County has corrections officers shortage
A competitive job market has led to an exodus of correctional officers in Milwaukee County, forcing its detention centers to operate with only 67% of positions filled.
According to Supervisor Russell Goodwin, the county is down 86 officers, forcing staff members to work more overtime hours and, consequently, take sick leave in order to receive a break. The issue is affecting the Milwaukee County Jail, the Vel R. Philips Youth and Family Justice Center and the House of Corrections.
The Jail's staffing issues were first reported by Wisconsin Right Now.
The county is losing employees to neighboring county jail facilities and private companies that offer better pay, less overtime requirements and a smaller occupant population, according to Goodwin and James Burnett, the spokesperson for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. The issues have been longstanding, stretching back to before the pandemic.
The office has received six resignations from officers in the last 10 days, with three of those former employees accepting positions at the Racine County Jail, Burnett said. He called the pay rate in Milwaukee County “unacceptable.”
The sheriff 's office does not set the wages for its officers. That power rests with the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.
To right the situation, Goodwin proposed a resolution this week that would offer a 43% pay raise for officers, a 35% raise for sergeants and a 32% increase for lieutenants in its detention centers.
“I just want to make sure we're competitive enough to make sure we're not losing officers to other counties,” Goodwin said. “I believe they should get their fair share. Our officers work very hard and they should get the recognition they deserve.”
Burnett said the sheriff 's office has been working “tirelessly” to address the pay gap with neighboring facilities, which accelerated in recent months.
He said the sheriff's office has also created additional incentives for voluntary overtime and added a fourth shift of workers that runs concurrent with first and second shifts, which helps limit overtime usage.
However, he said those fixes are “Band-Aids that don't address the root problem of unacceptably low pay.”
Milwaukee County has given pay raises to officers each of the last two years – 4.5% in 2019 and 2.25% in 2020. Currently, officers can receive a maximum of $23.41 an hour.
But Goodwin said that has not been enough to keep pace with nearby counties, namely Waukesha and Racine.
In Racine County, for example, corrections officers are given a starting wage of $28.96 an hour and a maximum of $33.42, according to Goodwin.
His proposal would give corrections officers in Milwaukee County a wage between $29.43 and $33.81 an hour. Sergeants would receive a maximum of $37.24 an hour and lieutenants, $42.64 an hour.
The county is losing employees to neighboring county jail facilities and private companies that offer better pay, less overtime requirements and a smaller occupant population.