Union hopes new bonus will plug gap after 'unprecedented loss' of Shawnee County dispatchers

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Emergency dispatchers in Shawnee County will be receiving a new retention bonus in a move praised by law enforcement and a local union.

Shawnee County commissioners approved of a new $3,000 retention bonus for dispatchers in late September. This new plan, which has a $94,000 price tag, also comes with various pay rates for different shifts.

27 News reached out to the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office for a response to the recent approval of the new retention bonus for dispatchers. Sheriff's office spokeswoman Abigail Christian responded to these questions on behalf of the law enforcement group.

"Just like many other 911 emergency call centers across the country, our Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center is currently experiencing a staffing shortage," Christian said. "We recently had an almost unprecedented loss of multiple experienced dispatchers in a short period of time."

Local Communications Workers of American Union President Buddy Cordero said his group worked to help make this retention bonus happen. The union made Shawnee County Sheriff Brian Hill aware of the situation and how dire it had become.

Cordero said the lack of dispatchers can create a public safety issue. The work of responding to calls and emergencies, when split between a short staff, can lead to burnout among those who are left to shoulder the increased burden.

"We're losing a lot of folks because staffing is so low, they're working 400 hours a week sometimes divided amongst 11 people," Cordero said. "It's not sustainable and people get worn out."

Christian said the sheriff's office is appreciative of both the union and Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners for making this new bonus a reality. The bonus will apply to all communications division employees who stay in a permanent full-time job from Sept. 1, 2024 through to Jan. 31, 2024.

"This is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of our Communication Division staff and the emergency dispatchers working long hours to answer the call when someone needs help," Christian said. "Hopefully, through this incentive we will continue to retain those critical staff members while continuing to hire and train the next generation of emergency dispatchers."

Retaining trained dispatchers is one of the reasons the union pushed for the changes to be made. Cordero said many will only stick around for a short amount of time before seeking higher-paying positions elsewhere.

"I can't stress enough how difficult that job is," Cordero said. "Until somebody goes in there and watches what they do, there's no way of knowing. They're the first, first responders and sometimes they get forgotten."

Cordero said Hill was very easy to work with throughout this process. He hopes the retention bonus will go towards solving the current hiring issue and help keep critical staff like the dispatchers around to help provide a vital service to the community.

"As our proactive policing operations and the Sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center continue to expand, and the number of sworn law enforcement officers continues to increase for all agencies across Shawnee County, the workload and call volume for our dispatch center will also increase," Christian said. "We needed to immediately take meaningful steps towards retaining these critical employees. The County Commission and union officials were receptive to this proposal and the Commission took quick action to get this approved."

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