State Police have agreed to step in and provide coverage during the overnight hours. This collaboration ensures continued public safety for the residents of Washington County during the crucial 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. period," he wrote.
The announcement came hours after the County Council held a special meeting. It was a packed house with council acknowledging there's never that many people at the meetings.
"We're here to try to fix the problems," Mark Abbott (R) County Council - At Large said. "We're not gonna have a meeting where we're gonna sit here and point fingers."
After discussion, council members voted Friday to increase resources for the department. Miller had requested a $10,000 salary increase for the deputies currently on staff, as well as new hires.
"There's fewer and fewer people willing to put that badge on today and go out here knowing that they may or may not come home at the end of their shift to their family, but these guys do it anyway," Miller said.
The council on Friday approved an annual increase of $8,000, after first offering a six percent raise on the condition of eliminating two positions.
A back-and-forth discussion continued for about an hour until county prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt stood up and advocated for the sheriff. She said it takes a lot of money ($65,000) to get deputies trained and hired, and the department should be able to retain new hires while actively recruiting for the open positions.
At the end of the discussion, the council agreed to keep the open positions and increase deputy salaries by $8,000 a year.
"I believe that the council does support the sheriff's department and they showed that that we were able to work out something today that we could all agree on, and I appreciate their efforts as well," Miller said.
The council hopes to have another conversation about a possibly larger raise once budget talks happen in August. Miller said he is pleased with the council's decision. A written statement was issued late Friday afternoon:
"In order to address immediate needs arising from the Washington County Sheriff Deputy shortage, this morning the County Council approved an across the board pay raise of $8,000 for officers within the Sheriff’s Department. The $8,000 increase results in new salaries for these positions as follows:
- Chief Deputy -- $69,648
- Detective -- $61,514.00
- Captain -- $61,514.00
- Lieutenant -- $59,891.00
- Sergeant -- $58,270.00
- Deputy -- $56,647.00
- Starting Deputy -- $52,980
"The funding for the pay raises will derive from funds previously allocated for Sheriff Department salaries but went unused due to approved deputy positions being vacant for the past few years. The Council believes these funds will be sufficient to cover the pay increases and potential new hires through 2024. The Council intends to address any further pay adjustments and budget modifications for the Sheriff’s Department when budget discussions for 2025 begin this August. The Council remains committed to the safety of the Washington County community and to working with the Sheriff to provide the resources necessary to retain and recruit a qualified police force."
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