Lawmakers were pointedly reminded Tuesday the state is not competitive in pay and benefits for many positions.
The exchanges occurred during the Legislative Commission’s audit subcommittee review of audits conducted at the Department of Corrections and the Division of Child and Family Services.
Auditors identified a number of weaknesses in those reports.
The review of use of force reports in corrections found a lack of review of cases where force was used on inmates, failure to timely investigate complaints of use of force and record keeping issues.
They also found a number of corrections staff working without the proper training. In determining whether force was justified, auditors said corrections officials didn’t timely review almost half of the complaints they looked at and that one review took 13 months instead of the 20-45 days required
Asked if staff shortages and lack of training were part of the problem, Deputy Director William Gittere said the vacancy rate department-wide is about 25 percent. He said state salaries and benefits just aren’t competitive with what the counties offer so the state can’t hire correctional officers and keep them.
That vacancy rate, he said, goes as high as 55 percent of authorized staff depending on the institution. While he wasn’t specific, that appears to be a reference to Ely State Prison, which has historically had major problems attracting and keeping staff.
He said the department doesn’t have staff turnover right now, “just losses.”
In Child and Family Services, the agency was criticized for failure to complete supervisory reviews of reported incidents of maltreatment of children in facilities around the state and even delayed reporting of alleged crimes against children to law enforcement. They also noted poor record keeping and said a number of children weren’t receiving required preventive health care.
Social Services Manager Laurie Jackson said the division has a 25 percent or higher vacancy rate. The problem, she said: “There’s a huge pay differential between the state, Washoe and Clark.”
Jackson said division workers can get anywhere from $14,000 to $46,000 higher pay by going to a comparable position in Washoe County.
Those situations are mirrored in numerous other job classifications in the state.
Gov. Steve Sisolak recently promised to try to do something about the pay of state law enforcement officers who are also leaving in droves for better compensation, particularly in Washoe and Clark counties.
Public safety officials at the state have long complained that shortly after they graduate new officers for the highway patrol or other divisions, those officers move either to Metro in Las Vegas, the Washoe sheriff’s office or Reno, Sparks and other city departments.
One of the biggest contributors to the pay gap is that those local jurisdictions pay the full monthly premium for the Public Employees Retirement System, PERS, while the state and the employee each pay half. That difference alone is worth for several thousand dollars a year.
