Clark County sheriff begins talks of raises for deputies, jailers

By JOEL PHELPS | The Arkadelphian

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is “losing officers left and right,” Sheriff Jason Watson told justices of the peace Monday during a quorum court meeting.

The reason, he said, is because of the pay.

The six-term sheriff spoke candidly about high turnover — in the past 10 years the department has cycled through 124 jailers and 36 deputy sheriffs — and said the agency is mostly a stepping stone for most beginning their law enforcement careers. (Editor’s note: This post was updated to correct the number of terms Watson has served.)

“We have to address this situation and we need to get moving on it now,” Watson urged the legislative body that oversees the county’s coffers.

A deputy in Clark County pulls down $15.43/hour. For comparison, in neighboring Ouachita County, a non-certified deputy starts out at $18/hour and $20.15/hour once they’re certified through ALETA. Officers at the Arkadelphia Police Department make $2,100 more per year in their base salary. In a packet handed out to justices, Watson provided comparison figures for numerous other counties and municipalities.

Regarding the turnover, he said jailers often leave soon after they’re trained — a cost which taxpayers ultimately eat given the number of hours it takes to fully train a jailer. “We never catch up,” he said.

Watson was also hoping to create another deputy position whose main role would be serving papers. Currently, the full-time deputies are “involved in every aspect of the office,” including serving legal papers. Monday’s meeting drew a crowd of about 20 spectators, many of them in uniform. The 13-page booklet given to quorum court members included figures of the department’s workload and accomplishments of late.

Watson’s 40-minute presentation was preliminary public discussion in hopes to address the wages of deputies and dispatchers.

The justices who commented all appeared to be in agreement that the issue of wages at the sheriff’s office should be further addressed. Asked by one justice if he had a specific number in mind for setting the bar, Watson said ultimately he would like to match salaries of APD. But, he admitted, “we have to be realistic. We know that we have to live within our means.”

Further discussion was referred to the Personnel Committee and Budget Committee for further discussion. Those panels, which meet in public session, are expected to meet in coming weeks.