The Darlington Police Department has 10 fewer officers than its police chief, Jimmy Davis, says he needs, and no luck filling these open positions.
“I’ve tried to fill these positions for a year now and am unable,” Davis told the Darlington City Council Tuesday. “I’m hurting for a minimum of five right now.”
He’s also having trouble keeping the officers he does have.
“As soon as the grass looks greener somewhere else,” he said in a phone interview Thursday, “the officers start looking.”
The grass isn’t a lot greener at most other departments in the region, but it is greener enough to lure good candidates and existing staff away. Darlington PD’s starting salary is $46,400 per year, Davis said. Certified officers can get about $2,500 per year more.
Davis said it's not enough to keep officers from leaving for other departments — a problem he's had "forever," he said.
The recruiting pages for law enforcement agencies in Florence, Columbia, and at the University of South Carolina show starting salaries higher than Darlington’s. County-level departments nearby often skew higher still, with the Horry County Police Department starting its officers at $61,800.
So in an attempt to keep his officers, Davis Tuesday asked the Darlington City Council to suspend three positions that he’s been unable to fill anyway and redistribute the salaries of those three positions among the 29 officers he does have.
The City Council agreed to eliminate hiring for the positions, freeing up about $150,000 that will be divided up among the existing staff. Davis said officers would be getting about $5,000 more per year.
“I’m just trying to make the City of Darlington competitive,” he said.”
Sooner or later, Davis said, he will need to fill those three positions. But for now, he looking to stop the exodus for greener pastures.
