CLEVELAND — The union representing Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies is warning a shortage of staffing could be approaching a breaking point if new recruits aren’t found soon.
It comes as News 5 Investigators discovered some deputies more than doubled their salaries last year, working overtime needed to staff department positions.
“The deputies have been doing an amazing job keeping it together, but if things get much worse, I don’t know how anyone would be able to keep it together for much longer,” said Colin Sikon, business agent for Laborer’s Local 860 which represents the county’s deputies.
Cuyahoga County records show that last year deputies made nearly $4.5 million in overtime as staffing shortages forced the county to use overtime to fill positions within the sheriff’s department.
Currently, the county said it’s budgeted for 180 deputies but only has 166 on the force.
“We are going to continue what we have to do to get the job done,” said Interim Sheriff Joseph Greiner. “Unfortunately, the downside of that is it’s expensive with overtime.”
How expensive? Payroll records show most deputies make nearly $80,000 a year in base salary.
Last year, 2022 records show, on average, rank-and-file deputies made more than $21,000 in overtime.
Add it all up, and News 5 Investigators found nearly one-in-four deputies had salaries topping $100,000 last year.
Records show three deputies made more than the county executive in 2022, earning more than $175,000, including the top earner whose 2022 salary was more than $225,000, including $150,000 in overtime.
“That’s a lot,” said Sikon. “There shouldn’t be that kind of overtime available to these deputies. I think that is the simple most-focused point that needs to be brought up.”
So what are the deputies doing?
In some cases, the union said those overtime shifts involved deputies accompanying county jail inmates to the hospital.
Each of those trips requires two deputies for safety.
In January, former Sheriff Steven Hammett told Cuyahoga County Council that in 2022 deputies made 974 different trips to MetroHealth’s emergency department.
That’s an average of nearly three trips a day.
“We’ve had the entire shift there,” said Hammett. “We’ve had everybody over there at one time.”
Sikon said the county needs to do a better job recruiting and retaining deputies.
He said deputies still have yet to see one cent of a $1.5 million state grant announced in October that was supposed to fund, in part, retention bonuses for deputies.
“We’re in the process of working out the process where we will be distributing the retention bonuses and finding out which is the best way we can use those to retain our current staff,” said Greiner.
But Sikon worries the clock is ticking.
He’s concerned that without new recruits, overtime won’t just bust the budget but also the deputies he represents.
“If I know someone is willing to put their life on the line in front of mine, I want to make sure that they’re not stressed out, overworked or tired,” said Sikon. “I want to make sure that every decision they’re making is crystal clear with a body that is well-rested.”
News 5 Investigators asked Sikon if he believed that’s not happening now.
“I don’t believe so,” said Sikon. “No.”
On Wednesday, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne announced plans to nominate Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Harold Pretel as the next sheriff.
County Councilman Michael Gallagher, who heads the council’s Justice Committee, said Thursday council plans to ask Pretel about plans to address overtime, recruitment and retention of deputies.
