POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff’s Office is looking to expand its force as the county experiences explosive growth.
On Tuesday, 59 new Polk County sheriff’s deputies were sworn in. It’s the agency’s single largest class of deputies.
Sheriff Grady Judd said additional deputies are needed to maintain public safety. According to Judd, Polk County is experiencing a historically low crime rate, but expanding the force is needed because of the growth along the I-4 corridor.
Judd said deputies are responding to a higher number of calls for service, and there is a greater need for deputies in Polk County schools.
“We’re having ample amount of law enforcement assigned to each one of the schools to keep the children safe, which is important. Plus the growth of 100,000 people in the last four years. The growth shows absolutely zero inclination to slow down,” said Judd.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office is offering new recruits several financial incentives, including a $3,000 monthly stipend while attending the academy. By July, the starting annual salary for a new deputy will increase from $58,474 to $61,158.
Over the next five years, the sheriff wants to add 125 more deputies.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
