Mo. Co. Sheriff’s Office focuses on jail to fill 22 spots

More deputies responding to calls faster and making the community safer is the goal the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office plans to fulfill with a fresh batch of recruits.

The department is trying to hire 22 new deputies with an emphasis on gender and the jail.

With the population growing not just with the male but with female inmates too, the focus to recruit female deputies intensifies.

“We’ll probably test 100-150 people, if not 200 people, to try and fill those 22 positions,” said Cmdr. John Thornburg, who is also the hiring manager with the Sheriff’s Office.

Thornburg said new blood is a welcome addition, offsetting overtime costs that make up the majority of the county’s extra spending.

Starting pay for incoming deputies is nearly $5,000 a month.

More important than how many deputies they field, is making sure the playing field is even.

“We are very low in females deputies right now,” said Sgt. Veronica Olguin, who works at the jail.

That’s why the Sheriff’s Office has a special emphasis on women, not only by law, but by specific needs as well.

“There are some situations where a female feels more comfortable with a female,” Olguin said.

She said that goes for colleagues and inmates, which includes male inmates as well.

“Traditionally, sometimes the males aren’t as patient,” Olguin said referring to male deputies.

For aging inmates needing more assistance and a growing female population in the jail, help is wanted and needed.

“You don’t hide things, you don’t try to disguise things, you have to lay it all out there. This is who I am,” Cmdr.Thonrburg said, talking directly to potential applicants.

Thornburg added he hopes to have the recruits ready for the police academy by June. The new positions are budgeted but the budget has yet to be approved by the county.

In addition to the 22 openings, the Sheriff’s Office has nine recruits about to pass through the academy, most of them finishing up in May, Thornburg said.