Dougherty Jail seeks applicants for vacant positions

ALBANY — The Dougherty County Jail is looking for a few — dozen — good men and women to come onboard, with a job fair scheduled next week to offer candidates a chance to apply.

The salary for jailers starts at $17, and there are a number of other benefits that they receive that adds to the package, said sheriff’s Col. Jon Ostrander, who oversees jail operations. When fully-staffed, jail personnel work seven days during a 14-day pay period, including a number of weekend days, but with mandatory overtime being instituted it currently is six days off over two weeks.

The Tuesday job fair runs from 4-8 p.m. at 1302 Evelyn Ave. Potential applicants are asked to bring driver’s license, high school diploma or GED certificate, Social Security card, birth certificate and DD-14, if applicable.

“This is strictly for the jail,” Ostrander said. “As it stands right now, we’ve got a pretty severe shortage. We’ve got room to hire several dozen right now. If I was up to full staff, I would have 186.”

Last year, Sheriff Kevin Sproul warned the Dougherty County Commission that the high number of vacancies had reached a crisis point and that if the trend continued, the county could be forced to house inmates at facilities in other counties at great expense.

A boost in pay has allowed the jail to maintain staffing numbers at about the level it had at that time, but the situation has not improved, Ostrander said. While hiring has increased, attrition has continued to take a toll.

“We haven’t really pulled out of the crisis,” Ostrander said. “We’ve had people come work out here and decide this wasn’t for them. We’re still trying to fill the same number of vacancies we were trying to fill a year ago.”

Other perks include annual leave and sick time, among others, he said.

For more information, call (229) 430-6673.

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