Plano North | March 2023

JOB INCREASE The counties have seen an increase in the numbers of overall jobs. Collin County Dallas County Denton County Tarrant County Key:

LOW UNEMPLOYMENT Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties have seen lower unemployment rates in all industries than in previous years, according data from late 2022. Because of this, the job market is competitive to employ people.

2.5M

2,088,756

Key: COLLIN COUNTY

Employed Unemployed

1,863,939

DALLAS COUNTY

58,044

18,625

1.5M

1.43M

626,815

1,130,578

608,190

1.37M

Total

967,575

608,712

DENTON COUNTY

TARRANT COUNTY

420,897

39,932

16,717

500K

1.13M

552,700 Total

363,203

535,983

1.08M

252,665

Total

Years

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

SOURCE: WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS FOR NORTH CENTRAL TEXASCOMMUNITY IMPACT

WHAT IS A DETENTION OFFICER?

o cers and just under 3% openings in deputy sheris, Skinner said. The starting salary for a detention o cer is $19.23 an hour. All jail salaries were increased by the county commissioners from a total sal- ary budget of $28.68 million in 2022 to $32.07 million in 2023. “Unfortunately, in many sheri’s o ces across the country, the vacancy rate exceeds 35%,” Skinner said. “By any measure this is a crisis.” In Collin County, detention o cer turnover has been a challenge, as well. In 2019, the county’s detention o cer turnover rate was 23%, and it has increased, the county’s Human Resources Director Cynthia Jacobson said during an August Collin County Commissioner Court meeting that was part of its budget discussions. That rate increased to 27% in 2020 and up to 37% in 2021. “2021 was a rough year in terms of turnover for the county and law enforcement even more so,” Jacob- son said. That rate decreased to 25.9%, according to December 2022 turnover data, which is the most up-to-date data available. It was lower than the projected 27%. “We just can’t nd them once we have the openings for 2022, so it’s a dierent set of issues in 2022 than in 2021,” she said. In December, Dallas County had 120 vacancies in detention areas out of 1,481 positions, Dallas County Sheri Marian Brown said. The issue is county jails are regulated

by the Texas Commission on Jail Stan- dards, which comes with a required level of sta ng per inmate, Brown said. Stang incentives The local sheri’s departments have turned to recruiting, incentive pay and other perks to help ll in the sta ng holes. “I regularly speak with other sher- is and their senior supervisors about recruiting, retention and morale,” Skin- ner said. “Many counties Vuse various incentives, including compensation, recruiting or retention pay, employ- ment and retirement benets, and training and educational benets, to improve their situations.” Dallas County has been hosting recruiting fairs to bring people to the job. Brown also regularly visits with commissioners about the issue. In Denton County, the department created temporary positions that were part-time as a way to attract people, such as retirees or people who do not want or need a full-time job, Eads said. Despite sta ng shortages, Skinner said he still wants the right people. “These professions take commit- ment and resolve,” he said. “We plan, train and budget for them. We are very selective about who we select, given the enormous responsibility that they are given in keeping our cit- izens and communities safe.”

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increased by 7.7%. To combat the shortage, o cials have turned to recruiting and nan- cial incentives. Stang shortages These law enforcement sta ng chal- lenges are not limited to North Texas but have been seen statewide, Denton County Judge Andy Eads said. “Denton County is not alone in our challenges here,” he said. The Denton County Sheri’s O ce has seen a decrease in applications for law enforcement and is now expe- riencing a 35% sta ng level at its jail. Having a fully functioning jail is essen- tial to public safety and the judicial sys- tem, Eads said. “You can’t incarcerate people with- out having detention o cers,” he said. These o cers are “critical” to the public safety infrastructure, he said. The shortage has caused a burden on the jail sta, Eads said, as employees now have to take on more shifts to sta the detention center. “I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we’re going to get through it,” Denton County Sheri Tracy Murphree said at a Lewisville Chamber of Com- merce meeting in the fall. Skinner, from Collin County, reiter- ated Eads’ point. Sta ng presents seri- ous challenges, and it is an issue that he manages on a daily basis, Skinner said in an email. The Collin County Sheri’s O ce has just under 10% openings in detention

The detention ocer, who works for the sheri’s department, performs specialized law enforcement work in the care and security of inmates in the county jail. WHAT DOES AN OFFICER DO? An ocer has the following duties:

Admits prisoners to the county jail and ensures inmates are properly booked and searched Patrols entire jail area to prevent escapes and maintain order Prepares and transports inmates to and from court, visitations or

medical appointments Inspects the cleaning of jail to meet requirements of state and local ocials

Supervises inmate trustees performing various duties, such as serving meals to inmates

DETENTION OFFICER QUALIFICATIONS A detention ocer must meet the following qualications: U.S. citizen At least 18 years old High School Possession of a valid

driver’s license

diploma or GED required

Must attain certication by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement as a jailer within one year of employment

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

SOURCES: COLLIN, DALLAS, DENTON AND TARRANT COUNTIESCOMMUNITY IMPACT

PLANO NORTH EDITION • MARCH 2023