(WWJ) -- Macomb County is facing a shortage of sheriff deputies, forcing some adjustments.
The county – which has 200 deputies – is 20 deputies short, and will be down 25 next year due to several expected retirements.
As a result, Macomb Sheriff Anthony Wickersham has made some changes.
Wickersham told the Macomb County board of commissioners on Tuesday during a committee meeting that he may have to move deputies from specialized units to the streets.
In order for public safety to remain unaffected by the deputy shortage, Wickersham has transferred deputies working in child enforcement and prisoner transports to patrolling roads.
Wickersham said he could hire 20 recruits, but he currently only has two candidates coming from the police academy who will need to undergo three months of training -- so patrolling alone won't be coming anytime soon for them.
The next academy session, which lasts 17 weeks, starts in January.
"If I had 20 qualified people, I could put them out on the road right now," said Wickersham.
Unless there is an influx of new hires, Wickersham said he may have to start pulling deputies from computer crimes and fugitive units along with multiple narcotics teams to put them on road patrol.
"All those units are valuable and important, but our bread and butter is people dialing 911 and expecting a three-to-five-minute response, and we have to have the cars respond," Wickersham said.
The sheriff's office has jurisdiction throughout Macomb County but also patrols certain communities on a contract basis, including Macomb Township, Harrison Township, Mount Clemens, and several other communities north of Hall Road.
Compared to other police agencies, the sheriff's office is at a disadvantage when hiring new deputies, which is part of the reason why there is currently a shortage. The office recruits all deputies from their jail corrections and dispatch staff, based on the passage of a test, a work evaluation, and an accrual of 60 college credits.
After those requirements are met, the sheriff's office then pays the person to attend the police academy at a cost of about $7,000; although, once the candidate has completed the academy and achieved certification, they can choose to go anywhere and have no obligation to stay and serve Macomb County.
"They take that certificate and skill and market themselves," the sheriff said.
To reduce these disadvantages, the sheriff said that two ongoing developments could aid in obtaining and securing new hires. First, the sheriff's office and union officials are nearing an agreement allowing the sheriff to hire new deputies from those who graduate from a police academy on their own or sponsored by another agency, or they can be hired from another police department.
Secondly, House Bill 5130, sponsored by state Rep. Mark Mueller, is being introduced in the state House of Representatives. It requires police officers, including deputies, to repay the policy academy cost to their sponsoring agency if they do not stay with that agency for five years.
The repayment would be on a graduated scale. An officer or deputy who leaves in less than one year of employment will have to repay the entire cost of the academy. On the other hand, if an employee stays four to five years before leaving they will only have to repay 10%.
Wickersham said the union deal could have a fairly rapid impact.
"We're able to hire like other police departments to go right to the road," the sheriff told the board. "But obviously we'll be competing with all of the other departments...we'll do everything we can to recruit the individuals to come work for us."
Macomb County Commissioner Harold Haugh of Roseville said Tuesday at a budget hearing during a committee meeting that all police departments are struggling to hire more officers.
"The reality in the recruitment process now … it's not a position right now – being a police officer – that people are jumping up and down to want to go out and become," Haugh said.
