WALLACE — The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office will host an open house next week in an effort to recruit new detention deputies. 

The agency has made significant strides in the three months since Shawn Wehr was sworn in as sheriff. According to several deputies, including Patrol Sgt. Darius Dustin, Wehr’s first months in office have brought a sense of stability that had been missing in the months leading up to his appointment. 

Despite those gains, Wehr and Undersheriff Travis Skinner continue to face one of the same challenges that has confronted their predecessors for more than a decade: staffing and maintaining the county’s aging jail. 

Addressing the facility’s long-term maintenance needs will require significant funding, resources the county does not currently have available. In the meantime, Wehr and Skinner are taking a proactive approach to the jail’s staffing needs. 

“Like many agencies, we are dealing with recruiting and retention challenges,” Skinner said. “We are trying to give people a better understanding of what detention work actually looks like and reach some local applicants who may not have otherwise considered it as a career.” 

In Shoshone County, the starting wage for a detention deputy is $21.22 per hour, or about $44,000 annually, not including benefits. 

While that wage falls on the lower end of the state average, it remains higher than some counties, including larger jurisdictions. Gem County, for example, has a population roughly 7,000 residents larger than Shoshone County but pays about $5,000 less annually for the same position. 

At full staffing, the jail is designed for 11 full-time detention employees, including the court security officer. According to Wehr,  the department is currently just three detention deputies short of that goal. 

Reaching full staffing would help the jail pass its annual inspection by the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association, which conducts inspections of all 37 county jails in the state. The inspections evaluate compliance with hundreds of standards covering areas such as staffing, training, security, inmate care and facility operations. Shoshone County Jail has not passed inspection since 2022, with staffing serving as the primary obstacle. 

Passing inspection would create additional opportunities for the county, including the ability to house state inmates, which could generate additional revenue if the facility has available bed space. 

The challenge is not unique to Shoshone County. Staffing shortages in detention facilities have become common across the country, often requiring existing employees to work involuntary overtime. 

According to a report from the Safe Inside Project, a corrections workforce research initiative that conducted a 50-state analysis of corrections workforce trends, correctional agencies nationwide spent more than $2 billion on overtime in 2024. 

In 2025, Shoshone County used patrol deputies to help cover staffing gaps in the detention division. 

Skinner said the open house is designed to give prospective applicants a better understanding of the job, the hiring process and the opportunities available within the agency. 

“We’ll have hiring information, staff available to answer questions, an overview of detention operations and the hiring process, and an optional Idaho POST fitness assessment for anyone interested,” he said. “Paid training is provided, no prior experience is required, and applicants must be at least 18 years old.” 

The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office Detention Open House is scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at the Shoshone County Detention Facility in Wallace.