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Sheriff highlights detention officer shortages and retirement change; urges recognition
Summary
Sheriff Mark Daniels used KWCD’s First Watch to thank detention officers, described staffing challenges and said Arizona removed a retirement benefit for detention officers in 2018; he said attempts to restore retirement have not yet succeeded.
Sheriff Mark Daniels used KWCD’s First Watch to highlight detention officers’ work, staffing shortages in Cochise County’s jail system and a 2018 state change that removed a retirement benefit for many detention workers.
“It's detention officer week,” Daniels said, praising the work of detention staff and calling their jobs “thankless.” He said filling vacancies in detention facilities is difficult and that the removal of a retirement benefit in February 2018 reduced long-term compensation for many workers.
Daniels said the Arizona Sheriffs' Association has pushed to restore retirement benefits and that he and others again advocated for the change this year but were not successful. He said he found it troubling that the County Supervisors Association opposed the change and that the county-level conversation about retirement for detention employees is ongoing.
He thanked detention staff for their service and described the sheriff's office hosting an on-site barbecue for detention staff. Daniels did not provide details of any new legislative initiative or timeline for restoring retirement benefits.
