Commission approves deputy pay raises

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Kanawha County Sheriff’s deputies are getting a significant pay raise.

That came after the Kanawha County Commission voted Thursday night to provide a $5,000 annual raise for its 101 sworn deputies.

Commissioners said the raises are to help tackle a staffing shortage within the department. They pointed to a rise in crime along with a drop in hiring.

“The idea is how do we keep deputies?” Commission President Kent Carper said. “We’ve got a test coming up. People aren’t interested in taking the test. We’ve got to be competitive, so the idea is to pay deputies what they need to be to keep them and retain good people.”

Carper said the raise will make Kanawha County deputies the highest paid in the area.