MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wednesday’s County Commission Budget and Finance Committee meeting was so packed, they had to move it downstairs.
Officers from the Shelby County Department of Corrections and deputy jailers from the Sheriff’s Office came to the commission asking for pay raises.
“Due to the stress and low morale, we have a retention problem,” one jailer told commissioners.
Currently, the average pay for a deputy jailer at 201 Poplar is about $44,000.
A Shelby County Department of Corrections officer at the penal farm makes about $36,000, a disparity many officers take issue with.
“We do the same job, dealing with the same inmates. You know, what’s the difference,” said DOC officer Carmen Robinson.
That said, both groups specified that they support one another.
The mayor’s administration said deputy jailers deal with recently incarcerated inmates and have different supervision requirements. The administration said guards here are paid above the market standard.
Both groups also raised issues about security and low staffing. Several cited serious gang issues behind bars.
The mayor’s office said an upcoming countywide compensation study will determine what is proper pay.
“The overall portrayal, the lack of staffing, the lack of safety issues, the lack of equipment, I think, is grossly overstated,” said Shelby County chief administrative officer Harvey Kennedy.
The county said both groups will get a 2 percent raise this summer.
There is no timeline for when the compensation study will be completed.
