Sheriff makes case for raising deputy wages

The cost of living is stretching wallets, but for the men and women doing their best to make public safety a top priority in the county, it is taking a toll.

The hourly rate paid to the employees in the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office is causing some deputies to have a second job in order to make ends meet. At a recent Mineral County commissioners meeting with standing-room only in support of the Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Ryan Funke told the story. 

“I’ve lost two deputies in the past month due to better pay in Missoula and elsewhere," he explained. "We can’t get anyone to apply when they see the hourly rate at $22.46 an hour."

“It’s an hour’s drive to Missoula and they get $33.88 with the city (Police Department) and $32.42 with the county (Sheriff’s Office), which is $22,000 more a year. They don’t want to leave, but they can’t afford to stay.” 

On top of inflation, housing is a widespread problem with the cost and availability, while a property tax increase still has some people reeling.

Funke said he is aware that these challenges affect everyone, but he pointed to the stresses of law enforcement.

“I need to point out that other occupations do not have employees wearing a sidearm, a taser, bullet resistant vest and pepper spray to keep them safe," he said. "Not knowing that the house they go to for a domestic abuse call won’t have a shotgun staring them in the face. Or as a detention officer checking a prisoner into custody, where in a split second this person can become dangerous by becoming uncooperative, fighting and biting. And it’s not a secret that between the night shift of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., these possible circumstances increase. None of our jobs are Monday through Friday 8 to 5 with weekends and holidays off, which is not a slam, as those positions and people are needed. This makes it impossible to compare their hourly pay and duties. The job description needs to be understood and then the discussion of wages needs to be had.” 

Do to being shorthanded, one dispatcher has worked seven days a week pulling 12-hour shifts. There has been little to no interest in the open positions at the Sheriff's Office due to wages and the hours of work required, even with the health care benefits.  

“You get what you pay for and that is true in every profession,” Funke said.  “Mineral County deserves the best and we want to provide them with what they deserve. We need to make public safety the No. 1 priority in Mineral County, the citizens deserve this.”

 Since Funke took over, there have been two officer involved shootings, five homicides and three hostage situations, among other dangerous calls.  

“Mineral County isn’t Mayberry RFD anymore. There is big city crime and big city issues here.”   

The most recent was in the Fish Creek area July 21 that involved a stabbing and then an interaction with law enforcement that resulted in the death of the suspect. This resulted in Undersheriff Wayne Cashman and Deputy Eric Lindauer being on paid administrative leave, per policy. The Division of Criminal Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice is investigating the details surrounding the incident. 

This creates a large void in a small department that is already understaffed.  The void was covered by the sheriff working 14 days in a row and deputies also picking up overtime shifts. This creates burnout in a small agency and that is what the sheriff is trying to avoid.

According to govsalaries.com, the highest salary at Mineral County in 2023 was $119,959. The number of employees at Mineral County in 2023 was 60. The average annual salary was $34,815 and median salary was $32,634. 

Mineral County's average salary is 26% lower than the national average and median salary is 25% lower.

The commissioners are in their budget process for the next fiscal year now.