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Ala. county sheriff asks for hazard pay for COs, deputies

“Our corrections officers and patrol deputies have not missed a beat except to be exposed and do extra things to deter this virus,” Sheriff Jonathon Horton said

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Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton stands inside a locked-down cellblock at the Etowah County Jail on Friday, March 14, 2020.

Photo/Connor Sheets of AL.com via TNS

By Dustin Fox
The Gadsden Times

ETOWAH COUNTY, Ala. — During a virtual meeting of the Etowah County Commission on Tuesday, Sheriff Jonathon Horton asked commissioners to consider providing hazard pay for sheriff’s department employees as they remain on duty throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our corrections officers and patrol deputies have not missed a beat except to be exposed and do extra things to deter this virus,” Horton said.

The sheriff went on to speak about other counties and local municipalities that have provided additional funds for those risking their health while carrying out their jobs, citing recent announcements and requests from Marshall County, the City of Attalla and Rainbow City.

Horton proposed that the funds could come as an advance payment from money the department receives from the 1% sales tax revenue at the end of the year, and asked commissioners to consider providing an additional $300 to employees each month until the pandemic winds down.

The department has 179 employees, Horton said, but they would not request additional funding for non-certified employees or administration within the county jail. The funds would be used mainly to benefit correctional officers and patrol deputies.

Should the county match the $200 per month that the Marshall County sheriff requested, Etowah County would need to spend between $31,000 and $32,000 each month, Horton said, adding that he hopes it would only need to be used for the month of April.

“When the surrounding agencies are doing it and these guys are struggling like they are, every little bit helps, especially with morale,” he said.

“I’m just asking for the bare minimum for some help in giving appreciation for the fact that these guys are working around the clock in the jail and everywhere else and doing more than they normally would do if it wasn’t for [COVID-19],” Horton said.

Commissioners Tim Ramsey, Craig Inzer Jr. and Johnny Grant voiced their support for providing hazard pay.

Ramsey said that although everyone is facing some stress during the crisis, first responders are put in situations that bring on a unique kind of stress.

“I would like to find a way to get that done,” he said.

Also during the meeting, Horton provided commissioners with an update on how things are going at the jail amid the pandemic. He said that as of Tuesday, the facility still had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, “which says a lot for as large of a jail that we have.”

He added that employees were informed of updated job responsibilities in place during the pandemic, and that masks were available for inmates to reduce the spread of the virus should it arrive within the facility.

Masks also have been utilized by anyone involved with necessary in-person hearings, he said.

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©2020 The Gadsden Times, Ala.

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