Cochise County sheriff urges pay increases to retain deputies as border funding and dispatch costs shape budget talks

Cochise County Sheriff presented the full sheriff's office budget at a Board of Supervisors work session April 15, asking the board to prioritize pay increases to help recruit and retain deputies while outlining how state and federal border funding and dispatch subscription costs affect the department's finances.

The sheriff told the board that recruitment and retention are the department's top budget drivers and proposed raising starting deputy pay to about $60,000 and starting detention-officer pay to about $50,000 while applying flat one-time increases to current staff. He said the package would include a flat $2,400 adjustment for deputies, $1,200 for corporals and sergeants and $1,200 for some administrative positions and described the move as intended to make Cochise County competitive with federal and state employers.

The sheriff framed the request as a response to what he called “marketplace competitiveness,” citing Border Patrol and state law-enforcement raises he said are drawing deputies away. “Recruitment retention is huge to what we do,” he said. He added that it costs about $100,000 to recruit and train a deputy who then leaves, which increases recurring staffing costs.

Why it matters: supervisors and staff said the county has a…