SALEM, Ind. (WDRB) -- Washington County Sheriff Brent Miller took to social media last week to inform residents he wouldn't be able to cover overnight hours because of staff and money shortages. The reason for that? Washington County has one of the lowest starting salaries for deputies across southern Indiana.
The sheriff's office needs 16 deputies to be fully-staffed, and Miller said he's down to 10 with three openings, two in training and one on light duty.
"This is not news that I want to deliver to the citizens of Washington County," Miller said in a Facebook post 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."
Miller said his deputies are working seven or eight consecutive days in row, sometimes with 16-hour shifts.
"That isn’t safe for anyone," he said. "We are trying to maintain appropriate police coverage, but simply can’t keep working the way we are."
The scaling back of hours will start Friday, when there won't be any deputies on duty in Washington County from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Instead, Indiana State Police troopers will take over.
"It does happen from time to time, but it's rare," ISP Sgt. Carey Huls said Wednesday. "Everybody's got that hiring crisis going on as well. Manpower numbers are an issue for all police agencies, including the Indiana State Police. So we're trying to find our own recruits, fill those spots in the academy. So it's a hard time."
Miller said a "recent salary survey" showed their starting salary is well below that of surrounding county sheriff's departments and city police departments. For example, the starting salary in Washington County is $44,980. Surrounding counties pay:
- Orange County: $48,200
- Jennings County: $48,776
- Jackson County: $49,774
- Harrison County: $52,000
- Clark County: $56,050
- Floyd County: $60,352
- Scott County: $51,000
Miller said 10 deputes have left since he took over in January 2019. Three left law enforcement, but the other seven accepted positions elsewhere.
"The applicant pool has been shrinking drastically and all police agencies are competing for the same applicants," Miller said. "They are going to go where the money and benefits are better. You can’t blame people for wanting to better themselves."
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