It wasn’t long ago when children played Cops and Robbers and every kid wanted to wear the badge. The criminal, after all, was thought to be the bad guy. These days, though, crime still doesn’t pay but law enforcement had better … and pay well, at that.
$52,000 + full benefits + retirement pension earned in 20 years = a deputy’s position with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
33 = The Marshall County Commission budgets funds for a sheriff and 33 deputies.
27 = The number of deputies currently employed by the Sheriff’s Office.
11 = The number of candidates who showed up this past Saturday to apply for one of the six open positions Sheriff Bill Helms has at this time.
5 = The number of men who qualified for the “new list,” according to Sheriff Helms.
3 = By state law, the number of applicants who will move to the next step which includes a background check and interview with Sheriff Helms.
“The new, higher salary worked because we had the most people show up on test day than we have had in a long, long time. I think it was before Kevin Cecil was the sheriff for Marshall County,” Helms reported. “There are a lot of jobs out there, and we’re asking for the best and brightest in our community to join our team, but if you think about it, we’re asking a great deal from those people.
“Think about it. Shift work. Working holidays. And, well, you have to deal with criminals,” he said. “Now that we are offering $52,000 as our starting salary, we’re better than before, but I believe if people want police, they are going to have to pay for it. The demand for the positions used to be there, but that’s just not the case right now.”
Crisis Situation
There is more Marshall County math to consider:
· There are 312 square miles, so each of the 33 deputies “covers” 9.45, or about 640 acres of the county.
· At 27, though, the number of square miles swells to 12 per deputy.
“Plus, we have five of our deputies that are assigned to public schools in the county, and when you are down six, it makes it a difficult decision not to pull them for patrols,” Helms said. “But that is something I will not do because we make it work.”
When Helms initially took the test to become an officer with the Moundsville Police Department, he recalls more than 200 other men doing the same thing.
Sheriff Helms was thrilled with 11.
“I don’t know how many people realize it right now, but this county is in a big-time law enforcement crisis,” Helms insisted. “And it’s not. ‘Well, we’re kind of short, and we need help.’ It is, ‘We are really short now with no end in sight.’ Plus, we have two municipalities in our county that can’t have full-time police departments because of funding and a lack of interest in the field.
“I know McMechen Chief of Police Don Dewitt very well, and I even helped train him when I was with the Moundsville Police Department. He’s a good man and a good cop who is trying to protect the residents of McMechen as best he can,” he said. “But when you can’t find enough people to have a 24/7 police department, you have to rely on the sheriff’s office, and we’re stretched thin already. That’s why we’re in a crisis.”
CSI Somethings
For decades, TV dramas have centered around crime and law enforcement, and shows like Dragnet, Hawaii Five-O, Hill Street Blues, 21 Jump Street, and Miami Vice have delivered today’s television audiences to programs such as The Mentalist and CSI Everywhere.
Have crime dramas somehow convinced the masses that a career in law enforcement is not a good choice? Or is the lack of interest a reaction to “Defund Police” movements and the media coverage involving an officer-related shooting?
“This is a topic that we’ve discussed at the office a number of times, and what we’ve come with is that Hollywood has played a part in changing the image of law enforcement, and so has politics on the federal level. That’s why, I believe, the job has lost its luster, and I think it’s such a shame,” Helms said. “I feel it’s an honor to serve, and I’m very proud of what I’ve done in law enforcement. This job allows you to help people, and I just don’t know what could be better.
“In reaction to the shortages and lack of interest, the requirements have been lowered, and I think that’s a very dangerous thing to do because of what we are asked to do on a daily basis,” the sheriff said. “I was so thankful our County Commission chose to increase a deputy’s pay because they earn it every single day.”
The three candidates will be assigned training officers to patrol with until the time arrives to attend the West Virginia State Police Academy in Dunbar, W.Va. The program is close to three months in length and involves a paramilitary approach to policing. The 190th Basic Class is scheduled to begin on August 1.
“It’s about more than learning how to shoot and pursue criminals; trust me because a law enforcement officer has been given by society the ability to take away someone’s liberty. There is no greater responsibility than that,” Helms insisted. “That is why when you are authorizing a person to have that ability, you have to be sure you know as much as possible about that person, and that the person can handle such a responsibility.
“We may be short right now, and hopefully that changes in the near future, but I would rather be short on people than have a deputy who tries to abuse their authority,” he added. “It’s about keeping our residents safe. That may sound corny, but that’s the job.”
