A Difficult Transition for Sheriff Security Officers

By now, all of us have gone through the job fair process following the end of the Department of Mental Health (DMH) contract. For many Sheriff Security Officers (SSOs), this wasn’t just another administrative change — it felt personal.

The Department decided not to renew the DMH contract due to deputy vacancies throughout the Department. We understand that staffing shortages are real and that the Department has to prioritize its resources. But understanding the reason doesn’t make it any easier.

For many of us, DMH wasn’t just an assignment. It was home. Some of us worked at the same facility for years. We built relationships with staff, clinicians, nurses and administrators. We got to know the daily flow, the challenges and even the personalities that made each location unique. We weren’t just uniforms standing watch — we were part of the environment. We helped create a safe space for people who were often going through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

It is definitely hard to move from a location you were so used to after working there for so long. There’s a comfort that comes with familiarity: knowing the layout without thinking, recognizing faces, understanding how to de-escalate situations before they escalate. That kind of experience can’t be replaced overnight.

Many of us walked into the job fair carrying more than just paperwork. We carried memories, pride and uncertainty about what comes next.

Transitions like this remind us how deeply we invest ourselves in our assignments. SSOs are adaptable by nature, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel the weight of change. It’s OK to acknowledge that this shift is difficult. It’s OK to feel disappointed, unsettled or even frustrated.

But what hasn’t changed is who we are. We are professionals. We are trained. We bring stability into environments that rely on our presence. Whether reassigned to courts, county buildings, hospitals or new facilities, the same integrity and work ethic we brought to DMH will follow us.

The DMH contract may have come to an end, but the impact we made there does not disappear. The relationships we built mattered. The incidents we handled mattered. The quiet moments where our presence prevented something from happening mattered.

As we move forward, we carry that experience with us. We may be stepping into new buildings, new teams and new routines, but we are not starting from zero. We are bringing years of knowledge and professionalism into whatever comes next.

Change is hard. But SSOs are resilient. As the locations and contracts shift, our commitment to serving this county and protecting those within it remains the same.