Funding Approved To Hire Two Deputies
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Yalobusha County Sheriff Jermaine Gooch (standing) reported that he was struggling to keep deputies. He blamed the turnover on shifts that required deputies to work almost every weekend of the year. Sheriff Gooch added that he is looking for a solution that require additional funding for the department.
WATER VALLEY – The Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department received approval for a budget increase that will fund the addition of two full-time deputies. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the plea from the Sheriff Jerimaine Gooch that will come with an estimated cost of $104,000 annually.
The vote came during a recessed Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning after Gooch and former Chief Deputy Jerry Ferguson presented statistics that showed deputies responded to 5,065 calls for service in 2024, a drastic increase from prior years.
“In 2023, we had a total 1,248 calls. Last year we had a total of 5,065 calls. This year, in a month and a half, we have had 738 calls. These guys are mentally and physically tired. We desperately need these two deputies,” Ferguson told supervisors Tuesday.
Sheriff Gooch had attended two prior county meetings to update supervisors on challenges in his department. He reported that the department lost two deputies this year who left to take jobs at another law enforcement agency, and several additional deputies had left the prior year. The sheriff explained that the deputies left because the current schedule requires them to work almost every weekend.
The addition of two road deputies will boost the sheriff’s department funding for eight full-time patrol deputies, allowing the department to utilize a different shift schedule that ensures deputies are off every other weekend.
Speaking after Tuesday’s vote to increase his budget, Sheriff Gooch reported that the decision by supervisors will benefit his department and ultimately the citizens in the county.
“The deputies we have left are exhausted and that affects their quality of work,” Gooch told the Herald. “I can tell you our entire department will be extremely appreciative of this decision by the Board of Supervisors.”
