Aug. 22—ATHENS — The Limestone County sheriff is seeking funding in the 2026 budget for 12 new law enforcement positions, citing public safety concerns and a desire to be more aggressive in fighting crime.
Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin has requested money to hire 10 additional deputies and two investigators. One county commissioner has expressed support, saying the additional officers are needed for public safety.
“It’s real important that we be a little more aggressive in addressing our shortfalls,” McLaughlin said. “If I can get them all hired, it would allow us to take on more positions later. Right now, all of our full-time officers are being stretched … because we just don’t have the spots to cover them. It’s just a good stepping stone to get there.”
McLaughlin’s overall budget request for fiscal 2026 totals about $9 million, up from $7.43 million in 2025. That includes raising the “other salaries and wages” category from $3.8 million to $4.5 million.
District 2 Commissioner Johnny Turner said the commission is weighing whether the county can afford the additional staff.
“Whether we can do 10 this year will be a question of the budget of how our numbers look,” he said. “In theory, I’m in favor of expanding the number of deputies we’ve got in the county because I think we need them.”
Turner said more deputies are needed for safety reasons.
“The biggest issue we’ve got, I’ll give you an example. At night, there are four deputies on patrol across the county,” he said. “If there is a violent event, domestic violence or any other violent crime, two deputies will be dispatched to that unit. That leaves you with two other deputies covering the county. If something else happens somewhere else, that causes longer 911 response time.
“As someone who lives in the county, I want us to be able to do as much as we can physically afford to do to make sure the sheriff’s department has adequate resources to do what they need to do.”
Turner said it is a safety issue for both citizens and deputies.
McLaughlin said he is also seeking $50,000 for new SWAT team equipment.
“My SWAT team, their equipment is becoming outdated very quickly,” he said. “They’re growing. We’re one of the most top outfitted in north Alabama north of Birmingham, which says a lot that we’re in the top three. But they do the most dangerous job. Kicking doors in, busting drug dealers, and we really need to make sure they’re equipped to do the jobs that they’re doing.”
McLaughlin is also requesting 10 new vehicles, which would raise the vehicle budget from $330,000 in 2025 to $550,000 in 2026.
In the Sheriff’s Office animal control budget, McLaughlin asked for $150 a month in hazard duty pay, totaling $5,400.
“As you well know, they have been bitten a couple of times,” he said. “We had a couple of incidents this year.”
As of midyear, animal control officers had answered 1,681 calls.
“So, those guys are wide open,” McLaughlin said. “While doing that, they are trying to work the investigation side of it. Calls of a dog being neglected, … those kinds of things.”
McLaughlin also asked for increased pay for jail staff.
“We’re asking that you bump that up from $75 for hazard duty pay to $150,” he said. “I’ve been very vocal about the job they do being just as dangerous or hazardous as the one the sheriff’s officers do or certified officers. I think that would help with morale a lot.”
The increase McLaughlin requested would raise jail hazard pay from $54,000 to $115,200.
—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.