Bibb Sheriff’s Office plans to hire part-time deputies to help battle understaffing

Macon-Bibb County officials are seeking fully certified law enforcement officers to work part time in the county as a solution to chronic understaffing.

The plan to “fast track” officers from anywhere in the state, or even the ranks of the retired, was announced during a press conference Monday at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Annex.

Despite the urgency implied by the term “fast track,” Sheriff David Davis said any part-time officers brought on patrol would be fully trained.

“These individuals already have that base level of training, they have to have to be POST certified,” Davis said.

POST is short for the Georgia Peace Officers Training Standards Council which sets the bar for best practices in training law enforcement.

“So that is the de-escalation, the community policing piece. They have to have those levels of training,” Davis said.

The Sheriff’s office would pay $40 an hour, without benefits, to any POST certified law enforcement officer who would like to spend what would otherwise be their time off patrolling Macon.

The offer stands for retired officers and firefighters, too, though without certification firefighters would have some limitations on what jobs they could perform, likely reserved as courtroom bailiffs or security at special events.

The plan, which has the full support of Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller, was announced a day ahead of scheduled updates from local non-profits participating in the Macon Violence Prevention program which is aimed at slowing violence through social services.

This story comes to Telegraph through a reporting partnership with GPB News, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.