Sheriff’s Office struggles to keep bailiffs, security officers at judicial center; low pay a major cause

March 26, 2019 | 3:28 am

Updated March 25, 2019 | 10:21 pm

The primary issue in keeping quality security at the judicial center stems from low pay and little-to-no benefits on top of it, according to DCSO Chief Deputy Major Barry Smith. | Photo by AP Imagery

The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) has experienced difficulty in both hiring and retaining employees to work as bailiffs at the Morton J. Holbrook Judicial Center. The judicial center employs part-time, unarmed court security officers and full-time, armed bailiffs who regulate traffic coming into the judicial center and maintain a secure presence at the main entrance. They are also responsible for the inmates who make court appearances.

The primary issue in keeping quality security at the judicial center stems from low pay and little-to-no benefits on top of it, according to DCSO Chief Deputy Major Barry Smith. Part-time employees don’t receive any benefits.

Smith said the judicial center’s full-time, armed bailiffs are retired police officers who now work inside the courtroom. These bailiffs are only paid $11 an hour, while part-time security officers are paid only $8 an hour, Smith said.

“We receive reimbursements from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for the bailiffs’ salaries, but we don’t have it in our budget to pay much more than that,” Smith said. “We have issues hiring and retaining both the armed and unarmed employees.”

Smith said the problem in keeping security officers and bailiffs has escalated in recent years as criminal cases have increased in number. And it’s not only criminal proceedings that have picked up, but Family Court cases as well.

“We often have two Family Court judges on the bench at the same time,” Smith said.

Because part-time security officers can only work 99 hours per month, Smith said DCSO has had to send deputies, ones who should be patrolling the streets, to the judicial center to fill the void.

“Patrol itself runs a minimum of three deputies at a time in this county. Those three deputies are covering a 400 square-mile area,” Smith said. “They have to patrol all of that with a minimum of three deputies. The call load has gone up. It’s harder to keep up with the current load as it is.”

Smith said there are other security companies in Owensboro that pay around $18 an hour, making it even more difficult for DCSO to retain security officers.

“I can’t compete with that,” Smith said. “I know Fiscal Court is working on their budget. We’re hoping to raise salaries for our current workers.”

Daviess County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly recently spoke about a possible occupational tax increase toward residents, and Mattingly said the issue with retaining bailiffs and security officers is one of Fiscal Court’s focuses in increasing revenue.

“You can’t get people to work those jobs at [at that wage],” Mattingly said. “It’s the same thing with deputies at the jail. We need more deputy jailers. It’s not just a matter of prisoner security. It’s a matter of keeping the deputies safe and secure. That’s all part of what we’re trying to do to help.”

Those who work at the judicial center are often dealing with inmates who are aggressive, dangerous and, sometimes, unhappy and uncooperative, which can be extremely trying on the bailiffs who are in charge of keeping them under control and transporting them safely from the jail to the judicial center.

“They’re working with people in their worst times,” Smith said. “It’s a tough job.”

March 26, 2019 | 3:28 am

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