Luzerne County sheriff deputy shortage prompting measures

Due to a shortage of sheriff deputies, Luzerne County is seeking outside proposals to provide trained, armed security guard services at four sites.

The county council is also set to vote Tuesday on a memorandum providing one-time stipends to current deputies as a retention incentive.

The office has also exchanged some vacant full-time positions for part-time ones, hoping to attract more applicants.

County Sheriff Brian Szumski said the county funds 40 sheriff deputies, including 10 part-time positions known as per diems.

Two full-time and all 10 new part-time positions are vacant, he said.

The office recently converted five full-time positions to 10 part-time ones, he said. Filling part-time positions may be easier because some municipal police officers may be interested, Szumski said.

In addition to several clerical and management-ranked staff, the office employs eight unionized corporals and sergeants and five security officers.

Szumski views the outside contracting as a stopgap measure.

“We’re still down a lot of people,” Szumski said. “This is kind of a temporary fix until we can fill all the vacant positions and meet our full complement.”

The first request would cover security at three county-owned buildings near the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre — Central Court on Water Street, the Bernard C. Brominski Building on North Street and the Courthouse Annex on River Street. This engagement would be for six months with a possible six-month extension.

The second proposal seeks security at the county’s southern county annex in leased space at Hazleton City Hall on North Church Street. This agreement would run through 2025, with a possible one-year extension.

Both requests seek proposals from qualified and professionally trained armed security guard services to ensure the safety and security of the properties during weekday hours, according to the postings on the purchasing department section at luzernecounty.org.

Guards must be proficient in screening procedures and operation of an x-ray machine, magnetometer and hand wand to deter, detect and prevent weapons and contraband from entering the buildings, it said.

Specific duties include:

• Conducting thorough screenings of all people and belongings entering the facility.

• Maintaining a professional demeanor and exhibiting diligence and vigilance at all times.

• Responding promptly and appropriately to any security issues or incidents that may arise, if possible, without abandoning the guard post.

Contractors must be licensed and certified to provide armed security services and have proof of experience in similar facilities.

Retention stipend

The one-time incentive f0r 32 unionized deputies, corporals and sergeants would cost $170,000 and be funded with a portion of the money remaining from unfilled positions.

Szumski designed a point system based on years of service to determine the dollar amounts, which will range from $1,000 for less than a year to $10,000 for 31 years.

A memorandum of understanding is required because the deputies are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The bonus won’t be added to the starting salary.

Retention is a priority largely because extensive training is required to bring new deputies up to speed, Szumski said.

New deputies must undergo 19 weeks of training at Penn State University’s main campus in State College to obtain Act 2 certification, he said.

Four recent hires are scheduled to start attending the deputy sheriff academy in January, he said. Supplemental in-house classroom and on-the-job training are also necessary.

“The amount of training we have to put them through is a huge investment, so keeping them is important,” Szumski said.

He noted those interested in the part-time positions must already be certified sheriff deputies or Act 120-certified police officers.

Szumski has been highlighting recruitment and retention challenges for years, saying during a 2021 budget discussion that about half of the 50 deputies who left since 2019 had cited low compensation as the reason in their exit interviews.

Echoing other county managers at that time, he said workers could make more at some area warehouses and fast food restaurants without having to leave the area for 19 weeks of training.

In 2021, deputies started at $28,550 annually, under compensation set by the AFSCME court-related union contract.

The current contract approved in 2022 switched deputies from 35-hour work weeks to 40 hours and increased the starting salary, which is currently $33,135 annually, according to an online posting. This contract expires the end of 2025.

Szumski said last week the recruitment of law enforcement is a challenge throughout the country.

Job duties

Sheriff deputies must transport inmates to and from court, secure the courthouse and other county properties, assist county agencies when law enforcement duties are required and service criminal warrants, protection-from-abuse orders and civil writs.

The office also oversees sheriff mortgage foreclosure sales and gun permits.

Demands on the office continue to increase with heightened security surrounding elections, government property, court proceedings and public meetings, Szumski said.

“In reality, I could use 75 deputies, but I’m not going to request more when we’re trying to fill the ones we have,” Szumski said, adding that he also understands the county’s fiscal limitations.

He provided some year-to-date statistics to demonstrate work performed by the office through the end of November:

• Deputies delivered in-person service to parties involved in 5,307 civil cases, including PFAs.

• A total 318,747 people went through metal detectors and had their belongings checked at the courthouse, central court, courthouse annex, Brominski Building and two other county-owned properties on Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre — the Penn Place Building and Human Services Building housing Children, Youth and Families.

• Approximately 6,300 gun permits and licenses were issued, including licenses to sell firearms and precious metals.

• Deputies transported 3,500 inmates to and from county court proceedings, including inmates housed outside the county.

Security must be provided whenever county buildings are open, the sheriff said.

“It’s basically a 24-7, 365-day operation. It’s a lot,” he said.