SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The Minnehaha County Jail is looking for more correctional officers and now they have a new starting wage to entice people to apply — $23 an hour. That’s a twelve and a half percent increase from what they used to offer.
Increased employee turnover at the Minnehaha County Jail prompted the County Commission to re-evaluate how much correctional officers get paid. At the beginning of April, their starting wage was bumped up.
“In my time here, I’ve never seen a wage increase here that substantial,” Mike Mattson, Minnehaha County Jail Warden, said.
The commission also approved increased efforts to retain officers who do get the job.
“It’s a four thousand dollar retention bonus which is paid over different increments of time, nine months, every nine months for the first three years of employment,” Mattson said.
Mattson says a job as a correctional officer is a good place to start for anyone interested in a law enforcement career.
“People that want to be in a patrol car, in corrections you really get to work on your communication skills,” Mattson said. “You have contacts with several people throughout your day. You could be the one person working in a 48 person block and you’re going to talk to those 48 people more than once a day.”
Mattson says a typical shift includes about 28 correctional officers.
“We have, I’ll say, a good handful of open positions that we’re looking for really good, qualified people for,” Mattson said.
New hires will go through a...
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