HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — You hear it all the time: law enforcement agencies across Central Georgia--and the nation--are struggling to hire and retain peace officers, but the Houston County Sheriff's Office is bucking that trend.
For Houston County Deputy Michael Dixson, a fully-staffed sheriff's office means safety.
"I don't have to worry. You know, 'Is my backup 10 minutes, 20 minutes away?' I know my backup's going to be really, really close," he said.
Bibb County deputies aren't in the same position. According to Sheriff David Davis, his office is roughly 20% below full strength, and now, he's asking the county for more funds to raise his deputies' pay.
"There is going to be a cost for it, and that's where I'm asking the citizens of Macon-Bibb to understand there's a cost for that," he said earlier this year.
It's not a unique problem for Bibb. Law enforcement agencies in Byron, Peach County, Putnam County, and Monroe County have all said they're battling peace officer shortages.
In Warner Robins, the fight to get the police department to full staff has been going on for years.
"We've gone on recruiting things, and, I mean, they've told me, 'I didn't get a four-year degree to make 28,5 [$28,500], 28,5 a year," said former Chief Brett Evans in an archived 13WMAZ interview.
The starting pay is much higher now in Warner Robins, and the department's inching toward full staff. According to Chief John Wagner, they're now just five officers off the mark.
Just down the road, though, the Houston County Sheriff's Office is already there.
"Right now, we're fully-staffed," said Captain Ronnie Harlowe.
Chief Billy Rape says all of the roughly 130 deputy positions are currently full.
They don't always stay at that level, but Rape says his office consistently floats between about 95% and 98% full.
High starting pay for new deputies compared to many neighboring agencies and a culture where deputies are promoted from within help make that happen.
"I think we've always been really well-staffed," said Harlowe.
For deputies out on the roads every day, that's exactly where they want to be.
"Safety is the main reason staffing is mainly important for us," Dixson said.
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