Hot Springs in search of new deputies

Danielle Switalski

Hot Springs currently has no regularly staffed deputies as of Monday September 28, which marked Officer Jim Matthew’s last day on duty while Officer Brian Josephson is out training at the Police Academy for the next nine weeks.

Hot Springs will be relying on Reserve Deputies and help from the Sheriff’s Office, until Hot Springs mayor Randy Woods can find a new deputy to hire.  Woods said he has had advertisements out for the past three or four weeks and is confident that Hot Springs will have a new officer patrolling the streets in a short amount of time.

“People do need to know that we still have police protection just like always and Jim going away is a state requirement and he did a really good job for us,” said Woods.

Matthew had to leave the Hot Springs Police Department because of a state law that requires law enforcement to be post-certified after working as an officer for a set amount of time.  An officer can be hired as a regular deputy and work for no more than a year.  At the end of that year, if the officer has “extenuating circumstances” as Wood phrased it, the officer can get a six-month extension.  After this year and a half is over, the officer needs to either go to the Police Academy and get post-certified or their job term comes to an end.

“I’m glad I’ve been able to help them out, when I came here I never had any intention on being full time, I was just to cover while the other chief left, and I spent a year and a half here,” said Matthew whose family and home is in Trout Creek.

Matthew lived in a trailer in Hot Springs while he was an on duty officer.

In order for the town to send an officer to the Police Academy for training, the officer has to make a two-year commitment, something Matthew had no intention of doing when he first accepted the job in Hot Springs.  Matthew, however, will continue to volunteer his time as a Reserve Deputy for Sanders County.

“It has been a big sacrifice, I’ve been down here 24 hours a day for two years,” said Matthew.

Josephson will be returning to Hot Springs as a post certified Officer around the beginning of December once he completes the 12 week course at the academy.  Josephson is on contract and will be an officer for the next two years, otherwise he will have to pay for his own schooling, said Woods.

It costs the town of Hot Springs to send an already hired officer to a twelve-week course at the Police Academy around $1,200, said Woods.  For a person, who does not have sponsorship from a town or agency to go the Police Academy, the twelve-week training course costs a significant amount more. 

For the time being, Woods is screening potential candidates to fill the open position and get regularly scheduled law enforcement back on the streets.