Wayne County Hiring 75+ Jailers to Cut Overtime Costs

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Wayne County will hire 75 new full-time and temporary jailers to reduce overtime costs, Sheriff Benny N. Napoleon said in a news release.

As an incentive, the county will waive for one day only, Saturday, June 27, the $50 fee for the physical ability and agility test required of men and women applying for positions with the jail. Tests will be given from 9 a.m.-noon at Cass Technical High School, 2501 Second Ave., Detroit.

Upon hire, new officers will be enrolled in the 160-hour Jailer Training Academy (JTA). They will be trained on a wide array of topics including, self defense tactics and the latest legal updates. Upon completion of JTA, officers will be certified by the Michigan Sheriff’s Coordinating and Training Council (MSCTC).

Related:

• Wayne County Exec Seeks Financial Emergency Declaration
• State Responds to Request for Wayne County Financial Emergency

Besides the physical ability and agility test, applicants must also pass a written to meet the MSCTC pre-employment standards When they’ve completed JTA, new hires will re reimbursed for costs associated with the corrections and agility tests.

Reducing overtime is one of Warren County Executive Warren C. Evans’ strategies to shore up county finances.

“These new hires will provide an added level of security at our jails while allowing us to reduce overtime costs,” he said. “This is good for our general operations budget and the taxpayers of Wayne County.”

Napoleon said the new jailers address a critical shortage of personnel and the resulting overtime costs. The fee waiver for the ability and agility tests is one of the incentives to make the precess easier for job seekers.

“We hope that by streamlining the process, interested candidates will be encouraged to come out knowing we’re doing all we can to get them in and working,” he said.

All new hires will be assigned to a position on an available shift and they will be subject to the terms and conditions of their respective collective bargaining agreement. Upon completing one year of service, officers will become eligible to exercise their seniority bid rights and, depending on their qualifications, they may be eligible to transfer outside the jails.

New hires will be paid an annual salary based of $28,284 (based on a 40-hour work week), and are required to work overtime and attend daily roll calls as needed. New hires will also receive a $1,200 annual bonus to be dispersed in quarterly $300 payments. Healthcare and other benefits are outlined in their collective bargaining agreement.

Upon graduation from the JTA, all new hires that are Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certifiable will be granted full police powers and achieve MCOLES certification.

In the current collective bargaining agreement between Wayne County and the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM), all officers are required to attend an MCOLES certified police academy within 5 years of hire.

For more information, click here and here.