Sheriff Implements Temporary Staffing 'Pooling' Amidst Deputy Shortages
Carver County Sheriff's Department has adjusted its municipal contract staffing model in response to significant deputy attrition and competitive pay challenges.
The Carver County Sheriff’s Department has initiated a temporary 'pooling' of municipal and county patrol deputies to counteract a critical shortage of law enforcement personnel. The measure, implemented following discussions at a Monday, November 22, 2021, meeting, addresses a national trend seeing a 40-45% increase in retirements, alongside significant local attrition rates.
Sheriff Jason Kamerud presented details on the staffing challenges to the Mayer City Council, outlining how the department is working to maintain service levels for contract cities like Mayer. The temporary adjustment, formalized in Ordinance 781 2022, aims to flexibly deploy available deputies across both county and municipal patrols without reducing overall service capacity, though concerns about visible presence have been raised.
Addressing Deputy Departures and Pay Discrepancies
A primary driver behind the deputy departures, according to Sheriff Kamerud, is the competitive landscape for law enforcement talent, particularly concerning pay scales and lateral entry programs offered by other municipalities. Deputies are increasingly leaving the Carver County Sheriff's Department for agencies that offer higher wages and immediate recognition for prior experience.
If you have five years of experience at Carver County, they will hire you where you would have been had you had five years with them... the top of their pay scale is three dollars an hour more than our highest paid deputy.
This discrepancy in the 'step system' for pay advancement means experienced deputies can receive significantly higher compensation immediately upon transferring to another agency, such as those in Blue Earth County or Chaska, without losing their seniority recognition.
Contract Adjustments and Service Level Concerns
Other Topics from This Document
Analysis of deputy staffing shortages and attrition rates
Impact of municipal contract policing workload distribution
Review of current recruitment and retention strategies
Legislative priorities for peace officer licensure
Discussions on service levels and visibility in the city
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