When the Guilford County fiscal 2024-2025 budget came and went and was adopted last month by the Board of Commissioners in mid-June, a lot of commissioners sitting at the dais in the large second-floor meeting room in the Old County Court House stated that there was one gaping hole in that budget – it did not address pay increases for deputies and detention officers.
Yes, there was $2 million included in additional pay for the Sheriff’s Office in that budget; however, based on comments made at that June meeting and throughout the budget process, there is a groundswell of support among the county commissioners to offer significantly better pay to those who work in unpleasant and dangerous jobs in the jails and those on the streets who put their lives on the line every day.
While the commissioners spoke at that meeting of a much greater need for higher pay for the deputies and detention officers, those words and $6 will get you a dozen eggs at Harris Teeter.
So, after the new fiscal budget was adopted, a lot of sheriff’s staff was highly displeased that they had been passed over while the county budget had made sure to include plenty of money for things like community non-profits – some of which practically no one had ever heard of before and many organizations with friendly ties to commissioners.
That list, which was put together in a manner completely out of the public’s view, contained what seemed to be a relatively arbitrary list of churches, schools, organizations and groups, some that have never before been funded by the county and some that the Rhino Times had never heard of.
Still, the board hadn’t found the time to include officer pay increases in the budget.
At that time, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and others on the board said it was important to get around to that, and, this week, the board will finally address the matter.
On Tuesday, July 16, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners scheduled a work session for Thursday, July 18, at 3 p.m. in the Carolyn Coleman Conference Room on the first floor of the Old County Court House at 301 W. Market St. in downtown Greensboro.
The official stated purpose of the work session on Thursday is “to discuss compensation for Sheriff’s deputies and Detention Center officers; review FY 2024-25 vehicle purchases; receive major capital project updates; and conduct any other necessary business.”
(One way the county “saved money” in this new budget was by putting off buying new vehicles for the county’s fleet and that has also concerned a lot of county officials, so that will also be a part of the conversation at the work session.)
The work session is open to the public and will likely be attended by a large contingent from the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office has had major problems filling jobs when it comes to both the detention officer and patrol officer jobs and the fear is that even more officers will jump ship in the near future to competing law enforcement departments that pay more and provide better benefits.
Years ago, former Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes attributed some of the problems of officer retention as due to the public’s loss of respect for law enforcement officers. While once revered, in modern society law enforcement officers are often harassed and unjustly criticized.
It didn’t help the vacancy situation that, even before newly-elected Sheriff Danny Rogers was officially in the job, in December of 2018, he fired nearly 30 officers just because he was worried that they had been too close to Barnes and he was therefore concerned they wouldn’t show him, Rogers, the respect he required.
Rather than call them in one at a time and have a one-on-one man-to-deputy discussion about their commitment to the department, Rogers just conducted a cold mass firing with letters left on the desk of those who the new sheriff feared would try to undermine him because of loyalty to Barnes.
That mass firing by Rogers made national news and made an already bad vacancy situation in the department much worse – and that vacancy issue, to this day, remains a problem for the Sheriff’s Office.
While increased pay will no doubt help, critics of Rogers say that he’s a big part of the problem and argue that he has continued over the years to get rid of good officers for relatively arbitrary reasons – like a high-ranking very well-respected female jail employee a few years back whose firing caused a great deal of dismay in the Sheriff’s Office. Advocates of the fired employee and her qualifications pointed out that she was hired immediately by another regional law enforcement agency.
Rogers’ defenders say that vacancy issues are simply high in law enforcement across the country and also high in many other fields as well. That is, it’s simply hard to find good people these days.
Regardless of the cause of all the vacancies – and the feeling among officers that they aren’t getting the pay they deserve – the commissioners are now finally set to take a long hard look at officer pay and address the vacancy issue.
Commissioner Alan Perdue, who served for years as the Guilford County Director of Emergency Services before retiring and being elected a commissioner, said at the time the budget was adopted that it is imperative to raise the pay for the group of county workers who put their lives at risk every day in an effort to keep the county safe.
Sheriff’s Department employees were hoping to see the commissioners deliver that in the new budget, but they may finally see some love in the coming weeks.
Commissioner Pat Tillman, like several other commissioners right after the new county budget was adopted on Thursday night, June 20, stated that it’s very important that the board work over the summer to see what can be done to increase the pay of the county’s law enforcement officers – given that they are so critical to keeping the county safe.
“The glaring piece that I view as missing [in the just-adopted budget] is sheriffs’ pay,” Tillman said last month. “We need to take that up as soon as we can.”
Which is why the board will be discussing it this week.
Tillman said that the Sheriff’s Office pay in Guilford County doesn’t compare well with the pay of other law enforcement agencies in the area.
Several other commissioners also made the same point that night in their comments made immediately after the new budget was adopted.
Alston told the Rhino Times at that time that the commissioners really needed to hold a work session with staff to discuss the issue in order to determine what to do and Alston said that, in the final week of budget crunch time, the issue of increasing deputy and detention officer pay “fell through the cracks” since time was short and neither he, nor Guilford County Manager Mike Halford, put the issue on a pre-budget work session agenda.
That “fell through the cracks” comment did not sit well with many officers in the Sheriff’s Office.
Over the years, Rogers has tried some trickery to get more money into the department and into the hands of his officers.
An email obtained by the Rhino Times through a public records request in November of 2019 that Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers had instructed supervisors and others in the department who perform evaluations to give a perfect rating to all employees no matter how they actually performed.
The “Halogen Evaluations” were used by Guilford County government, including the Sheriff’s Department, to rate employee job performance and determine merit-based pay raises. The scale in the Sheriff’s Department runs from 1, extremely poor performance, to 5, perfect performance.
Throughout Guilford County government, Halogen evaluations have been used to determine pay increases and assess job performance – and they can affect employees in other ways too, by informing county officials of an employee’s job performance. Evaluations can help or hinder the employees’ job path, for instance, by helping or hurting promotion considerations.
The email, which was sent in late 2019 by a high-ranking Sheriff’s Department official to supervisors and others in the department who perform those evaluations reads: “Attention Detention, Court Services and Transportation Supervisors …The following is the procedure that Sheriff Danny H. Rogers wants us to follow when completing our Halogen Evaluations…. Give all 5’s to everyone.”
That email went on to state: “The supervisor should make positive comments and write about what their employees have accomplished this past year. You should cite specific incidents/accomplishments or notable activities during the year in an effort to provide positive feedback. If the employee has deficiencies or needs to work on their performance, the supervisor should discuss those with the employee and provide guidance on ways for improvement during their evaluation meeting and sign off. The supervisor should keep an internal document on deficiencies and needed improvements.”
When the Rhino Times informed some county directors and other county officials of the directive, many stated it was highly unfair to other county employees – including the truly good performers in the Sheriff’s Department.
“A 5 basically walks on water,” one said, adding that top scores usually require very solid justification.
The scores of 5 also meant that the Sheriff’s Department employees would get the top amount of money available from the county’s merit pool – which is distributed based on employee performance as rated in the evaluations.
If the commissioners come through with higher pay perhaps the department will be less likely to engage in bizarre practices such as saying that every employee is perfect.
You’ve got to stop giving so many quick raises to people that hadn’t been there for one year or two. What about your senior officers or staff who’ve been there 10 to 15 or 20 years they need to be moved up not these newcomers. Plus Danny can give up some of his $17,000 a month paycheck.
That Sir is why most of us are leaving. It’s not worth it anymore to put up with all the BS and watch folks roll in the door making a few dollars less than we’ve worked 15/20 years or more to earn. Right now someone can make a lateral transfer from someplace else and actually start at more than those who’ve dedicated decades of their lives to serving Guilford county already. Add in pi$$ poor leadership, watching incompetents get promoted on the regular, woke legislation, and a total lack of respect from command staff, decreasing support from the board of commissioners as well as the public, meager benefits, plus today’s media bias (not you Scott) and there’s no incentive to stay. A few dollars won’t make a hill of beans difference. Fix the problems and keep the money. Reduce taxes & cut all the BS socialist programs instead. Taxpayers and staff will both thank you.
Over the years, Rogers has tried some trickery to get more money into the department and into the hands of his officers. THIS IS CALLED FRAUD – WHY HASN’T HE BEEN FIRED OR ASKED TO RESIGN, or EVEN CHARGED WITH FALSE PRETENSE.
That email went on to state: “The supervisor should make positive comments and write about what their employees have accomplished this past year. You should cite specific incidents/accomplishments or notable activities during the year in an effort to provide positive feedback. If the employee has deficiencies or needs to work on their performance, the supervisor should discuss those with the employee and provide guidance on ways for improvement during their evaluation meeting and sign off. The supervisor should keep an internal document on deficiencies and needed improvements.”
When the Rhino Times informed some county directors and other county officials of the directive, many stated it was highly unfair to other county employees – including the truly good performers in the Sheriff’s Department.
“A 5 basically walks on water,” one said, adding that top scores usually require very solid justification.
The scores of 5 also meant that the Sheriff’s Department employees would get the top amount of money available from the county’s merit pool – which is distributed based on employee performance as rated in the evaluations.
If the commissioners come through with higher pay perhaps the department will be less likely to engage in bizarre practices such as saying that every employee is perfect.
FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD – and the Commissioners are just as dirty to enable this to go on. –
Over the years, Rogers has tried some trickery to get more money into the department and into the hands of his officers. THIS IS CALLED FRAUD – WHY HASN’T HE BEEN FIRED OR ASKED TO RESIGN, or EVEN CHARGED WITH FALSE PRETENSE.
When the Rhino Times informed some county directors and other county officials of the directive, many stated it was highly unfair to other county employees – including the truly good performers in the Sheriff’s Department.
“A 5 basically walks on water,” one said, adding that top scores usually require very solid justification.
The scores of 5 also meant that the Sheriff’s Department employees would get the top amount of money available from the county’s merit pool – which is distributed based on employee performance as rated in the evaluations.
If the commissioners come through with higher pay perhaps the department will be less likely to engage in bizarre practices such as saying that every employee is perfect.
FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD – and the Commissioners are just as dirty to enable this to go on. –
No surprises here. Sadly, it ” fell through the cracks “, unlike Austin’s other favorite vote buying preferences.
I think you mean Alston, not Austin.
Bingo, excuse me Austin!
Guilford County can’t afford to give it’s Sherriff Deputies a pay raise! The Guilford County annual budget has already been spent on 7 Guilford County’s leaders trip to a conference in Tampa Florida, new Cowboy hats for Sheriff Danny Roger’s Deputies at $175 each, a remake of the Sheriff’s Depts’ logo and all badges ($50,000), $1.7 million given to numerous unvetted and racially based non-profits, Danny Roger’s Chauffeur, over $10 million lost on the cancellation of Samet Corporation’s contract to build a new County Jail, and of course the never ending money pit and waste of taxpayer’s money on Skip Alston’s Civil Rights Museum!
Ignoring the $10 million as that was prior year, what you are mentioning is less than 1% of the budget. I think the spending problem is elsewhere. The real issues are broader and more challenging to see…. inefficiently run departments leading to excessive labor costs, legacy pension plans, etc…
Just saying
– 57% goes to GCS & GTCC
– 19% goes to sheriff and emergency services
– 12% goes to public health, behavioral health and social services
– 12% goes to run other county depts
Exactly, special programs that conservative jump and down about are missing the point.
History is a great lesson to us all! Don’t be a fool by ignoring it!
All they do is give a more raises to shut them up. They never focus on the problem. They need to worry about the lack of personnel. People do not realize in February 2024 the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office was short 118 employees. That’s 118 employees that they’re short that’s not counting the almost 400 employees that have either been terminated, / resigned or took early retirement. Now focus on the resignation part. Most of them were going to be forced resignations. Basically either resign keep your certification or be terminated and lose your whole career.
Everyone PLEASE remember all this when it’s time to elect our next City Council and County Commissioners !
Hey, you elected them. And the Sheriff !
Do it without raising our taxes. You are killing us who are on fixed income. Increase the ones who own houses $500,000 up. If they can afford that type house, they can afford the tax increase.
Not everyone’s house that is now worth $500,000 was worth $500,000 ten years ago. Tax values are going up exponentially based on periodic evaluations which is driving the taxes up. So, please don’t tell me what I can afford based on values imposed today. My little property was originally worth $150,000 25 years ago. Now it’s worth right at $500k and the taxes are so high, I feel like I’m paying rent to be here!
Great reporting! Sounds like our Sherrif doesn’t support top performers who will quickly figure this out and find a department that does outside of Guilford County. Time for a new Sheriff in this town who actually knows how to run a Sheriff’s office before staffing becomes an even bigger issue?
So the cacophony of voices on this forum actually got to them.
Everybody give themselves a round of applause.
Sad how the commissioners can provide money to individuals, non- profits and businesses we, the tax payer have never heard of BUT willfully, wantonly and without due regard neglect to provide raises to those who protect and serve their constituents!
Accountability to us, the taxpayers shall be priority. County commissioners are looking more like the Greensboro city council clowns.
But Glenn, according to Chris if we were to take the $1.7 million from the the County Commissioners golden children and put it where it would do more for ALL the citizens of Guilford County it won’t mean squat because it’s only less then 1 percent of the budget. The golden ones are far more important then that.
As I have pointed out before, let’s put the Commissioners on an expense only system. Why pay “professional politicians” who VOLUNTEERED to have their position. I spent 12 years doing it and didn’t get paid a dime…oh, and I didn’t get vacations in Tampa either,
Cops and firemen are grossly overpaid as it is. Firefighters work less than 100 days a year, but receive a full year salary plus benefits, sick days, holiday paid, return, longevity pay, and the list goes on, really needs to stop, the pay scale for the fire department needs to be revamped. When they’re at the fire station doing absolutely nothing which is most of the time, they should receive a minimum wage and wanna call comes in yeah escalate their pay then that’s the way it should be? Hopefully somebody was city council or the mayor will read this and put a proposal for a new plan in place.
The media grossly overrate this job and I think it’s really sad that Americans have been brainwashed. 95% of these people only have a high school diploma or a GED.
Tell you what Johnny Rust…you take the job for a year at what YOU think it’s worth with no changes to anything else then come back and talk your ignorant, uninformed trash.
Good point Alan, only problem with the idea is I don’t think Johnny R would be able to pass the spelling test to get hired
I think anyone who feels a firefighter is overpaid should be required to walk a month in their shoes. Preferably July or January
Amen brother
Most firefighters I know worked as volunteers for years before they became paid team members. That includes 100s of hours of training and many many late nights helping citizens in need. For NO pay.
Fireman rarely fight fires. They really are first responders for car accidences and medical emergencies. When my son worked a volunteer fireman, he was easily on a call 30+ hours a week on top of the 20 hours of training he participated in hoping to become a paid fireman. He said it was exhausting given the 24/7 on-call nature of the job.
He joined the Navy as it was easier.
“Fireman rarely fight fires.”
Not insulting your son, but you don’t know what most fire departments do.. While on active duty I used to volunteer for the Cumberland County Rescue Squad for 5 years. I worked with quite a few firefighters…only a handful worked emergency medical response and those were trained in emergency medicine IN ADDITION TO TO THEIR FIREFIGHTING SKILLS.
“Fireman rarely fight fires.” huh? I’ll be sure to let my firefighter friends know this. I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear they don’t work as hard as they think they do.
It’s hazard pay, Genius!
These folks train constantly and give up much more time from their families than most to do these jobs. The stress is enormous. The pay isn’t nearly enough to pay for the rapid acceleration of aging and abuse on their bodies over a full career. Nevermind the emotional toll it takes.
When a drunk crashes into you while out on a trip to the grocery store, pick yourself up off the road, patch yourself up & then take yourself to the hospital, arrest the driver yourself, treat his injuries, take him to the hospital & then to jail, put out the fire & clean up the mess yourself! Then do all the reports, paperwork, follow-ups, feed & clothe the fella that hit you, take care of his medical needs, make sure he gets to court appearances, go back to court 12 times when it gets continued, the list goes on….. But, these people don’t do anything or have any marketable skills. Okay, sure.
Defunding the police by attrition.
There are a lot of good comments on this response. As a long time employee and retiree of the Sheriff’s Office I would say it almost a 90 million dollar budget is no joke. I think it’s accountability and transparency time. Where is all the money being spent. I believe it was around February or March of this year 369 employees were no longer employed at the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office not counting the over two dozen that were fired. A large number was terminated, quit/resigned or took early retirement. And now the Sheriff’s wanted more money to pay help doesn’t make sense. Accountability is where it’s at. I’m not sure why the County Commissioners isn’t asking for transparency for Danny Rogers to open his books and see where he’s spending his money. Oh there’s money to buy his commanders and his administrative staff all new car this year right. While deputies or told there’s no money to service their own vehicles.
You were so right sir. I think the budget needs to come up for consideration as long as they’re willing to open the books and show where the money is being spent. I don’t believe Sheriff Rogers will allow that to happen knowing that he grossly and negatively spent money. It’s time for transparency and accountability. 85 million is no joke.
This is just poor leadership. Imagine knowing that even if you go above and beyond trying to do a good job, the poor performer will get the same raise you do. Meritocracy is a stranger in todays world of DEI driven employers. Rogers has no idea how to do anything but run what was a great office into the ground with help from his commission friends.
This is FRAUD, and the Commissioners allowed it. Someone should be fired, asked to resign and or have the SBI look into this and possible charges should be filed.
“Someone should be fired, asked to resign and or have the SBI look into this and possible charges should be filed.”
You are, of course, right. But the problem is the wolves are overseeing the sheep and there are not enough sheepdogs. Add to that, the number of sheep concentrated in the cities vs. unincorporated Guildford County and it makes for a tough fight, but not impossible.