By Chris Taylor
Paducah, KY – The McCracken County Sheriff's Department and its 39-deputy staff were the focus of a Fiscal Court budget workshop yesterday. Significant pay differences between Sheriff's deputies and Paducah Police officers have caught the attention of officials. The Paducah Sun reports commissioners want to address the disparity, which was recently highlighted during a city-county merger meeting. Sheriff Jon Hayden says the imbalance keeps the department from attracting and retaining quality officers and often results in morale issues. McCracken deputies make around $10,000 less annually than Paducah Police, but cover a wider area and average more calls per shift. A second budget workshop is scheduled for next week.