Deputies to get a big salary boost as Stanislaus County fights to fill positions

Stanislaus County will try a new package of incentives to solve a longstanding problem — hiring and keeping deputies who protect the public.

Earlier this week, county supervisors created a Deputy Sheriff II classification as a career track for sworn deputies with at least two years experience.

Officials hope the new journey-level salaries, which are 10 percent higher, will keep deputies from jumping to higher-paying departments.

The county will offer a $1,000 bonus for Sheriff’s Department employees who refer a candidate who is hired as a deputy and clears the probationary period. In addition, new hires relocating from another county will receive a $2,500 moving allowance.

The package takes effect in January.

“We are kind of still in disbelief,” said Randon Kirkbride, president of the Stanislaus Sworn Deputies Association.

Kirkbride said it’s a morale booster for deputies who survived layoffs caused by the Great Recession and watched less fortunate colleagues lose homes and livelihoods after getting layoff slips.

The county has tried to rebuild the force as the economy improved in the last several years, but experienced deputies can earn a lot more working for police departments within commute distance in Tracy, Manteca or Elk Grove, the union president said.

“Most of our patrol staff today has less than five years on the job,” Kirkbride pointed out.

About 10 years ago, the sheriff’s office had 214 allocated positions for patrol and other frontline deputies. The nation’s financial turmoil in 2008 led to painful cuts, slashing allocated positions to 142 in 2011.

The county has 180 positions for sworn deputies in the 2018-19 budget and hired 172 deputies to fill vacancies in the last five years, but struggles with turnover in a competitive labor market, according to a county staff report.

The Sheriff’s Department typically has about 20 vacancies each month. When a vacancy occurs, it costs $85,000 and takes almost 18 months to hire and develop a new deputy to work independently, the staff report says.

Jeff Dirkse, who takes over as sheriff in January, said he talked with county Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes about narrowing the pay gap between the Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies.

Deputies can boost their annual income $35,000 by working for Livermore police, Dirkse said. An evaluation found that some of those who left would have stayed with Stanislaus County if the pay was closer, he added.

“We have had something like a net gain of 22 deputies in six years,” the sheriff-elect said. “At this rate, it would take six to 10 years to fill our current allocations.”

According to a recruitment posting, the county offers a salary range of $64,064 to $77,875 annually for sheriff deputies, which does not include overtime pay. Officials hope the opportunity of a career-track promotion with a salary band from $70,304 to $85,654 a year will enable the county to recruit patrol officers from other departments and retain veteran staff.

“It puts us where we should have been years ago,” Kirkbride said. “At one time, we were competitive with Modesto PD. With the layoffs and pay cuts, we fell far behind.”

The county expects it’ll cost $2.46 million as almost 140 deputies become eligible for journey-level status and the 10 percent raises. Part of earning the promotion is completing classes in crisis intervention, drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and traffic collision investigation.

The CEO’s office will make adjustments to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and undersheriff salaries and negotiate labor contract amendments with unions representing supervisors and sheriff management employees.

Cities that contract for sheriff service will see cost increases totaling $363,000 this fiscal year and $753,000 in the following year. The county is offering to cover 50 percent of the cost increase for the contract cities — Hughson, Patterson, Riverbank and Waterford — if they agree to more flexible assignment of sheriff’s staff among the cities and the unincorporated area.

This story was originally published December 14, 2018 at 5:45 PM.