WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. - Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli is asking county leaders to increase pay for sworn deputies and add five new sworn positions as part of the county’s fiscal year 2027 budget process.
Crisafulli said the largest personnel request for his office is a grade increase across the board for sworn personnel. That would come before any cost-of-living adjustments or step increases the county may approve.
“The big personnel ask for this fiscal cycle is we're looking for a grade increase across the board for all of our sworn personnel,” Crisafulli said. “This would put us in a more competitive range with regional partners.”
The sheriff said his office has been studying law enforcement pay in the region for the past several years. He said the goal is to attract qualified applicants while also keeping current deputies from leaving for other agencies.
“We need to get more competitive to attract qualified applicants, to get them in the door,” Crisafulli said. “And there's also the retention issue where we want to maintain a good, strong, stable organization by bringing qualified applicants in.”
Crisafulli said the sheriff’s office lost a couple of qualified applicants over the past year to other organizations. He said the difference in pay was not “astronomical,” but enough to matter in a competitive hiring environment.
The request comes as nearby agencies are also increasing pay. The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office recently advertised entry-level deputy salaries at $70,000. Crisafulli said his request would put Worcester County in a similar range if approved as presented.
“What we're looking for and what I've requested with this fiscal cycle, if we can get the ask as it was presented, that's going to put us in that same range as our partners in Wicomico,” Crisafulli said.
Crisafulli is also requesting five new sworn positions. He said those deputies would not automatically be assigned to one specific division. Instead, he said division commanders would review staffing needs and make recommendations on where the positions would best fit.
“We definitely need some additional manpower out on field services for calls for service,” Crisafulli said. “But whenever we get new pins, I let the division commanders look at their divisions, see where we have openings, and then they make a presentation to me.”
County Commissioner Eric Fiori said he supports the sheriff’s request. Fiori said law enforcement agencies across the region are competing for the same applicants.
“We do not have enough deputies and officers to service the area,” Fiori said. “So everyone's battling for the good ones. And how do you get a really good one? You start paying more money.”
Fiori said he was also in favor of a midyear pay request from the sheriff that was rejected last year. He said Crisafulli has done the work to show why the increase is needed.
“I would say Sheriff Crisafulli has done his homework, and he's asking for the folks for the sheriff's department to get a wage that allows them to live here in the county,” Fiori said. “And I'm all in favor of it.”
Fiori said one option the county may consider is a separate pay scale for law enforcement. He said sworn deputies face different risks than other county employees and should be compensated accordingly.
Crisafulli said the sheriff’s office is not currently in crisis, but he believes the county needs to act before recruitment and retention become bigger problems.
“As I've indicated with public safety, we must be competitive with our regional partners because when public safety fails, everything under that can crumble,” Crisafulli said.
County commissioners are continuing budget discussions before adopting a final budget for the next fiscal year.