Sheriff asks for higher pay for certain veteran positions

Posted 6/6/23

The Park County Sheriff’s Office is trying to hold on to experienced employees, from detention deputies to communications officers, by raising pay for some key, more experienced positions in …

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Sheriff asks for higher pay for certain veteran positions

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The Park County Sheriff’s Office is trying to hold on to experienced employees, from detention deputies to communications officers, by raising pay for some key, more experienced positions in the next county budget.

Where the department is, former Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said, is what he had predicted would happen years ago, only it’s come quicker.

“We’re in a crisis in law enforcement,” he said. “I think it’s going even faster than I predicted. I think the 30-year cop is gone.”

His brother, new Sheriff Darrell Steward, along with Undersheriff Andy Varian, spoke in front of Park County Commissioners on Tuesday. Their plan is to focus on two main higher tier positions with a view toward holding on to valuable employees and bridge some of the gap between the pay of other area departments and the sheriff’s office. PCSO is on average lower on pay and benefits for both starting employees, and more veteran deputies and other staff.

“I want to try to work this so we can help these employees out,” Sheriff Darrell Steward said.

Specifically, he asked for the salaries of the field training officer and communications supervisor be raised in order to try and retain the current individuals in those positions and make the pay package more comparable to other area agencies.

Retention is important to compensate for the losses the department has been experiencing as people either retire, transfer to other agencies or go into private business, and as few qualified people are applying for open positions.

“We’re really vying for employees,” Sheriff Steward said. “Our last hire on detention, we had 20 applications, two agreed to test and one didn’t show — that’s the dilemma.”

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