Etowah County sheriffs department keeping tabs on overtime

It cost Etowah County about $4,300 in overtime for Sheriffs deputies who worked Saturday for an immigration event outside the Etowah County Detention Center.  Overtime pay is an issue for the Etowah County Sheriff's Office — an issue county commissioners have asked the department to keep a close eye on.  Chief Deputy Michael Barton updates the commission about overtime almost weekly. Telling commissioners that the department is at extremely minimal staffing.

Sheriff Todd Entrekin said, it won’t get better until the turnover rate improves. The sheriff said he hopes that happens when he is able to give deputies a raise when funding from a reallocation of the county's 1 percent sales tax goes into effect in October.  The goal is to use the percentage allocated for deputy raises to bring starting deputy pay to about $30,000 a year, to be level with the pay starting patrol officers receive with the Gadsden Police Department.  Entrekin said every city in Etowah County has officers who once were deputies, but left for better-paying jobs at other departments, including Gadsden.  Entrekin said he often uses reserve deputies — some who are certified officers but work on a volunteer basis — for festivals and community events. However, Saturday's event required the use of full-time deputies because of the potential for problems.