That’s right. 52K. Or 52G. 52 Grand?
Fifty-Two Thousand Dollars.
That’s not a misprint. It’s not a typo. It’s a thousand dollars per week – gross pay, that is.
$52,000.
And if you are 18 years old and younger than 45 and have at least a GED, you are eligible to take the test that is scheduled for July 9 at the sheriff’s office in Moundsville. The physical portion of the exam takes place on the track area at John Marshall High School.
“When we first started publishing the starting pay, we were getting messages and calls from people asking us if it was a misprint, and we would reply that it was not and that we were sure that it wasn’t a misprint,” said Marshall County Sheriff Bill Helms. “Not only is it not a typo, but our deputies have access to as much overtime as they see fit to get the job done. I’m not saying they can make anything they want, but I am saying that the opportunity is there right now to make a lot of money because there is a lot of work there to do.
“So, we do have a test coming up on July 9, and the deadline for the applications is June 30, and I do have high hopes for it because it is obvious that if someone wants to come work for us, they now know that we are ready to pay them,” he said. “I think the starting pay of $52,000 is very competitive, and I think it sends a message to the people out there who have been thinking about getting into law enforcement but thought they were worth a little more. Well, here’s a little more.”
People Power
Marshall County is 312 square miles large and is as long between Ohio and Wetzel counties as it is wide to Greene County, Pa.
So, the fact Helms is currently six deputies short is not good. Not good at all.
“I know law enforcement is testing everywhere and all of the time, but that is why we have worked with the Marshall County Commission to make the benefits of coming to work with us a little more enticing than what it has been in the past,” Helms explained. “Our starting pay now is significantly better than it is anywhere else in this area. The day you swear in, you are making $52,000 per year plus benefits and a pension.
“Our health benefits package is a Cadillac plan because we don’t pay a dime for our health care, and if you are with us for 20 years or more, you will earn a retirement that you will be happy about when that time comes; trust me,” he said. “The time off is generous, and our building is brand new, our vehicles are all new, everything about our office is state of the art, and that’s because our Commission supports us wholeheartedly because they know the challenges we’re up against.”
Law enforcement across the country has been struggling with the recruitment of new personnel for several years, and agencies such as the Wheeling Police Department have resorted to offering a $20,000 signing bonus if all tests are passed and all training is completed by a probationary officer.
Helms, whose law enforcement career began with the Moundsville Police Department nearly 30 years ago, has been puzzled about the reasons for the hesitation displayed by members of the younger generations who were raised here in the Upper Ohio Valley.
“I know what our young people see on television these days, but I have never had a job that is as satisfying and as fascinating as this one right here in Marshall County,” Helms admitted. “There are a lot of times on this job when it’s actually a lot of fun because you never really thought you would get paid to do some of these things for a living. I know when I have seen younger people start the job, and they are a little awestruck that they get paid to cruise a beautiful county and to take care of some of the most awesome people they will ever meet in their lifetimes.
“That’s why I always encourage people that if they are thinking about it to come on down and take the test and see how you do. The worst thing that can happen is that you decide you don’t want to do law enforcement for a living,” the sheriff said. “The best thing that can happen is that you decide to start making $52,000 per year to start with Cadillac health benefits and a retirement pension.”
Protect and Serve
Helms followed Kevon Cecil as sheriff of Marshall County, and Cecil came after John Gruzinksas, a gentleman who served as a West Virginia state trooper because being elected to a pair of terms as sheriff.
Helms was a deputy under Gruzinksas but served as chief deputy during Cecil’s eight years.
“And now I have reached the age to where I have been doing law enforcement now more than half my life because I grew in this profession, and now I see these young people getting into it, and I was that same kid once upon a time ago,” Helms said. “But when I see the young men and women, it gives me a little more appreciation for what I have dedicated my life to for all these years and the good that has taken place in my life because of that dedication.
“The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office right now is the best I have ever seen it with the most professional deputies I have ever worked with, and that is why I think we have a terrific opportunity right now to add personnel at a level of compensation that sets them up from the very beginning,” the sheriff explained. “I would put my office of deputies up against anyone in this area, and that is because of how hard they have worked to become as proficient as they are, and I am confident new deputies would benefit greatly from that experience.”
