Sheriff Pooley Proposes Plan To Increase Deputy Pay
Sonora, CA — Tuolumne County Sheriff Bill Pooley raised more concerns this week to the board of supervisors about the “staffing crisis” within his office, and put forward a related proposal.
We reported two weeks ago that Sheriff Pooley told the board that there is a 17-percent vacancy rate in his patrol division and a 32 percent vacancy rate in the custody division. He said his department has been unable to attract and retain deputies because salaries are lower than in other parts of the state.
It has led to Pooley closing the narcotics division, reducing the high-risk supervision team, closing off part of the jail, and taking designated resource officers out of the schools.
Since the plea two weeks ago to the supervisors, Pooley says he has received resignation notices from two additional employees within the custody division.
He made the argument, “I have probably talked to every sheriff’s agency in the state, and a lot of those agencies are having trouble with staffing. The ones that are not credited their success to the CAO of their county, and the board of supervisors, for making law enforcement a priority in their county, and making those positions the highest paid in their respective regions.”
Pooley said he has met with the CAO’s office and collaboratively worked out a proposal for the board to consider. It would immediately freeze two unfilled patrol deputy positions, and two custody positions, and then reinvest the money that would have been spent toward pay raises.
He argued, “Thus, allowing me to fill the remaining 19 vacancies that I have.”
He added, “In other words, I want you to take the approximately $378,000 that is currently allocated in my budget, for those for positions, and take it and reinvest it in our employees. If you do what I am asking you to do, you will be making a true statement that public safety is a priority in our community, and put us in a position to be the law enforcement agency in this area to work for.”
No action was taken by the board this week because the item was not on the agenda to consider. It will likely come back for review at a future meeting.
Pooley made the closing plea, “Something needs to be done now. We are struggling. Our public safety is going downhill. My deputies are not safe. We are not safe. We have to do something now.”
