GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — After a year of actively searching for people to apply, detention centers across the Triad are finally seeing some relief.
If you remember, last year, sheriff’s offices were struggling to hire detention officers.
When employment at detention centers is low, the workload piles onto current employees, and safety becomes an issue as well.
Thankfully, agencies like the Guilford County Detention Center and others have slowly been filling those positions.
Officer Devin Day joined the field last year and has loved it ever since.
"The most rewarding thing would probably be our ability to help those individuals who are detained,” Officer Day said.
Major Rodney Beasley has been with the sheriff's office for over 28 years.
He said while the numbers are down, the need is still there with Guilford County having 69 detention officer positions open.
Major Beasley said, "It’s very important because our detention centers are one of the, if not the biggest aspect or component for the sheriff's office.”
Back in January, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office needed more than 80 officers to fill those open positions.
Now they need 111.
Detention Officer M. Vaughn joined the department two years ago when she was pregnant. After having her daughter, she decided to come back to do the job she loves.
"It’s a very fulfilling job, knowing that you are serving the community. For me personally, I’ve always wanted to help people too," Officer Vaughn said.
The need for detention officers spreads across the Triad still.
In Rockingham County, Sheriff Sam Page said back in January, they had 13 vacancies. The concern was high because Sheriff Page said a fully staffed detention center is a crucial part of the facility's safety. Currently, they have eight open positions.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office needs 14 detention officers. This is compared to needing 22 in August of last year.
The detention center in Randolph County has opened two additional housing units since last year and is working to fully staff them.
Alamance County is also hiring detention officers. They are currently hiring for 39 positions in the detention center. They've sworn in two new Detention Officers last Monday.