Sheriff ’s Office fights to retain deputies as salaries are outpaced by surrounding counties
Garvin County Sheriff Jim Mullett says his deputies desperately need a pay increase.
“We are losing good employees to other agencies because we are the lowest paid deputies in the surrounding counties,” Mullett told the Garvin County Board of Commissioners Monday.
Mullett met with the board during their regular meeting to make a pitch for raising pay rates for county deputies, presenting commissioners with a list of deputy salaries in neighboring counties.
The annual salary for a sheriff’s deputy in Garvin County is currently $36,000 a year. That figure is $2,400 to $12,000 less than what deputies in the six surrounding counties make annually, according to the information Mullett compiled for the board.
Mullett acknowledged the commissioners have always been supportive of his office and have stepped up to help every time he’s had a request.
“I’m just asking if you would consider – maybe we can work out something, look at something – to raise these guys up a little,” Mullett said.
According to Mullett’s list, county deputy salaries range from $38,400 per year in Pontotoc County to $49,000 per year in Cleveland County. McClain, Grady, Murray and Carter Counties all pay over $40,000 per year, with Stephens County coming in just under that.
“If you’ll notice, we are on the bottom. Out of those seven counties, we are number eight in pay,” Mullett said.
The information presented to commissioners also contained a list of seasoned Sheriff’s Office employees who have recently left the department for other agencies and higher pay, as well as two others who already have applications in with other agencies. Two of those employees have joined Chickasaw Lighthorse Police, one has gone to the Lindsay Police Department, one to McClain County and another to the U.S. Border Patrol.
He said many of his officers are raising families, some are single parents, and some are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet.
The Sheriff’s Office currently operates with 13 field deputies, including the Sheriff. Mullett pointed out that his deputies regularly put in strenuous hours, often working seven days a week, 24 hours a day, including holidays and weekends. He said those hours are frequently spent working with high-stress situations and cases.
“We’re not working just petty little things. These guys are stressed. They’re working hard to try to make a difference in the county,” Mullet said. “We’ve got some good people, and they’re willing to learn. They want to stay. They want to work hard for us. We need to at least be competitive with the surrounding counties.”
Garvin County Undersheriff James Richardson, who previously worked in McClain County, said the passion and dedication Garvin County’s deputies show daily, even with the low pay scale, is remarkable to him. He said the experience the county is losing when seasoned officers leave to take better paying jobs elsewhere is irreplaceable.
The fight to retain experienced officers has grown increasingly difficult in the last year, as two of the highest paid agencies in this area, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police, have increased their recruiting efforts.
According to Mullett, Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police salaries are around $55,000 per year.
The current starting salary for an OHP trooper is $49,414, but a bill currently working its way through the legislature would increase OHP salaries by 35%, raising their starting pay to $66,708 and making them among the highest paid in the state.
“We’ve got a great group right now,” Mullet said. “I want to retain them, and I want to be able to offer somebody some incentive to come to Garvin County and be a part of our team. If we’re going to keep our people, we’re going to have to be able to pay them to keep them. And right now, I’m losing them.”
District 1 Commissioner Randy Chandler asked Mullett if he had a number in mind.
“I understand we cannot pay $55,000 a year,” Mullett said. “But if you look at Murray County, Carter County and McClain County, we’re looking at $3,500 to $3,800 a month. It’s comparable. It’s not over-the-top crazy, but it gives us a good starting point to retain some of these guys.”
County Clerk Lori Fulks asked if some of the American Rescue Plan Act relief funds the county has received could be used to raise deputy salaries temporarily, until appropriate budgetary action can be put in place.
“It doesn’t mean we would have it forever, but it maybe would help us until we can straighten out our budget,” Fulks said.
Commissioners Chandler and Mike Gollihare agreed, promising to explore the option of using ARPA money to remedy the issue in the short term, while they work on a long-term fix for raising salaries. Commissioner Gary Ayres was not present at Monday’s meeting.
