Are some employees over-trained?

How many people do you train as training officers, when there is no new deputies to train? Employees at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department are asking questions about the money spent to train "training officers" (and also who gets selected as a T/O).

When so many are sent to training at the same time, this results in over-time to others, so that the shifts of those sent to training will be adequately covered. Good planning? Wise planning?

Just because the MCSD is flush with cash from its bed-rental program with the Feds doesn't mean that unnecessary training is a good idea. Certainly, some training is a good idea and is necessary. Refresher training is wise. Laws change. Rules change.

Just what is the overtime expense of the Sheriff's Department? When salaries of some of the top-paid deputies were publicized during the February 2nd Republican primary, I wondered how the total wages for 2009 and 2008 compared with the basic salaries of those deputies.

Many of the training programs could probably be conducted through computer-based training. Obviously, classroom training still has advantages for certain types of training, and student interaction can enhance training. But computer-based training is a valid training mode, and properly-structured testing can quickly identify who paid attention and learned the material.

Reportedly, two sergeants from Corrections are in Florida for training. At what cost? Tuition for training? Room and board during their training? Travel? Car rental? And overtime for the sergeants who fill in for them?

If a sergeant earns $80,000/year, that's about $40.00/hour. Is overtime pay at 1 1/2 times $40.00, or $60.00/hour? How many hours/week of overtime might a fill-in sergeant work? What does he do during those extra hours? Is he on his feet the entire time, awake and alert and performing duties with 100% attention?

Or after 45-50-55 hours in a week, is he getting a little tired? Slowing down a little? Maybe taking breaks that are a little longer? Taking longer to do paperwork? Ducking out for a meal? (Catching a quick snooze out of sight?)

Over-training has another, hidden cost. Deputies and corrections officers will seek higher compensation because they are more highly trained. If they are over-trained, then they will either get the increase or seek employment elsewhere. If they leave too soon after training, then the training dollars were wasted.