Sheriff's Organization Sheriff's Department Organization

The rewards system in a sheriff's department is organized in much the same way as in other business organizations. While a sheriff's department is distinctly different from your traditional corporate business, as it is a government entity, many of its rewards and benefits are the same as in any other job. There are also a few important differences.

For full-time employees of a sheriff's department, these people can expect a wide range of benefits, from the typical health and life insurance coverage offered at most jobs, to paid time off, vacation days, personal days, family leave, and more. There won't be stock options or a 401K, since this is a government job and not a private sector job. However, sheriff's office employees may participate in a government employee's pension fund and may invest in a 403B (which is similar to a 401K, but it is for government and non-profit employees). For those employees who are working on the streets and dealing with criminals, there may also be hazard and bonus pay for working late shifts or in dangerous areas of the county.

Unlike most traditional jobs, a sheriff's office may also offer limited benefits to part-time employees, as well. This depends on what the county's budget allows for in any given fiscal year. However, many government employees find that they are eligible for limited benefits at a part-time employment status. These benefits can include all of the same benefits that full-time employees receive, only in smaller amounts (or in the case of health and life insurance, with higher premiums). This is one of the perks of working for a government entity for part-time employees. Most of the part-timers would be on their own when it comes to benefits in other jobs, and the presence of benefits for part-time employees in most sheriff's offices is an incentive for people looking for part-time work to apply there.

Office employees get these benefits, too, whether they are full or part-time with the sheriff's office. They don't qualify for hazard pay, however, though they may qualify for bonus pay if they volunteer to work late shifts. Hourly employees at a sheriff's...

Most of the office workers are usually hourly employees, though some with high ranking jobs may be salaried. Most law enforcement officers are salaried employees, as is the sheriff him or herself.
As with most jobs, sheriff's office employees are eligible for worker's compensation benefits should they get injured on the job and become unable to work for a period of time. This is a federal law, and all employers must provide worker's compensation coverage for their employees, even with government employers. Sheriff's office employees are also eligible for disability pay, both short- and long-term, depending on their needs. This is also a benefit that most traditional employers offer, and one that is especially helpful in an environment where injury is more common than in most other jobs, such as a sheriff's office. Usually, short-term disability is paid directly from the payroll department of the county, and the employee is covered for up to three months. For long-term disability, this pay is distributed through the county's insurance company and is typically good for anywhere from six months to a year. Again, there are exceptions and differences around the country, but these are the norms.

Finally, employees who have to leave the sheriff's office for one reason or another and are covered under the office's health insurance plan are eligible for 18 months of COBRA insurance coverage. This is the same health insurance with the same benefits that they received through the sheriff's office, but the former employee is responsible for paying the premiums him or herself. This coverage is meant to help the employee maintain coverage until new employment or new insurance can be obtained. Some sheriff's offices (though not all of them) have a rider on their COBRA coverage that allows the former employee to convert the COBRA plan to a regular health insurance plan with the same company after the COBRA period ends. It is up to the former employee to find out if their sheriff's office has this…