Sheriff’s Department Overtime

* Re “Questions About Sheriff’s Overtime,” Ventura County Letters, Dec. 31.

To answer reader Ed D. Roberts’ question, Ventura sheriff’s deputies are paid by the hour. To receive any overtime hours, the deputy must work that much overtime. I hardly think that Roberts or anyone else in the private sector would volunteer to work as many as 50 extra hours per week away from family, etc., and receive no extra compensation.

There are this many available overtime hours because Ventura County pays its deputies significantly less than other departments of similar size and cannot attract enough employees to cover the entire county with regular eight-hour shifts.

Rather than question a deputy’s take-home pay, Roberts should thank every single officer who was willing to work overtime to ensure that his county is adequately policed.

CATHERINE WIRTZ

Westlake Village

* Ed Roberts, we have openings in the Sheriff’s Department. So get down to personnel and sign up.

Realize that we don’t close for any reason. We are a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year profession.

You must first fill out the application properly. Pass a written exam, pass a physical agility course, pass an oral interview, pass a rigorous background check. Pass a psychological test.

Then you must successfully complete a 28-week stress academy. Now it’s time to go to work. Start at the bottom of the seniority list. Our schedule consists of 12-hour shifts and 8-hour shifts. These shifts are on your birthday, your spouse’s and children’s birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, Christmas etc. Hope you get the idea. Still want to sign up?

As for overtime, you very rarely get to schedule it. You see, crooks don’t commit crimes around your schedule. The end-of-a-shift call or arrest, the late call-out investigation, the natural disaster, the multi-car fatal accident or the late call-in-sick from personnel. The shifts must be filled.

Those who choose to make themselves available or are ordered to work are compensated for working past their scheduled workweek. That is the law. So until these positions are permanently filled, who then to staff these positions? How about Ed?

Sgt. MATT FINDLAY

Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept.

Santa Paula