Sheriff faces challenges filling new deputy spots
Branch County commissioners told Sheriff John Pollack two weeks ago to start looking for the six new deputies the five members promised to fund in the 2024 budget.
But pay scales, insurance and lack of interest in the once-coveted job make hiring new deputies difficult, the sheriff said. Any online search turns up just over 200 local law enforcement job openings in Michigan, including in surrounding counties.
He told Officer.com in August, “The current misrepresentation of law enforcement has really caused a lack of applications.”
Pollack explained the negative attitude toward police by some residents made the job more difficult.
The sheriff said, “Then you couple that with low pay — especially for the smaller offices like ours who have tighter budgets.”
Pollack was interviewed by Officer.com, a national law enforcement publication, about the difficulty in finding new deputies.
Since 2001, the number of law enforcement officers statewide has decreased by 19%, or more than 4,500.
“We have agencies next door that have more funding and offer better pay and benefits, and they are now going out to the academies to recruit,” Pollack told the law enforcement website.
How much do communities pay deputies?
Branch County starts deputies at $23.39 an hour after increases approved by the commission last year.
Cass County pays new deputies $23.55 an hour, close to Branch County, in a similar situation trying to fill vacancies.
St. Joseph County advertises openings at $24.74 an hour to start.
Calhoun County is searching for deputies at a $21.72 an hour but with a $2,500 sign-on bonus and $1,000 bonus after a year. All want officers.
In Kalamazoo County, starting deputy pay is $25.41, with 16 of 48 positions vacant.
The city of Kalamazoo and Portage advertises for officers starting at $80,852 or $39.80 an hour with a $15,000 bonus for a lateral position transfer from another department.
Smaller city departments pay less. The city of Hillsdale advertised for an officer with a starting hourly pay of $19.85.
Another major recruiting problem is the Branch County’s health insurance rates. After COVID-19 with medical claims, county rates increased to where many employees cannot afford the county plan for their families.
“Our best recruitment tool has been word of mouth from our staff through talking to their acquaintances,” Pollack said. “The benefits of this of course are that we get applicants who have a better understanding of what they’re getting into.”
Most of the deputies are local, some with generations of relatives in the area.
Most of his recent recruits came from corrections. The latest is Josh Olney, grandson of former county commissioner and retired Michigan State Police Trooper Rod Olney.
Recruits no longer need Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement certification to apply.
“We’re now even paying for perspective applicants to attend an academy and we’re paying them a wage while they go,” Pollack explained. “For us that’s a real risk because being in a smaller agency, they complete the academy, they come back here and move on to a bigger department.”
Prior Story County approves tentative plan for six new deputies for 2024
The academy takes 16 weeks to complete to apply for certification. Then, the graduates must get through field training with another deputy for at least eight weeks before the new officers can begin patrol on their own.
Commissioners developed a plan to fund six new road officers after all 16 township boards passed resolutions asking for increased patrols.
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Before 2013 budget cuts due to falling revenues, the department had 19 deputies that patrolled 24 hours. In 2013, the department went to eight with two sergeants who worked days.
Michigan State Police provide night patrols.
---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Sheriff faces challenges filling new deputy spots
