Shelby Commission Shoots Down Pay Raise For Sheriff

By Dulce Torres Guzman, Tennessee Lookout

November 15, 2021

In Memphis on Monday, Shelby County commissioners shot down a proposed pay increase for Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr.

Bonner was up for a salary bump from $148,485 to $199,500. Commissioner Edmund Ford said although Shelby’s sheriff is the lowest paid law enforcement leader in the state, commissioners weren’t buying the sales pitch, noting recent controversies.

Earlier, several residents spoke out against the sheriff’s office.

“This entire pandemic, folks have continuously raised concern and alarm about the mistreatment of people being held so much that the federal courts became involved,” said one resident.

In September, the commission passed a resolution urging the U.S. Department of Justice to continue overseeing the county’s juvenile detention center after reports of racial discrimination and Black children being more likely to be transferred to adult facilities.

Although the salary increase would not take effect until 2022, Commissioner Tami Sawyer said the current issues needed to be addressed before considering a raise.

“As I stated Last week, we had three deaths in Shelby County jails,” said Sawyer. “I can’t in good faith support this.”

Bonner, Shelby County’s first Black sheriff, announced in September he will run for a second term.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit network of state government news sites supported by grants and a coalition of donors.