Hays County Sheriff's Office able to recruit civilians to hire more deputies
The Hays County Sheriff's Office can now hire candidates that are not licensed peace officers and send them to a peace officer academy.
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HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) --- The Hays County Sheriff's Office can now hire candidates that are not licensed peace officers and send them to a peace officer academy.
It was a change approved by the Hays County Commissioners Court at its Oct. 10 meeting.
“Right now for our recruiting, all we can do is recruit licensed peace officers,” Chief Deputy Mike Davenport said to the court. “By making this change, we will be able to recruit civilians to send them to an academy, which opens up a very broad net for recruiting versus the very isolating way that we have right now.”
According to the agenda item, there were 12 deputy slots open.
"Vacant slots filled with civilian candidates will be paid at a lower salary which could result in an overall savings to the operating budget," the agenda item read.