County receives status report on sheriff’s office vacancies, overtime and staffing plans

Wichita County — At the Oct. 17 Commissioners Court meeting the sheriff presented a status report on staffing, open positions and overtime for the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff told commissioners the office currently had three open positions and said two positions described in the meeting as "in 409" and 13 additional hires were "in the works." The sheriff said the office hoped to fill three positions by Nov. 12 and noted that reaching full staffing in the 409 unit would be the first time in several years the positions were full. The sheriff and commissioners discussed recruitment tactics, including a recruitment ad campaign and short personal testimonials from current employees, which the sheriff said had produced improved hiring results.

On overtime and leave, the sheriff said the jail portion of the department had recorded roughly 2,400 hours of overtime in the cited period (down from prior levels) and about 1,300 hours of sick or vacation time used in the same timeframe, factors the sheriff said drive overtime needs. The sheriff said facility improvements, scheduling and filling vacancies have helped reduce overtime and that one staff member waiting for a patrol assignment was temporarily working courthouse security to provide additional coverage while training continued.

Commissioners asked about the facility's functioning and noted improvements from painting and ongoing maintenance. The sheriff said the facility was well maintained and that continued upkeep was critical given ongoing traffic through the facility.

No formal action was taken on the staffing report; commissioners and the sheriff discussed scheduling and recruitment approaches.