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Hays County commissioners approve wage increases for corrections, law enforcement officers

Corrections Bureau Captain John Saenz said the County has had to add positions, but it still doesn't have enough corrections officers.

HAYS COUNTY, Texas — The Hays County Commissioners Court unanimously passed a pay increase for corrections and law enforcement officers.

The county currently has a shortage of corrections officers, and Corrections Bureau Captain John Saenz said that means overtime for officers. 

"Just the stress of having to work, be on call, having to work continuously, or an extended period, obviously puts a stress on our officers,” said Saenz. 

He said they've had to add positions, but they still don't have enough corrections officers. 

"Lately the 'defund the police' and the sentiment with law enforcement as a whole has made our position in law enforcement and in jails less attractive, and it's something people don't want to do," he said.

That means they can't fill up the Hays County Jail, and they have to outsource inmates to other counties across Texas, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. 

"The Texas Commission on Jail Standards requires us to have a certain number of officer-to-inmate ratio, and so our jail sits with a big number of vacancies, because we don't have enough corrections officers to staff our jail,” said Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra.

The pay increase the commissioners unanimously passed will give starting correctional officers about a 16% increase, and deputies about a 10% increase.

"We want to stay in the competitive market – that's what we try to do and that's what we're doing,” says Hays County Sheriff Gary Butler. 

To compare, KVUE looked at data from Travis County, which show an increase of correction officer resignations from 2020-2021, from 60 to 101.

These pay increases at Hays County are one attempt at filling the gap.

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