January 2023 Monthly Report

We were able to come to an agreement with Gorman and enter into contract to take over law enforcement operations there. I think that us being able to help Gorman is a positive step for the city. It will provide them with more Law Enforcement coverage and more stability. As part of that contract, the Sheriff’s Office will hire two more deputies to help cover. It is becoming more and more difficult for smaller communities to recruit and retain officers. There is a national shortage of officers and the academies have been dwindling down for the last several years. The new recruits coming out of those academies are either already hired on with bigger agencies or they have their pick of where they want to go. So its making it more and more difficult for smaller agencies to be competitive. I’ve been saying for quite a while that the Sheriff’s Office and the municipalities should work toward sending local people through the academy to help battle the shortage. Trying to send someone through that is from the area and has roots here. One of the programs that we started here at the SO is sending a jailer through police academy every year. The first jailer that we sent through has already had the opportunity to transition over into being one of our deputies. We currently have another in the academy and he will graduate in June. It is my personal opinion that we will start seeing more and more of the smaller communities around the state combining resources like we are. With us working together, we can try to stay ahead of this growing problem while still being able to provide services to the citizens of Eastland County.