Sheriff says correction salaries still an issue as contract looms

After closing of two housing units in the Otsego County jail on December 21 due to staffing issues, Sheriff Richard Devlin hopes the County Board of Representatives will offer a new contract to the Otsego County Deputy Sheriffs’ Benevolent Association with higher pay so the county can better retain staff at the jail.

Sheriff Devlin said the union’s contract with Otsego County expires in January 2022 – something he hopes will jumpstart discussions about “appropriate pay” for corrections officers.

Despite the upcoming contract deadline, the sheriff said he has heard “not a word” from the Otsego County Board of Representatives.

“I hope the county will see that the salary is an issue,” Sheriff Devlin said. “You would think that you tell people you had staffing issues that you would have a conversation but we’ve had no conversation.”

The sheriff decided to close the two jail units after a conversation with the New York State Commission of Corrections, a move requiring 12 inmates to be housed in jails in neighboring counties at a cost to Otsego County of $90 a day per inmate.

The closing reduced by two the number of staff required in the Otsego County lockup.

With 14 available openings for correctional officers in the county, Sheriff Devlin said he has heard that some already on the staff plan on leaving their jobs.

“People are getting burned out,” he said. “It is becoming unsafe.”

He compared working as a corrections officer in Otsego County to ‘a revolving door.’

“We train them, they go somewhere else,” Sherriff Devlin said.

He said neighboring counties offer higher pay for corrections officers, and many leave because of the amount of overtime.

Corrections officers often work two to three double shifts of overtime per week, which Sherriff Devlin said is untenable. The county hiring additional corrections officer would dramatically reduce the amount of overtime needed, he said.