WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — In a press release on Wednesday, Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason asked for pay increases for law enforcement.
According to Gleason's press release, the biggest challenge the department is facing is the ability to hire, train and retain competent staff. He says this is due to a significant compensation disparity between Williamson County deputies and other local agencies.
Gleason says Williamson County has "the lowest-paid corrections officers in the area and the lowest paid law enforcement agency among agencies within the county."
Gleason went on to thank the Williamson County Commissioners Court for amending pay disparities in the Corrections Bureau. He said that action allowed the department to recruit, train and retain qualified staff within the jail. However, Gleason says this only fixed half of the issues the department is facing as a whole.
"As the community expectations of law enforcement continue to increase, we must rise to meet the expectations," said Gleason in the press release. "As the sheriff of Williamson County, I cannot do that without the support of the commissioners court to provide adequate funding."
Gleason is asking that the commissioners court work to create competitive salaries across the entire employee base, create incentive pay and make stipends available for detectives and medical certifications.
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