DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office is upgrading their weapons and equipment with $500,000 of surplus money due to 10 vacant positions. 

Lieutenant Robby Kilgo says the money was budgeted to pay for deputies’ salaries and benefits. Officials decided to spend the unused money for other purposes, such as new tasers and inmate transport vans. The office is also upgrading their weapons from a .40 caliber to a 9 millimeter. 

“The 9 millimeter ammunition is cheaper and it’s readily-available. It’s easier to find and purchase than .40 caliber or .45 caliber. We can save approximately $8,000 a year by switching to that 9 millimeter,” Lt. Kilgo said. 

Another advantage of the 9 millimeter is it’s weight. Lieutenant Kilgo says it’s not as heavy as the .40 caliber and will decrease the amount of weight deputies have to carry. He also says many law enforcement agencies across the nation and the state are making the switch, including the training academy in the state’s capital. 

“Every time we send a deputy up to the Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, they will furnish 9 millimeter ammunition. If we were to send them up there with a .40 caliber handgun, we would have had to supply the ammunition. So that’s obviously even more cost savings for us there,” he explained. 

As for the deputy vacancies, the sheriff’s office is actively recruiting. Four new deputies were recently sworn in, two of whom will start in August. Lt. Kilgo says one struggle for the sheriff’s office, as well as law enforcement agencies across the nation, is not just hiring, but retaining officers. Typically, the rule of thumb is, if someone stays with the force for 3 or 4 years, they will stay for the duration of their career. Another big challenge for the DCSO is matching the starting salary with neighboring jurisdictions. 

“Our starting salary’s a little less than $30,000. So obviously we need to work to get that up so we can encourage folks to come work here versus somewhere else. Depending on what agencies you’re looking at, we may be a little higher than someone starting salaries but we’re not quite where we need to be,” Lt. Kilgo said.

The sheriff’s office is working with county council to raise the starting salary as they continue recruiting.