NEW BOSTON, Texas - Because of their regular contact with the public during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, Bowie County Sheriff's patrol deputies and courthouse security personnel will be receiving hazard pay by this year's end.
Bowie County Commissioners agreed Monday to grant hazard pay to patrol deputies and courthouse security guards, which will be dispersed in the amount of $3,000 to each patrol deputy and security guard at the end of this year. The money will be supplied through the Coronavirus Relief Fund and Security Act.
During the Court's Monday meeting, Bowie County Chief Deputy Jeff Neal told commissioners federal CARES Act money is still available to law enforcement, security and other first-responder personnel.
Neal added that the federal legislation didn't include detective or other Criminal Investigations Department personnel - possibly because such positions are regarded as indoor office occupations that aren't routinely out in the public domain. Neal told commissioners that he takes issue with that perception, adding that investigators are routinely out in the public, asking questions of witnesses, victims and suspects - thereby also subject to potential public contact with COVID-19.
"I would offer up that CID personnel has been out in the field interviewing witnesses as well as in jails interviewing suspects," Neal said. "Everybody in our office has worked out in the field at some point."
Bowie County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Strain asked that if he and the rest of the commissioners approved extending hazard pay to CID personnel, would it need to be an order of the court as he heard that Red River County has conducted the same proceeding and approved it.
Bowie County Precinct 2 Commissioner Tom Whitten responded that if Neal could provide the personnel records of those who qualify for hazard pay, the court could grant the request.
Following some additional discussion, the commissioners agreed to grant hazard pay to patrol deputies and courthouse security personnel. They also agreed to consider extending hazard pay to CID personnel at the next commissioners court meeting, slated for next month.
In other business, the court accepted a state Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Continued Multi-Year Improvement Grant of $102,600 from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.