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Sheriff proposes higher probationary pay, targeted marketing to boost deputy recruitment
Summary
Sheriff Noah Robinson outlined a plan to raise probationary deputy pay and run a targeted marketing campaign to address expected retirements and weak applicant pools; council deferred a formal salary ordinance change to May.
Sheriff Noah Robinson asked the Vanderburgh County Council for support to make the county more competitive in deputy recruitment by raising the probationary deputy pay and funding targeted advertising. He emphasized an expected wave of retirements in 2025–26 and said recent recruitments drew only a handful of applicants.
Robinson said increasing the probationary pay to an amount close to a one-year deputy’s salary would allow the sheriff’s office to advertise a higher starting wage and be more competitive with regional agencies. He described the cost separation between a probationary deputy and a one-year deputy as “about $4,000” per deputy and estimated the county cost in 2025 to raise existing probationary positions would be “a little over $5,000.” He proposed that any change take effect in July and planned to return with a formal salary-ordinance request in May.
The sheriff described recruitment as a market problem: training a deputy requires about a year before they operate independently and the department needs a steady pipeline of hires. “We had 5 applicants” for a recent recruitment class, Robinson said, adding that number is insufficient to reliably staff specialty units such as narcotics and school resource officers. He said the office has used a combination of billboards, radio and digital outreach; future billboards would include QR codes that link directly to applications.
Council members discussed alternative approaches, including a one-time sign-on bonus, targeted digital ads, and timing the pay change so it would not permanently increase the salary multiplier. Councilor James suggested packaging any first-year bonus into the probationary salary shown on recruitment materials so advertising shows a single, higher starting number.
Robinson also updated the council on related operational items: continued construction on the new jail is “on track” for spring 2026, and the sheriff’s office has initiated a mental-health/competency-restoration partnership with Southwest Behavioral Health to operate a unit in the jail as staffing and space permit. He told the council Southwest had hired a physician and is ready to begin work while the office refines its in-jail processes.
No formal salary-ordinance amendment was adopted at the meeting. Robinson said he would delay billboard purchases until after the council approves the requested salary change; he plans to submit the required ordinance modification in May and asked the council to consider both an adjusted probationary rate and money for advertising.
Ending: The sheriff will return with a formal request and cost detail in May; councilors and staff signaled interest in a short work group to refine recruitment strategy and return recommended language for an ordinance or one-time incentive.
