ASHEVILLE - Facing a "perpetual staff shortage" in a jailmarked by the state's highest death rate, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller is asking the Board of Commissioners for up to $1.6 million in pay raises.
That is according to a planned April 19 presentation tocommissioners in whichBuncombe Detention Facilityofficials report 125% staff turnover.
"In 2021 we hired 64 detention Officers, and in that same year; 90 detention officers resigned, transferred or retired. We are at critical staffing levels and while we are meeting the minimum staffing requirements; we want our facility to be fully staffed; with less than 5 vacancies. We believe a more competitive salary will open up a larger pool of applicants and assist with retaining current detention officers," three sheriff's staffers sayin a statement accompanying the presentation. The three — Chief Deputy Herbert Blake, Jail Administrator Capt.Jeffrey Littrell, and Business Manager Lynn Smith — saythey willmake the presentation on behalf of Miller.
Read more:2nd person dies this year in custody of Buncombe County, NC's 'deadliest jail'
And:Buncombe to vote on Dogwood grant, ongoing program that helps people getting out of jail
The pay requestfollows a Citizen Timesproject revealing that Buncombe's jail was the deadliest in the state. The dismal tally was calculated using deaths per 1,0000 detainees from 2008-2021 for the 10 biggest N.C. jails.
Since thatCitizen Times analysis, two more detainees have died,Maria Christina Frisbee on Jan. 25 andDeMarcus Antonio Royal, 48, of Asheville, on April 6. No reasons for the deaths have yet been given. The jail, per an agreement with District Attorney Todd Williams, has notifiedthe State Bureau of Investigation to look into detainee deaths. Autopsies are normally performed, with reports then given by the state medical examiner about causesof deaths.
After the 2020 suicide by hanging of detainee Hannah Guffey, jailerCara Campbell told the Citizen Times she quit because of callousness and indifference toward detainees. Guffey's brother, Zach Shehan, a former ambulance service assistant chief, said video showed staff botching the resuscitation attempt after cutting down Guffey.
Aaron Sarver, the sheriff's spokesperson, did not respond directly to the allegations, but noted in 2021 five detention officers and a sergeant received life-saving awardsfor efforts to stop suicide attempts.
Local county news:Buncombe DA Candidates debate violence, homelessness and justice reform at CIBO meeting
Detention officers start at $19.14 an hour.That is lower than the much larger Mecklenburg County jail system where pay starts at $25.25. It is also less than the smaller Alamance County jail at $24.47. Other jails have increased pay or proposed itas a way to deal with staffing problems, the presentation says.
The presenters noted a UPS driver makes $22.25 an hour and a worker at Target $19.
Proposed are three levelsof potential pay increases that would also be extended to lieutenantsand sergeants:
- $3 per hour for $864,000.
- $5 per hour for $1.1 million.
- $7 per hour for $1.6 million
The numbers do not include longevity pay, the report says.
"We believe making our wages more competitive within the detention facility, will increase our pool of applicants and address our perpetual staff shortage," thepresenters say.
Sarver and county spokesperson Lillian Govus did not respond April 15 to requests for clarification on the presentation.
It is not clear what impact an increase would have onthe county budget andtaxes. The jail was setto spend $16.6 million of $21.5 million on salaries and benefits according to the budget for the fiscal year running through June 30.A total of $18.1 million or 84% of that comes from county coffers, most of which originatesfrom property taxes.
Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman and Vice Chair Amanda Edwards did not respond to messages asking about the request. Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who sits on the Justice Resource Advisory Council, also did not respond.
The presenters saya recentsurvey showed56% of detention staff felt their financial needs were not being met. Sixty-five percent of staff participated in the survey, they say, adding that detention officers copewith difficult situations, such as overdoses, attempted suicides violence between detainees as well as assaults against the officers themselves.
Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess atjburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter@AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with asubscriptionto the Citizen Times.
