$2000 Retention Pay For Cocke County Sheriff’s Employees

Last week the Budget Committee in Cocke County approved a $2,000 increase in pay to sheriff’s office employees on top of a possible 3% raise that could come in the budget talks next week. The sheriff’s office says that pay for patrol officers and corrections officers is about $10,000 less that area counties. Starting pay for sheriff’s deputies is just over $25,000 a year while corrections officers make about $1,000 less a year. Surrounding counties starting pay goes from around $34,000 to as much as $42,000 a year…even Newport officers make more than Cocke County deputies….Newport officers starting pay starts at around $31,000 a year. The sheriff’s office adds that the $2,000 additional pay is for retention services. They point out that it costs $6,000 to hire a new officer and get them trained…then after a couple years they leave to go to a surrounding county for more money.

That $2,000 retention does not apply to clerical staff and cooks in the jail.