MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia sheriffs say jails across the state are understaffed because of low pay and low interest in law enforcement careers. 11Alive News talked with more than a half dozen sheriffs about how to bolster staff in jails, where very few people want to work.
Guarding inmates in a Georgia county jail typically pays poorly -- and can be one of the most dangerous and corruptible jobs in law enforcement.
Bill Massee became Baldwin County sheriff when Ronald Reagan was president. On this day, his jail is holding 270 inmates, but more than a quarter of his detention jobs are unfilled.
"Constant problem," Massee said. "Over the last few years, I’m not proud to say but I’ve had to terminate some detention officers working in our jail for sexual misconduct as well as bringing contraband into our facility."
Contraband, like drugs and cell phones, is given to inmates by jail staff. In December, a fired Baldwin County jailer was charged with sexually assaulting an inmate.
"Gotten them arrested, gotten them prosecuted, gotten them terminated," Massee said ruefully.
It's a story told in county jails across the state. "In most parts of the state, they can’t find qualified candidates for a lot of these positions," said Terry Norris, who runs the Georgia Sheriffs Association. He gathered seven north Georgia sheriffs recently who have had to manage thinly staffed jails for years.
"The few applicants we have, we look at them now. Probably five years ago, we would not have looked at this applicant," said Sheriff Butch Reece of Jones County.
"The younger generation, they want the best hours to work, the most money and they want freedom," said Sheriff Ezell Brown of Newton County.
"It’s a high turnover," added Reece.
It has worsened, they say, since the police killings of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks – where reform-minded protests seek to diminish the need for jails and police.
"We’ve got a serious crisis nationwide, an anti-law enforcement crisis. And the bottom line is nobody wants to be the police," said Howard Sills, sheriff of Putnam County.
Courtney Hightower became a jailer two years ago in Baldwin County, fully aware inmates in her jail could try to corrupt her. "They try but it doesn’t work," she said with a laugh.
Massee said his hiring standards have had to change in light of the thinner pool of applicants. "I would hire a first offender to work in our jail. We can’t hire perfect people," he added.
Still, Massee said he has learned to embrace youthful indiscretions in the backgrounds of some of his jailers.
"I’ve had very good success with first offenders. I’ve found that they understand how easy it is to get in trouble, and I’m not going to say they’re lenient. But they are tolerant in dealing with young people and their mistakes," Massee said. "And I think they make better sound decisions."
Massee recently won a raise for new hires. Yet the jobs at his and jails across Georgia remain among the hardest to fill and retain.