BY JONAS BEALS

Some of the things that make Stafford County attractive for job seekers--proximity to Washington, D.C., the Pentagon and Quantico--are challenges for Sheriff Charles Jett.

In December, the Stafford Board of Supervisors gave Jett's office $344,000 for bonuses for deputies. A month later, the board gave Jett permission to use the money as retention bonuses, effective immediately.

"I was trying to at least make the board aware that the red flags are there," Jett said. "We're losing valuable law enforcement officers to other organizations."

GREENER PASTURES

The Stafford Sheriff's Office, with a staff of 162, hired 18 new deputies last year. Jett said that those 18 came from an applicant pool of 1,983.

"We're still an attractive agency, and there's still a rich market," he said.

While finding deputies is not a problem, keeping them is. Once they are trained and have field experience, they become hot commodities.

"Agencies are attracted to young men and women with a state license and some experience," Jett said. "They are very marketable."

That is also true in other Virginia localities, but other localities don't have Fairfax County, Alexandria and the federal government in their backyard.

John Jones, the executive director of the Virginia Sheriff's Association, recognizes Stafford's predicament. He said that Stafford County's location makes it a natural feeder system for higher-paying departments to the north. He said that those agencies can save money by hiring deputies from Stafford who have already been trained.

"And federal agencies are still hiring," he said. "Add that and you've got a real problem."

If a Stafford deputy wants to embark on a more lucrative and oftentimes more stable law enforcement career, their options are limited only by how far they are willing to commute.

Jett said that it will take more than cash to keep deputies and dispatchers in Stafford. Establishing a clear career path with benefits, promotions and recognition could also help, especially on the dispatcher side, where the turnover rate is 21.6 percent for a staff of 32.

"Unfortunately, it's not seen as a career," Jett said of the 911 call-center positions. "But it's a pretty high-skill position, and we are extremely understaffed."

DEPUTY TURNOVER COSTS