Hunt County sheriff asks for four patrol deputies and an investigator to address staffing and response gaps
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Summary
Sheriff requested four additional patrol deputies (one per shift) and one investigator to improve response times across a growing county, and flagged equipment needs (vests, helmets) and potential SB 22 use for outfitting. Commissioners discussed using grant funds for equipment but not for long‑term salaries.
The Hunt County sheriff told the Commissioner’s Court the department needs four additional patrol deputies (one per shift) and one investigator to improve coverage across the county as population and calls for service grow.
The sheriff described long response times in some rural areas and the difficulty of maintaining staffing across 900 square miles. “We're running a we try to keep 6 people on the shift, which is thin,” he said, and described incidents in which a single deputy responded alone to remote calls. To address coverage and officer safety, the sheriff asked for four uniformed patrol deputies and one additional investigator; the deputies would be rotated across shifts and the investigator would help manage an increased investigative caseload.
He also highlighted non‑personnel costs that accompany new hires: outfitting a new deputy (uniforms, body armor and equipment) is roughly $4,500 and vehicle costs are approximately $17,000 per year for a leased vehicle; the packet presented to the court gave a seven‑position total cost and a per‑position estimate that commissioners interpreted as roughly $120,000 per position when vehicle and equipment are included. The sheriff said many ballistic vests and ballistic helmets will reach end‑of‑service around the same time and asked the court to consider using SB 22 grant funds for equipment replacement and outfitting rather than recurring payroll.
Commissioners discussed whether SB 22 or similar grant funds could be applied to equipment or one‑time costs while county funds cover ongoing salaries; they expressed reluctance to rely on grant funds for long‑term positions because grants can end. The sheriff said vacancy rates are improving and that recently recruited deputies are now in training; adding the requested positions would allow the department to restore recommended shift staffing and reduce long response times in remote parts of the county.
No hires or equipment purchases were approved at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to provide detailed cost estimates, to explore using grant funds for one‑time outfitting where permissible, and to return with a prioritized list of requests and the fiscal impact for the budget cycle.
