The Lancaster County Board approved a pilot program at Tuesday’s meeting that would allow current employees of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office to make referrals to fill open deputy positions.
Sheriff’s Captain Jon Vik says, “We have been hovering around 5% to 10% vacancies for deputy sheriff’s for the better part of the last year. Our applicant numbers have continued to decline like other law enforcement agencies have. We are trying new strategies to respond to that and keep our positions staffed.” That will come in the form of a referral bonus.
An employee who makes a successful referral will receive $1,000 after that person is on the job for six months and another $1,000 after the new deputy completes their one year probation.
Captain Vik says some other agencies have tried this method to improve numbers. They also plan to expand the referral bonus to all members of the Sheriff’s Office and not just those represented by a union.
LSO currently has six vacancies for deputy sheriff within the department.