Local law enforcement faces challenges in latest hiring round

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — Local law enforcement is currently seeking additional individuals who would be willing to join them in their mission of protection and service. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, along with many other local authorities, is currently recruiting applicants.

Sergeant Bryan Lovell, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office public information officer, says the main reason they need more deputies is the rapid growth in the area.

“Our service needs and the things we do grow with it. And so we try to keep our staffing with that and keep up to date there and also expand our staffing. We have some expansion in our prison facility coming up. And so we will have even more needs there and more positions that we have to fill. Except for the staffing, which we’re currently working on filling,” Lovell said.

Despite some strong community law enforcement support, the agency still faces challenges in finding its new candidates.

“For the past few years, you know, we’ve seen fewer and fewer applications for our various positions here in the sheriff’s office. And there are many different factors. Nationally, there are some stories out there that don’t make this type of work appealing, but the environment, the community that we have, and the great support, the great support that we have in that community, is my opinion a factor that draws people here more than in other areas,” said Sergeant Lovell.

Sergeant Lovell adds that the support they receive from the community has meant they have been successful in recruiting MPs from across the country, allowing new ideas in policing to help improve the office.

With so many vacancies the agency faces, Sergeant Lovell adds that sometimes she can perhaps spread her resources a little too thinly to be comfortable.

“With our current staff, it kind of comes and goes. Sometimes people are sick or in training and on vacation and stuff like that. And then there are days like today when it really overwhelms everyone with resources,” he said. “But overall we managed to keep up quite well. We’re pretty thin on the ground sometimes. But there is always a deputy who comes in emergencies, or always an officer. We help each other with our neighboring authorities. And so we’re doing quite well, we have staffing needs in the prison and also on the patrol side, and if that means we work overtime, we do that and we manage to keep up very well.”

He says while they are in the process right now, it will take time to train the new deputy and bring him up to speed.

Sergeant Lovell says it’s important to remember that not everything in law enforcement is related to the patrol aspect that we see.

“Some of the things behind the scenes that people don’t necessarily see are, for example, a lot of the things that our MPs do in prison. They are responsible for people who are in our facility awaiting the outcome of whatever issue they are having,” he said. “And there are many ways and things and there are many ways that our proxies are helping these inmates, one finding good course on a better path they are on and helping to get some of the resources that will help them get off their feet or help them stay productive in ways that people don’t necessarily see or recognize.

He says anyone interested in the area can contact the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office at 208-529-1200 or apply here on the sheriff’s website. Sergeant Lovell also says interested parties may be able to tail an MP, take a long drive and meet the MPs team.