It may be hard to believe that a lot of people don’t want to take a job where the employee works in a tightly enclosed, locked down, virtually sunless environment with accused and convicted criminals, but still, in 2023, that continues to be the case.
For years and years, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department has had a hard time hiring and keeping detention officers and that problem has only been exacerbated by the current post-pandemic job market marked by high inflation.
So, once again, the Sheriff’s Department is taking action to find qualified applicants to become detention officers. The department will be conducting not one but two upcoming information sessions where applicants can get info on how to become a Certified Detention Officer and also get answers to their questions.
The information sessions will be held on Wednesday, March 8, and Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m. They will take place at the Sheriff’s Department’s Administrative Office at 400 W. Washington St. in downtown Greensboro.
At a Thursday, March 2 work session of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, county staff spoke about vacancy problems that have continued to weigh on many county departments, but the jail job vacancy problem was at the top of the list. Last year at this time there were over 70 vacancies in the jails. Now that number is down below 60 and the goal is to make further progress.
Even those who ordinarily wouldn’t think of a career as a detention officer might want to consider it these days. The department has had trouble filing the positions for well over a decade and during that time perks have been added on one after another. Taking the job in 2023 entitles the applicants to a large number of benefits and a starting pay level that keeps climbing.
A press release from the department stated, “If you are interested in applying for a career as a Detention Officer or just gaining additional employment information about the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, please join us during either of these two information sessions, where we will discuss pay, incentives, certification, work schedules, etc. Professional attire is required.”
To register for one of the events, call the Personnel and Training Division at 336-641-3387.
It seems to me that few would want the job of detention officer. You put yourself in harm’s way every day. You are around ugly people all day, some of it has to rub off. You gotta pay people some real money to work in dangerous jobs. Police, Fire, Sheriff, Detention Officer, etc.
The City & County are awash with cash that they lavish on the faithful. Yet there is no progress. No matter how much our govt extorts from us, they always want more, it is never enough. If they can’t manage what they have, why would you give them any more?
I worked behind a bar once. It was great! I got drunk. That was the end of that career.