Higher pay for Jackson County jail guards could save tax dollars, official says

Rather than leading to higher costs, a pay raise for Jackson County jail guards could end up saving tax dollars, the county’s human resources director says.

High turnover at the county’s detention center in downtown Kansas City now costs taxpayers $3.25 million a year, Dennis Dumovich told the Jackson County Department of Corrections Task Force on Thursday.

That doesn’t count the overtime incurred when the jail is shorthanded, which is often. This year, overtime costs are on track to total $2 million, said Joe Piccinini, the department’s acting director.

Even at full staffing, the jail would always have some overtime costs when corrections officers fill in for those calling in sick. But Dumovich said it would not be nearly that much and called high turnover due to low pay — guards start at $11.45 an hour, which is the lowest for jail guards in the metro area — “the number one problem” at the jail, which is now the focus of a federal investigation.

That FBI probe began in response to guards’ alleged use of excessive force toward inmates at the detention center. County officials suspect that at least four cases of excessive force occurred this year, causing injuries ranging from bruises to one man being hospitalized with a punctured lung.

That man and at least two other inmates who have alleged mistreatment have hired attorneys and are considering whether to file lawsuits against the county.

Experts say excessive force at jails and prisons has been linked to the exhaustion felt by guards forced to work long hours. Mandatory overtime is one requirement of employment at the detention center, with 16-hour shifts routine.

The task force was formed last month to examine conditions at the jail that may have had a bearing on the incidents that the FBI is investigating.

The task force is supposed to issue its report by Nov. 2, in time for county budget discussions that may include a pay raise for guards. Dumovich said other strategies are also being looked at for lowering turnover, which Piccinini says averages 33 percent.

Those strategies include finding ways to improve relations between guards and supervisors. In exit interviews, guards have said pay, overtime and issues with higher-ups were the three main reasons they quit.

Previous coverage: “Jackson County jail guards are underpaid, undertrained and overworked”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Higher pay for Jackson County jail guards could save tax dollars, official says."