TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — As the Tarrant County Jail’s population grows, so does the urgency to fill hundreds of vacant deputy positions.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said there are more than 300 vacant positions, including 250 vacancies in the jail.
Over the last six months, the Tarrant County Jail’s population rose 20% from 4,000 inmates to roughly 4,800, Waybourn said.
Recruiting officers has been a challenge, Waybourn said.
“It’s urgent. We’re trying to find staff now, and it just seems to be that the workforce disappeared,” Waybourn said. “I recently spoke to a high school graduation group, and I said, ‘Who in here would want to go into law enforcement? Not one hand came up.’”
In an interview with WFAA, Waybourn also said the public’s attitude toward law enforcement has experienced a negative shift since 2020.
“We had politicians and celebrities slamming law enforcement and putting us in the same bucket. I think that truly has hurt,” Waybourn said.
This week, Tarrant County Commissioners approved a 90-day, $37,485 partnership with a search firm tasked with recruiting and retaining personnel at the Sheriff’s office. The firm, Florida-based Recourse Communications Inc., delivered positive recruitment results for law enforcement agencies in Midland and Denton, according to Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez.
“Those positions are critical to make sure that we can keep our community safe. There’s no silver bullet or clear issue that’s causing all of these hiring challenges throughout law enforcement,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez has advocated for incentives to achieve retention at the sheriff’s office.
“We are offering the largest single-year increase in salaries in Tarrant County law enforcement history,” Ramirez said.
Sheriff's deputies who sign up will be eligible for a 10% pay increase.
Until hundreds of jail openings are filled, Waybourn said many detention officers will continue to work up to 75 hours a week.
“People are tired. When you get tired, things could go bad,” Waybourn said.
According to agenda documents, the county’s current recruitment efforts “are not sufficient to meet the County’s needs.”
Waybourn said his concern is the vacancies will directly impact community safety.
“If we have to start deciding who we’re taking to jail and who we’re not, that’s a public safety issue,” Waybourn said.
Anyone interested in an open position can apply here.