Baldwin County law enforcement trying to fill vacancies, competing for new hires - NBC 15 WPMI
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WPMI) — The search is on in Baldwin County to fill vacant law enforcement positions as agencies seek to expand to meet the area's rapid growth.
It's a situation that could soon create a bidding war between departments as authorities say the pool of applicants has shrunk over the last few years.
From the coast to the countryside, houses are being bought every day and more are being built in Baldwin County. The area continues to draw in new families faster than anywhere in the state.
"A lot of people are moving here from higher crime rate areas. They come here primarily because of our public safety. Our school system and our quality of life," said Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack.
Sheriff Mack said it's critical to maintain that level of safety as a higher population tends to bring more crime.
His agency is moving forward with a 5-year plan to try and meet the growing need.
"Part of that plan is to be add somewhere around a half dozen deputy sheriff positions a year. Currently, we have about 9 open positions for deputy sheriff that we're still trying to fill," Sheriff Mack said.
Sheriff Mack also hopes to add around 12 correctional officers a year leading up to the jail expansion, which is under construction and scheduled for a 2025 opening.
However, other agencies are also searching for help, including Spanish Fort Police and Daphne Police.
The Daphne Police Department seeks to double its police force over the next few years amid a shrinking pool of candidates.
"There are fewer experienced people coming into law enforcement and fewer overall applications wanting to go into public sector work. I think we're going to see that we're competing for a lot of the same employees," said Sheriff Mack.
To be competitive, not only in law enforcement but with private companies, Sheriff Mack sees changes in the way governmental agencies hire.
"They're probably going to have to embrace such thing as incentive pay, pay for certain specialties, and pay for college degrees; things of that nature," Sheriff Mack, "Historically, public sector has not been able to keep up with private sector due to our budget situation."
Sheriff Mack said it's difficult to project where the hiring need will stop as the growth continues.
Just for perspective, the number of staff at the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office has nearly quadrupled in the last 2 decades.
source: https://mynbc15.com/newsletter-daily/baldwin-county-law-enforcement-trying-to-fill-vacancies-competing-for-new-hires
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