Canyon County deputies will get fair pay and benefits, thanks to commissioners | Opinion
Last week marked a significant milestone in the sheriff’s office and Canyon County. On December 12, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted on a resolution to adopt and implement an entirely new formal pay schedule for sworn Sheriff’s Office personnel. Under this new system, Canyon County Sheriff’s Deputies will achieve their maximum earnings within eleven years under a specified annual step system.
The implementation of this program solves a decades-old problem within the Sheriff’s Office. Canyon County has always been one of the only law enforcement agencies in the Treasure Valley that didn’t have a formal step-scale pay schedule. As a result, compensation for sworn personnel lagged far behind our neighboring agencies. Fortunately, the BOCC took action this summer to address our longstanding compensation issues by hiring a wage and benefits compensation analyst to undertake a study of compensation for all county positions.
The first project he undertook was to conduct a market survey for sworn law enforcement to address the turnover rate of sworn deputies within the sheriff’s office. Data showed a turnover rate of 25.4% in the past two years (not accounting for retirements or terminations). In examining the potential causes, the analysis showed that a five-year Canyon County deputy made over 25% less than a five-year deputy in Ada County and much less than police officers in our neighboring cities. The root cause of turnover was found to be wage disparity and a lack of clarity about future potential earnings.
The analysis also included a detailed study of the cost of overtime due to staffing shortages and the cost of repeatedly recruiting, hiring, and training new deputies. The numbers were alarming — showing that these costs exceeded $3 million in the past two years alone. More importantly, the sheriff’s office was losing talent and experience at an unacceptable rate. And when it comes to experience, its value in the law enforcement field is incalculable. Our citizens deserve the highest quality of law enforcement possible, and to provide that quality, we must retain our employees.
After months of effort, the wage and benefits compensation analyst, along with Canyon County Sheriff’s Office personnel, met with the BOCC on two separate occasions to present their findings and analysis, along with a proposal that would bring our sheriff’s office wages within approximately 3-5% of what an Ada County Deputy earns. Both meetings included lengthy and detailed discussions about the proposal and the need for a better compensation schedule for the Sheriff’s Office and the county as a whole. At the conclusion of the December 12 meeting, the BOCC voted 2-1 to adopt the new formal pay schedule program for the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office.
I’m encouraged that for the first time in decades, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office is competitive within the law enforcement market, with a similar step-scale pay schedule as our neighboring agencies. Never before in the history of the Sheriff’s Office has a structured scale such as this existed, and I believe it will significantly reduce our turnover and increase our retention. We will undoubtedly have more experienced, better-trained deputies on the streets of Canyon County and working in our jail. The citizens of Canyon County will benefit substantially from this decision.
I am grateful for the work of the Human Resources Department, the County Controller, the County Clerk, and my own staff for the time and attention they put into crafting this program. I am also grateful to the BOCC for their time in thoughtfully considering the proposal and approving the resolution that was adopted. The most important singular thing we can do as a county is invest in our human capital. I’m hopeful this can serve as a model for the rest of the county moving forward.
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 4:00 AM.