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MEMORANDUM
TO: Jim Steele, Chairman, Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian L. Martin, Sheriff/Coroner
DATE: October 31, 2018
SUBJECT: Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing Hiring Incentives for Correctional Officer I/II, Correctional Sergeant, Public Safety Dispatcher I/II and Supervising Public Safety Dispatcher job classifications
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The history of recruitment and retention difficulties within the County of Lake is long and consistent. Within the Sheriff's Department, this has been a common problem for decades. There are a number of factors that contribute to these difficulties including less competitive wage and benefits packages, competition for qualified candidates by neighboring agencies, and a decline in the interest for law enforcement amongst people entering the workforce.
A California Constitution Amendment from 1993 (CA Constitition Article XIII, Section 35(a)(2) which primarily addresses taxation, also outlines California's citizens expectations of local government and local officials. The section reads: "The protection of the public safety is the first responsibility of local government and local officials have an obligation to give priority to the provision of adequate public safety services." Article XIII, Section 36 (a)(1)(A) indicates that "Public Safety Services" includes "Employing and training public safety officials, including law enforcement personnel, attorneys assigned to criminal proceedings, and court security staff." Clearly, we have an obligation to the communities we serve to make such services our top priority. Such services can't be provided without employees.
The construction of the Hill Road Correctional Facility in the 1990's served to accommodate Lake County's growing population. The increase in capacity of the jail came with a corresponding need to increase staffing levels. In 1995, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Resolution #95-196 in which they reviewed and approved the Th...
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