LINCOLN- Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller can remember the days when applicants to become sheriff’s deputies filled two rooms.

Today, he said he’ll be lucky to get six or seven applicants for the two openings he has in his agency of 35.

“I’m getting one-tenth of the applicants that we used to get eight to 10 years ago,” said Miller, who has served as sheriff in the central Nebraska county for 32 years.

To respond to what he calls “a crisis” in hiring and retention of law enforcement officers, the associations that represent police and sheriffs personnel banded together this year to push for help from the Nebraska Legislature.

The result is Legislative Bill 1241, introduced by State Sen. Steve Lathrop. The bill appears headed for final approval.

The proposal would streamline the process of allowing a certified law enforcement officer from another state to become certified and work in Nebraska.

Under an amendment to the bill from Elmwood Sen. Robert Clements, $10 million over the next two years would be set aside to provide hiring bonuses for those entering the law enforcement field and retention bonuses for those who remain in law enforcement.

Lathrop said the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, heard plenty of testimony this year about the difficulty in hiring new recruits for law enforcement, particularly from rural agencies.

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