El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal has taken a stand for his deputies, emphasizing the need for competitive wages within the department. During a recent meeting with the Board of County Commissioners, Roybal presented a Critical Needs Funding request, seeking additional funds to bolster the salaries of his sworn officers. As reported by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, this move comes in response to pay disparities highlighted in a Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 9 survey, which found that deputies of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office are receiving the lowest salaries among their peers across Colorado’s Front Range countries and local police departments.
"I am fully committed to my staff and ensuring they receive competitive compensation for their hard work," Sheriff Roybal stated in the meeting, as cited by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. "My deputies risk their lives daily to protect families, seniors, students, and businesses in the Pikes Peak region. They make tremendous sacrifices to serve our community; equitable pay should not be one of them." Pointing to his department's commitment to fiscal prudence and community service, Roybal calls upon the county commissioners to commit to closing the pay disparity gap.
Since his tenure began in January 2023, Sheriff Roybal has taken steps to eliminate inefficiency, scrapping 11 high-level, unnecessary staff positions. This has freed up resources for adding ten full-time deputy positions aiming to enhance the department's ability to serve the community. On top of this, he reinstated POST certification requirements for all deputy recruits, making strides in professional standards and training within the department.
In the ongoing efforts to maintain a robust workforce, Sheriff Roybal's initiatives seem to have paid off. The department was reportedly fully staffed as of September 2023, which was a notable improvement from the 40 vacant sworn deputy positions at the time he took Office. Today, the sheriff's office boasts 543 sworn deputies, marginally exceeding the authorized 542. Despite advocating for his staff's wage increases, Roybal himself will not be subject to a pay raise, as his salary is set by state statute and remains unaffected by these discussions.
