By Kevin Krause
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — Dallas County sheriff’s employees who did not report for duty at the jails during last week’s snow and ice storms will not be paid for the days they missed, sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s Department policy says essential personnel like jail officers have to show up for work during bad weather. Dozens of employees did not make it in last week.
Executive Chief Deputy Jesse Flores said the department must have enough officers to meet state mandates that require one guard for every 48 inmates.
“We need to have enough officers on the floor at all times,” he said. “The inmates have to be attended to.”
Many criminal and civil court judges didn’t come to work during last week’s bad weather and told their staffs to stay home.
Dr. Mattye Mauldin-Taylor, the county’s human resources director, said it’s up to elected officials whether to pay their employees for days missed because of weather -- or allow them to use vacation or personal days.
Because many school districts and day care centers closed last week, some parents found themselves in a bind.
But Mauldin-Taylor said the county can’t show favoritism to parents. She pointed out that if some officers don’t come in, others have to stay at their posts longer.
“If you have to stay home to take care of your kids, it’s going to cost you,” she said.
The policy may seem harsh, she said, but someone has to guard, feed, release and transport prisoners in a large jail system that operates 24 hours a day.
“I understand it was awful because schools closed,” Mauldin-Taylor said. “Unfortunately, we can’t take it into consideration because then we’ll be dealing with life choices. All we know is, we need you at work.”
County Commissioner John Wiley Price said he applauds Sheriff Lupe Valdez for docking the guards’ pay. He said that if he had his way, he would make sure that those who stayed home had their electricity cut off.
“We expect everybody else to make it to work,” Price said, referring to those who work at places like grocery stores and banks. “What about our share of the load?”
Copyright 2011 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS