Experiencing a shortage of qualified candidates

Like almost every industry in the country, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office is experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants for its many open positions despite the fact that compensation levels have increased, according to Sheriff Greg Champagne.

An enforcement deputy, one of the open positions, can make $49,000 per year in salary alone. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office offers a fully paid pension, fully paid health insurance policy for full-time employees as well as the opportunity for a matching 457 account (401k).

“A full pension after 30 years of service and a 457 or 401k account are mostly a thing of the past even in private industry,” Champagne said. “We still provide both.”

Despite a smaller pool of applicants, Champagne said the Sheriff’s Office has maintained a sufficient manpower level needed to protect citizens in St. Charles Parish.

“Like most agencies, we are all vying for basically the same pool of applicants,” he said. “We like to try and stay ahead of the game in hiring as it takes a significant investment of time, money and training to produce a P.O.S.T. certified deputy of fully trained communications professional. 

“Our primary focus is on hiring enforcement and communications personnel.”

Champagne added that the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office is one of the most progressive law enforcement agencies in the region and said they’ve been thinking “outside of the box” when it comes to hiring practices.

“In conjunction with the school system, we just finished the first-ever for credit criminal justice course providing high school seniors with a birds’ eye view of law enforcement and the criminal just system” he said. “We believe this will pay off in the form of future applicants.”

Champagne has done quite a bit of research into the employee shortage and said there are several reasons that virtually every industry in the United States is experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants.

“First, birth rates have been declining in the United States since the 1980s,” he said. “While our population overall has increased, the number of births per family has proportionately not kept up with the service industry manpower needs of the population.”

Champagne also said that substance abuse and untreated mental health issues have also contributed to the decline. The number of people on disability in the United States has also increased significantly over the last few years, especially after COVID.

“These people simply cannot enter the workforce while receiving disability payments,” Champagne said.

The sheriff added that the loosening of marijuana and other drug laws also means that many people who choose to use illegal narcotics don’t look for jobs where there is pre-employment testing and random testing thereafter.

“Add to all of the above, the reluctance of otherwise qualified applicants from wishing to enter the law enforcement profession post-Ferguson era where they fear that a mistake in making a split-second decision when confronted by violent individuals could land them in prison,” Champagne said. 

For more information about open positions with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, contact human resources at 985-783-6625 or HR@stcharlessheriff.org. You may also submit an application at www.stcharlessheriff.org.