The lack of affordable housing in the county is impacting the sheriff’s department and the future looks dubious as they attempt to fill staffing positions.
This is a dilemma facing most public sector employers. Since the beginning of the year, three deputies have retired and several more are eligible — both on the road and in the county jail.
Sgts. Greg Hornkohl and Mike Bankey have retired and John Donohue is scheduled to work his final shift, assigned to Suttons Bay.
Rodger Mullvaine, a corrections officer working in the jail, is also retiring this month after more than 25 years experience.
These deputies have an accumulative 100-plus years in law enforcement and we thank them for their service.
The Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office is scrambling to fill these positions. And they’re not alone.
Police departments across Michigan are struggling to fill positions, with the number of law enforcement officers statewide shrinking more than 4,500 since 2001 (a decline of 19%), and down about 900 in just the past three years, according to an article in Bridge Magazine.
Modest-pay and high stress is making these positions less attractive. Not to mention, high-profile killings of African Americans by officers which have negatively affected public attitudes toward police.
Fortunately, Sheriff Borkovich has been able to fill some of these slots from within. Officer Brian Dion was promoted as sergeant and will take over IT investigations for the department. However, there are no deputies qualified to serve on the regional dive team.
The Sheriff has been an aggressively recruiting externally. However, there has been little interest. Locally, deputies have an entry compensation of $24.82, going to $30.93 per hour after four years.
This can’t compete with wages offered downstate. And it is well below the salary needed to purchase a home in the county, where the average price of homes sold was $810,931 last year.
Will public safety be impacted by the inability to hire? Yes. Staff may not be available to perform traffic control or other services, during the busy weeks of summer.
Law enforcement is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to affordable housing. Other public sector positions in firefighting and education could also impact services.
Stay tuned.
