Worcester County Sheriff’s Office requesting money to better recruit & retain

WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli is making a financial request to the Worcester County Commissioners. He says the Sheriff’s Office is having trouble recruiting and retaining staff.

“We are down, we are down some deputies, and when you have those open spots, those spots have to be filled one way or another.”

He is modestly asking county officials to increase salaries for entry-level deputies.  The 5% increase would make pay go from $63,000 to a little over $66,000.

Sheriff Crisafulli also wants to increase pay specifically for veteran officers. He explains that salaries need to reach a ‘step 9’ threshold. Officers are paid based on ranks and experience. The higher the rank, the higher the step, and with that is an increase in salary.

He tells WMDT, that many officers are leaving laterally to other agencies in the state. Those agencies are paying officers more money, which leaves Sheriff Crisafulli the only option to hire recruits.

“Pay and benefits are a very critical component right now to not only open the door and get quality applicants in, but it is also very important to make sure the backdoor stays locked, so we do not lose good qualified law enforcement officers.”

Recruits need to pass the academy, and get through field training, before they can be in the community. Commissioner President, Ted Elder, was one of the 3 commissioners who denied the request. He tells WMDT that he’d prefer the Sheriff’s Office ask during county budget time.

“All our departments, that’s normally when they ask for raises, that’s when we do it. Bring it to us during budget time, and we can see what everything is going to cost us during the same time, and makes it a lot neater and cleaner for that.”

Elder said the commissioners have financed the sheriff’s office generously over the past several years. Adding they have increased funding 10 to 12% in the last year.

Ultimately, Sheriff Crisafulli is worried about public safety. With Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia all vying for the same applicant pool, Sheriff Crisafulli calls the increase imperative.

“I think I’ve been pretty clear to the commissioners, when I explained to them, that this is a very critical component for my organization, which means it’s a very critical component for Worcester County.”