New incentives for sheriff's employees

SAN DIEGO COUNTY – There has been no better time to work for or join the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The Sheriff's Department recognizes that in today's environment, we need to be competitive in pay and hiring incentives. In collaboration with County Human Resources, we have studied the current marketplace and advocated for several compensation changes.

These changes will cost the department approximately $11 million and will be allocated from the department's existing budget. We understand the importance of retaining our existing staff who have proved to be amongst the best in our profession. We realize we must compete with other agencies in the industry to attract new talent.

The Board of Supervisors took action, Aug. 16, to support us in this endeavor and helped elevate our efforts. The below compensation ordinance changes have been approved and go into effect on Sept. 9. If you are interested in working for the Sheriff's Department, there is no better time to apply. Please view our available jobs at https://www.joinsdsheriff.net.

Among the improved compensation and hiring incentives are:

• Deputies, sergeants and lieutenants who work four or more hours between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8 a.m. will receive a 5% nightshift premium.

• Sheriff's nursing staff who work within county jails will get a 10% premium.

• Peace officers with at least one year of experience who choose to lateral from another law enforcement agency will receive incentive pay for a maximum of $20,000.

• Lateral hires will be given 42.5 hours of vacation time in their very first pay period.

• New employees moving to San Diego County will be offered a relocation allowance of up to $15,000.

• Current Sheriff's employees who recruit people for specific positions such as deputies, nurses or emergency services dispatchers will be offered a $1,000 bonus.

The Sheriff’s Department is grateful to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for recognizing the hard work and dedication of our Sheriff's employees out on patrol, in our courts, as well as in our county jails.

We also want to thank the Sheriff's Human Resources Bureau staff for their tireless efforts to advocate for better compensation and incentives for current and new employees.

We acknowledge hiring more staff is critical to ensure we have safe and secure communities, as well as detention facilities that provide quality medical and mental health services to all persons in our custody.

Sheriff's deputies, nurses, mental health clinicians and all public safety employees deserve compensation that is comparable with their responsibilities.

To learn more about working for the Sheriff's Department or to apply online, https://www.joinsdsheriff.net.

Submitted by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.