Cumberland County Sheriff's Office short nearly 50 deputies

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is scrambling to fill vacant positions to make sure residents are safe.

According to a spokesperson for the department, they are short around 50 deputies. It's a nationwide problem that they are continuing to manage.

"Just the other day, we had six officers in Philadelphia shot. I just think that a lot of people are not signing up to get into this line of work," Sgt. Patrice Bogerty said.

Some of the vacancies have come from generational retirements; but the other dilemma comes in the form of dollar bills.

The Fayetteville Police Department is able to offer a $1,000 signing bonus, something the CCSO says makes a big difference in recruitment.

"We're doing job fairs and we're going to graduations," Bogerty said.

Another problem is the lack of interest from younger people.

"Not a lot of people want to put their life on the line for, you know, $36,000 a year," Bogerty said.

The shortage, however, has not spilled over into the Student Resource Officer Program.

Officials assure ABC11 that every school campus will be covered with its 49-member team starting Monday.

"It's like any other division in our agency. We have openings and we fill them as we can," Bogerty said.

The SRO program only has three more vacancies, which should all be filled by September, per CCSO.

Though there may be a shortage of patrols on the street, the CCSO says everyone is picking up the slack to make sure no area is neglected.