Sheriff offers breakdown on first three months on the job

Moore said the call volume is handled by a limited staff.
“The shifts currently have four deputies assigned to each,” said Moore. “The shifts operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is also a split shift deputy to assist in the heaviest call volume on each rotation, typically from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Each rotation has a lieutenant, which typically splits the shift as well, which puts six deputies in the county barring no transports, out of town training, or vacations are scheduled for that shift. Our administrative team has vowed to assist staff on patrol as much as physically possible.”
The administrative team the sheriff, Chief Deputy Jeffrey Vaughn, Captain Jimmy Patton (patrol division), Captain Kerry Vaughn (jail division), and lieutenants Jonny Johnson, civil division; Klinton Segars, patrol division; Jason Ring, patrol division; and Steve Kimbel, investigations.
“I can honestly say these guys have earned my respect for their dedication to their jobs,” said Moore.
The sheriff’s office is trying to maintain a fleet of 43 cars, many that are high mileage, some dating back to 2008. There are currently no sales tax funds available to help cover costs. Vaughn said that if the county could include money yearly for car maintenance, that would be a big help.
“If we had the county budget set up for five or six cars every year, we’d be ok,” he said. “We’ve got nothing to work with. I understand the math, but it’s hard to bounce back. Somewhere there has to be an answer.”
Another big priority for the sheriff is to get computers into squad cars. Moore and Vaughn said they’re trying to work with the governor’s office for funding for computers. The two said they don’t want officers continually riding back from the far reaches of the county to Danielsville to write incident reports. They say computers will save the county money on mileage, gas and overtime.
Another major issue for the sheriff’s office is keeping officers from jumping ship to higher-paying departments elsewhere. The current starting salary for a deputy is $30,576. There used to be very little variation between starting deputies and the higher ups, but Vaughn said the former administration under Sheriff Kip Thomas took some action to provide some separation of pay between newcomers and supervisors.
“Kip went to bat for supervisors and there is some financial reward for being promoted,” said Vaughn. “The problem is, it’s a small agency. So there’s got to be a vacancy for a promotion.”
As it stands now, someone with 20 years of experience comes in making exactly the same thing as someone with no experience. That means the pool of potential applicants for Madison County is primarily rookies. That’s not the case in many area departments.
“I’d like to see merit pay for years of service,” said Vaughn.
Moore said he’ll continue to provide regular public updates on the state of the sheriff’s office and jail.
“I made a vow to be transparent with the financial budget and the spending of our county tax dollars,” said the sheriff.