INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County sheriff and his staff went before a City-County Council committee Wednesday to talk money.
They laid out their plans for their proposed 2024 budget. The big message they delivered to the Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee is that sheriff's deputies are overworked and underpaid.
"We are down over 200 employees. Market rate salaries continue to be the number one goal," said Kallan Carr, the sheriff's department's chief financial officer.
"Nobody is going to get rich doing law enforcement, but we expect them to get paid fairly," Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal said.
Stressful job demands, plus low pay, have led to high turnover rates within the department.
"They're underpaid. Our deputies are getting hired at $46,000, and you can walk into Johnson County at $65,000. So $19,000 is a pretty good reason someone decides to leave," Forestal said.
They said the high turnover is putting the community and staff at risk.
"They work an excessive amount of overtime to compensate the shortages, and with that, that means they're in the facility, sometimes their attention to detail is not what it would ordinarily be because they're tired," jail commander Tanesha Crear said.
"The challenge to continue to train people and have them move to other agencies that pay higher puts all of our people at risk. If we can retain them, that's good for us and good for the community," Forestal said.
That's a goal they hope the proposed budget will help them achieve. The sheriff's office is also planning on more money for vehicles, Tasers, technology at the Criminal Justice Campus and cleaning services for the Adult Detention Center.
In a statement to 13News, the committee chair said there isn't one definite solution to addressing these staffing shortages, but addressing adequate pay is a step in the right direction.
Chairman Leroy Robinson wrote:
"As Chair of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, I recognize that several of our public safety agencies are currently experiencing staff shortages, including the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency. While there is not one definite solution to addressing the staff shortages in these agencies, addressing adequate pay is a step in the right direction. I look forward to hearing from both agencies tonight on how they plan to address their staff shortages, including discussing the cost-of-living adjustments that are in their 2024 budget requests."