Sheriff describes working conditions faced by deputies and staff

By Crystal D. Hancock

Nevada Daily Mail

Working conditions for the employees of the Vernon County Sheriff's Department are deteriorating along with the bricks and mortar of the jail, according to Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman.

The deputies are hired and given a uniform and a badge. They are responsible for buying their own guns and some other safety equipment. The facility's offices and other work areas inside the building are suffering from leaking ceilings and clutter due to lack of space for storage. The kitchen is in desperate need of an industrial dishwasher and more space for preparing food. Food storage is also a problem. This is displayed by canned and boxed food being stored in random places all around the building, in the basement, closets, etc.

The dispatch area of the department is very cramped and is not easily accessed by more than one dispatcher at a time. Wiring from dispatch equipment and telephones are out in the open causing safety hazards for the employees and for the equipment. Dispatchers are plenty busy through their entire shift. They must answer the phones and transfer calls for the entire department, keep in constant contact with any reporting deputies, help anyone who comes through the front door, set up court dates for prisoners along with many other responsibilities. Dispatch needs more space and possibly some upgraded equipment to more properly perform the tasks of their jobs.

Just outside of the dispatch area is a small room that doubles as a hallway that is used to store some prisoner files and evidence. Peckman said it's difficult to keep it organized and accessible when needed. The room used for interviews and deputy paperwork is also very undersized and prevents any interviews from being conducted in private. Offices in the upper level of the building have asbestos in the flooring and cracked ceilings. Mold has also been a persistent problem. Air filters have been placed in every room of the department to aid in keeping the inhalation of mold to a minimum.

Peckman said jailers have no barrier or separation from the cells confining the prisoners. Most escapes that have taken place have been in an area where a jailer has no barricade to be protected by. Jailers have been attacked and even injured resulting in prisoner breakouts.

With the new law enforcement tax, Vernon County could have a new jail with new employee facilities. This new structure would enable many possible enhancements for the workplace conditions of the employees, offering separate entrance and dispatch areas, a better kitchen with more sanitary and proper equipment and food storage and private conference-type rooms for meetings and interviews.

Peckman stresses the importance of being able to raise the salaries of his employees as well.

Deputies are currently paid at a starting wage of about $19,200 annually. With the new law enforcement tax, deputies could make annual earnings of about $23,000 to $24,000. In comparing employee salaries, Vernon County deputies, dispatchers, cooks and jailers are paid significantly less than those of neighboring counties with only Barton County having a sales tax to provide for county employee wages. To put just how little county deputies are paid into perspective, Peckman pointed to documentation from the Missouri Division of Family Services in Vernon County, which says a family of four with an annual salary of $20,676 is eligible for food stamps.

The men and women who are protecting Vernon County are obviously being underpaid and the new law enforcement tax may not allow for them to be paid as much as they would like, but it would certainly help to keep them out of the financial category of food stamp eligibility, Peckman noted.

Peckman said, "All citizens are welcome to join us for lunch at the Sheriff's Department beginning next Friday, March 16. Visitors may come between noon and 1 o'clock that day for a bite to eat and a tour of the jail so that people can see for themselves the need for a new facility."

For more information, contact the Vernon County Sheriff's Department at (417) 667-6042.