Sheriff Rob Blair asks county commissioners for staffing, equipment and training increases in 2025 budget

Sheriff Rob Blair told Berkeley County commissioners on the record that his office is seeking multiple staffing additions, pay adjustments and equipment upgrades in the department’s 2025 budget request.

The request, presented by Sheriff Rob Blair, asks for five additional deputy positions (bringing funded positions from 68 toward 73), a $5,000 across-the-board pay-scale adjustment for current deputies, new and replacement equipment, and funding to continue and expand the office’s police social worker program. Blair also noted recent grant awards and pending grant applications that would offset some costs.

The sheriff said the recruitment and retention requests are driven by rising call volumes and reductions in state trooper staffing that he said shift workload to county agencies. “We are way behind on” national officer-per-capita recommendations, Blair said, urging the commission to view hiring as a multi-year project. Blair proposed five new deputy positions with an estimated payroll cost (for the positions) described in the presentation; he also requested $5,000 per-position across‑the‑board adjustment for current and requested deputies to make local starting wages more competitive.

Why it matters: commissioners asked for detail on priorities and noted limited county resources but expressed support for providing “what we possibly can” to ensure deputies are trained and equipped.

Key details from the sheriff’s presentation - Overtime: a request to increase the tax office overtime line for the sheriff’s tax-processing unit from $3,001.45 to $13,001.45 to cover training and mail/DMV processing needs. - Deputy staffing: a request to fund five additional deputy positions to address county growth and call volume; Blair said the department is currently funded for 68 positions and is seeking to move toward 73 (the requested payroll-cost figure was presented during the meeting). - Pay-scale adjustment: Blair requested a $5,000 pay-scale increase for current and newly requested deputies to improve recruitment and retention. - Police social workers: the sheriff described one police social worker, Alexis Worley, currently funded through a grant ending in September 2025; he requested adding a second police social worker to continue and expand that function if the grant is not renewed. - Animal control: an entry-wage increase for animal-control officers from $36,006.15 to $39,017 was proposed (no new positions), plus an operating increase tied to a potential new facility. - Equipment and training: line-item increases included rifle replacement ($100,000 requested), ammunition ($25,000), “Protect Your Shield” and other ballistic/protective gear ($58,000), breathing gas masks for SWAT ($13,300), all‑weather SWAT uniforms ($26,000), and expanded training (leadership, sniper, driver/pursuit mitigation, dive-team certification and practical firearms). - Grants noted: the sheriff said the department received private funding for new weapons (about $87,000), a $20,000 award from the Governor’s Highway Safety program, and a pending $60,000 grant for DUI checkpoints that would require commission approval. - School safety: Blair described work with the school system and support for a proposed state bill that would allow schools to hire retired officers (SSO program). He asked commissioners to contact state delegates; Blair said he did not have a bill number available in the presentation.

Discussion, direction and follow-up Commissioners thanked Blair for the presentation and said they want deputies to be well trained and equipped but noted the budget request is large and will need to be prioritized. Commissioners asked to meet with sheriff’s staff to identify top priorities for funding. Blair said he will make staff available to answer technical questions and provide supporting documentation.

Ending The presentation provided detailed line-item justifications and several concrete dollar figures and grant statuses for commissioners to review as they prepare the county budget. Commissioners expressed broad support for the office’s goals but noted the county’s limited resources and the need to prioritize requests.