Beyond bonuses: Cobb County sheriff shares unique strategy to law enforcement retention
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to fill vacancies. But one metro Atlanta sheriff says he has fewer than 10 openings.
"We currently have eight openings," said Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens.
To put that into perspective, that's eight openings in the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, which has 527 full-time sworn positions.
"We've been very successful and fortunate to have one of the lowest vacancy rates in metro Atlanta, if not the whole state of Georgia, for an agency comparable of my size," said Sheriff Owens.
It wasn't always like that. When Sheriff Owens was first elected a few years ago, there were close to 100 vacancies and, like many other law enforcement agencies, he struggled to fill those positions.
He offered benefits packages and hiring bonuses. It helped a little, but other agencies were doing the same thing. He knew he needed to create something different.
"We rebranded the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. We changed the culture. People want to come work here because they've seen what we're doing in the community," said Sheriff Owens.
Sheriff Owens says they're also using the latest technology and constantly upgrading equipment, like the new stab-proof vests to keep deputies safer.
They're also recruiting near and far with promotional videos and billboards. One billboard in Texas has a photo of the sheriff's office logo and cars and reads, "Got Georgia On Your Mind?"
The sheriff says he also took a serious look at ways to keep the staff he has. He hired a retention specialist. If someone wants to leave, the retention specialist will find out why and see if something needs to be changed in order to keep them.
"I may be one of the first in the metro to hire a retention specialist," said Sheriff Owens.
The sheriff says it took awhile, but once he put everything in place, it seemed to be working.
"We're blessed and fortunate that people want to come work here," said Sheriff Owens.