McKinley County law enforcement benefits from state funding
While state-backed salary enhancements have helped county law enforcement agencies hold on to staff, attracting new public safety workers is a bit more of a challenge.
“The applicant pool is a lot more shallow than it used to be even 10 years ago. There is not a huge rush to get into law enforcement like there was when I applied to the Gallup Police Department," McKinley County Sheriff James Maiorano III, who applied in 2000, said.
In 2000, Mairano said 40 people were fighting for 12 jobs at the Gallup Police Department. Now, every job opening at the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office states “open until filled” on all of the positions. The department is constantly reviewing applications.
One thing that’s helped keep deputies and dispatchers happy is the $12,000-a-year retention stipends the state paid for this year, which Maiorano sought and received for deputies, dispatchers and detention officers.
“We think the bonuses have been what helped us retain.…It’s not just law enforcement, it’s public safety,” he said. “Without the jail we can’t book the people that we are arresting. Without dispatch there’s no one to tell us where to go. The two are integral and I hope the state considers it the same way.”
The state offered some law enforcement funding for the next two years as well, but it’s to fund existing positions. That’s less helpful because most cities and counties have already budgeted for salaries and benefits for open positions.
What they need is a pot sweetener and funds for outreach like job fairs, printed brochures and other recruiting materials. County Manager Anthony Dimas said it can cost $15,000 to run just one nationwide ad.
“On the positive side, I think our biggest recruiters are our deputies themselves,” Maiorano said. “It’s not a difficult place to work as a law enforcement officer. We’re not faced with the same things that the rest of the country is. That’s what is helping us on the recruiting side.”
So far this year, the sheriff’s department has had the most success with recruiting, bringing on seven new deputies – two first-timers who were sent to the academy for training, three that already had law enforcement certification and two more who had certification waivers, meaning they haven’t worked in law enforcement for two or more years and had to take a short refresher course to reestablish their certifications.
Other branches are having a more difficult time. MCSO is down to four openings for sworn personnel, while dispatch has six vacancies and detention has 11.
“Detention is extremely difficult,” Maiorano said. “The younger generations feel like serving at the jail is like being in jail.”
Applicants still have to get over a couple of hurdles to be considered, and that’s where a lot of people wash out. Many applicants can’t pass the physical, mental or background check requirements. The biggest disqualifier is a criminal record.
“It’s just hard because where we are living at. There's people that have been in custody and they have a background. If it’s a felony we can’t hire them. If it’s a misdemeanor it can be worked with,” Steve Silversmith, deputy warden at the McKinley County Adult Detention Center, said.
Silversmith said he believes in giving people second chances, but they can’t hire someone with a record.
“What it comes down to is, we can’t hire anybody who’s been in our jail and knows where everything is at,” he explained.
Silversmith is the guy looking for 11 good men and women right now. The department provides a 30-day training program and on-the-job–training after that.
The detention center is not a prison. Detainees are people who are awaiting trial or serving sentences of one year or shorter. But they still need monitoring and services, primarily transportation to and from medical appointments and court appearances.
“They are actually escorting them to where they need to be. It’s time and bodies,” Silversmith said. “That’s why we need more staffing. I like to send two officers with one inmate because you never know what can happen.”
In the facility, officers are each assigned to three of 10 detainee pods, but they also help each other on the remaining pods, Silversmith said. They do security checks, manage detainee movements and visits from outsiders coming in through TSA-style body scanners.
Camaraderie on the job helps because, “You never know when you will need help. They’re all brothers and sisters,” Silversmith said.
The county’s benefits package is one of the attractions for detention officer candidates, and Silversmith agreed with Maiorano that McKinley County takes care of its own.
“Working for the county is the best. You couldn’t ask for any more,” Silversmith said. “They care about their employees, everybody is friendly and works together and works well. It’s like a ship. Everybody is there for each other,” Silversmith said.
Like other public safety jobs, there can be odd hours that make it difficult for single parents and some others. There are night and swing shifts and some overtime. But at the detention center the usual schedule is predictable, working 12-hour shifts, three days at a time. They get every other weekend and two days off during the week.
“We like them to have their days off, family is important. It is good for them to enjoy life beyond work,” Silversmith said.
By Holly J. Wagner
Sun Correspondent
