Sheriff Bill Mullen spoke candidly to the Stonewall County Commissioners on Monday, explaining that without additional funding for competitive wages, the future of the county's law enforcement community was in jeopardy.
The Stonewall County Sheriff’s Department has been functioning with minimal staffing in the field since losing its second deputy some weeks ago. Mullen explained that he and his chief deputy have been rotating 12-hour shifts since that time but the workload is not sustainable.
“If something were to happen to [my deputy], I’m saddled with it 24-hours a day,” said Mullen. “At 71 years old, I’m not going to do it.”
Mullen has been working hard to fill vacancies, but the wages the county is offering are dealbreakers for those who have expressed an interest in relocating the area. The current pay for deputies totals up to roughly $13.50 per hour.
He said a law enforcement officer is not a job that you fill by hiring someone off the street and putting them in a sheriff’s vehicle. It is a professional position that requires state certifications and several months of education and training. Mullen pointed out that if someone were to move into the county, especially if they have a family or are looking to start one, they would not make much of a living on $13 an hour.
“We’ve slipped along for years and got by without raising those boys’ salaries,” said Mullen. “We all knew this was coming.”
While Mullen admitted he and the court should have been gradually increasing the salaries over the past several years, it does not change the current landscape for qualified personnel or the fact that wages are far inferior to those in neighboring counties.
Haskell County starts newly hired deputies at $15.55 in combination with a total insurance package. Deputies in Jones County start at $17.30 for the first six weeks, then receive an increase to $18 per hour. Knox County deputies start at $18.53, while less than 30 miles away in Fisher County deputies are earning a starting wage of $19.87 per hour.
Mullen said he has been working closely with the treasurer’s office to crunch the numbers in the efforts of coming up with the funds to offer competitive salaries. He explained that it would cost the county an additional $11,000 annually to raise the chief deputy salary and almost $60,000 for the second deputy position.
He proposed reaching out to the city for help, explaining that if the city were to fund roughly $57,000 for a deputy’s salary, it would free up county funds to increase the chief deputy’s salary. Aspermont would have no other expense as the county would provide the vehicle and equipment.
“It’s not helping us out; it’s helping them out,” said Mullen, adding that an overwhelming majority of the calls the department responds to are within the city limits, and funding even a single officer, vehicle, and municipal court for $57,000 would be impossible.
Stonewall County Judge Ronnie Moorhead agreed with the sheriff, pointing out that the City of Post, as well as Throckmorton, each pay a portion of the county salaries in lieu of funding a municipal police force.
“It’s kind of dependent on what the city will do, but hopefully they will see the need for helping us out a little bit,” said Moorhead. The Aspermont City County is expecting to meet next week, but it is unknown if the county’s proposal will be included on the meeting’s agenda.