Sheriff Wes Tripp and Chief Deputy Bruce Temple today told a newly formed citizens advisory panel that it is looking at ways to recruit qualified deputies, add deputies to its current seven-officer shifts and ways to do effective welfare checks for elderly citizens.

“We need help recruiting people,” Tripp said.

The standards under which the sheriff's office can hire deputies are exacting, Tripp said — candidates must be 21-years-old, have no felonies. Five worthless check charges make a person ineligible for consideration.

Then there is the matter of starting pay. At $27,911, the starting pay of a Halifax County deputy is lower than starting pay for police officers in Scotland Neck, Enfield and Littleton.

Temple encourages those who can meet the eligibility requirements and are considering a career in law enforcement to pick up an application at the sheriff's office.

Tripp is also conducting a study to determine whether the judicial district merger may allow him to free up some bailiffs and put them on the road, meaning eight-deputy shifts rather than the current seven.

Meanwhile, Temple said, “We want to provide seniors who are 65 and older and with basic welfare checks daily. We're looking at how we can implement that.”