COEUR d’ALENE — A deputy shortage at the Kootenai County jail has led the KCSO to offer retired staffers with active accreditation $30 an hour to fill shifts.

Lt. Kyle Hutchison said separated employees were recently contacted regarding the opportunity and it has generated some interest.

He said with current staffing shortages requiring overtime to cover vacant shifts, it was more cost effective to pay a previously separated employee a flat rate than current employees the overtime rate. 

“The cost savings of this made sense,” he wrote in an email to The Press. “However the true motivation was to reduce stress and burnout to current employees working exorbitant amounts of overtime, often mandated to safely run the jail.”

When fully staffed, the KCSO would operate with 68 deputies. It currently has 12 vacancies, with 10 potential deputies in the jail training program.

Deputies in training do not work independently until completion of the program. From the time of application to working independently knowing all aspects of the job can take nearly two years, Hutchison said.

In addition to needing additional staffing, in recent years the jail has seen a change in the type of inmate it holds, he said. 

When Hutchison started in 2005, about 25% of those in jail were individuals charged with felonies. Today, 77% of the jail population is charged with at least one felony. 

“We are seeing a dramatic increase in inmates with mental illness,” Hutchison wrote. 

The jail brought in a full-time mental health professional to help manage this population, “but they can be difficult and time consuming to care for.” he said.

The jail has also seen an increase in people arrested with serious substance abuse problems. 

People arrested under the influence can be dangerous, tend to be violent and require mental health treatment, Hutchison said.

“The Kootenai County jail has changed dramatically in recent years,” he said. “It certainly isn’t the same small town jail it once was.”

He said the Board of County Commissioners has committed to a new wage study for budget year 2022 and jail administrators are hopeful this will lead to a salary adjustment for staff making them more competitive in recruiting and retaining quality employees. 

The KCSO recruiting team attends events to engage possible applicants. Deputies in the jail currently earn from $20.28 to $27.26 an hour.

Anyone interested in a job opening at the jail, or elsewhere with the KCSO, should visit bit.ly/3DIQKs9