Hinds County Board of Supervisors approves salary increase for detention officers

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors recently approved a salary increase for Hinds County Sheriff's Department detention sergeants from $35,300 to $40,000 and lieutenants from $38,200 to $42,500. The raises will go into effect on Aug. 1, according to Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones.

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors approved the pay raises for sheriff's detention officers to help prevent future escapes from the Raymond Detention Center and to make law enforcement salaries more competitive, Jones said.

The salary increase was done without affecting the current sheriff's office budget, Jones said, and was secured with vacancies that were already budgeted.

Jones said the increases would help the administration's recruitment and retention efforts and the ability to provide competitive pay.

"This means a lot to provide a salary increase for our officers," Jones said. "We've balanced a budget without costing The Hinds County Sheriff's Office or Hinds County taxpayers any money. We were able to allocate our budget to fulfill the request. With the increase, we can value our employees for their job and efforts. This shows we have a supportive administration."

Jones said with the new increase; more officers have been put into place to provide better safety measures. The increase pairs well in comparison to other neighboring counties. The starting pay salary for a Madison Police Officer is $50,000; for Capitol Police, $42,000; for Clinton Police $42,000; for Brandon Police $36,000; and for Pearl Police $35,000.

"We are working with the circuit court judges, district attorneys and public defenders about reducing the population at the Raymond Detention Center," Jones said. "We believe those efforts will be successful by reducing the numbers at the facility."

In addition, Jones said this is another effort to support those who have served Hinds County for years. Prior to this increase, Jones was able also to help secure raises for deputies in early November last year from $29,000 to $40,000, a nearly 38% pay raise.

"The HCSO was also responsible for a recent significant pay raise for operations deputies from $29,500 to $40,000 and just last month dispatchers were given a pay raise from $13 an hour to $16 an hour starting pay," Jones said. "We will continue to address fair and competitive pay for the men and women that serve Hinds County and the Hinds County Sheriff's Office. Some of these efforts are long overdue, and it's fulfilling to have the support needed to grant these requests of those responsible for taxpayers' dollars."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hinds County detention officers and dispatchers receive pay increase