The Bibb County GA Sheriff’s Office is hoping to hire 17 civilian jailers to allow trained deputies working in the jail to fill other vacancies within the department.  Sheriff Jerry Modena said the change will save money and fill vacancies faster.  Report from Macon.com.

Chief Deputy David Davis said with the hiring of civilian corrections officers, trained deputies currently in the jail will fill vacancies in the patrol, criminal investigations and warrants divisions.   “It’s an absolute better use (of deputies),” Modena said.

The new salary for a corrections officer is $23,130 — more than $2,000 less than the salary for an entry level deputy, according to a job posting listed on Bibb County’s Web site, www.co.bibb.ga.us. While deputies must undergo 10 weeks of training, corrections officers are only required to attend a two-week basic corrections class, Modena said …Because civilian corrections officers wouldn’t be required to go before the civil service board, their hiring process will be much faster, he said, adding it could be as little as two to three months.

Bill Lemacks, director of jail services for the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, said about three-quarters of the sheriff’s offices in Georgia hire civilian jailers who don’t necessarily go on to become deputies.