Sheriff Fred Akshar who has only been on the job for a month says he's hoping to address an issue plaguing correctional facilities across the state, a lack of staffing.

At the Broome County jail, corrections officer staffing is down roughly 20%, in what Akshar is calling a staffing crisis. 

“I'm not wasting any time because this issue of staffing the facility is so critically important not only for the men and women who are working there every day, but it is critically important to ensure that we're providing the services that we need to for the incarcerated individuals. We have significant plans,” said Fred Akshar, Broome County Sheriff.

He says plan number one is getting the word out to the community with local job fairs.

Akshar says he is also launching a financial incentive program and an additional civil service exam in June to recruit more staff for the jail.    

Starting salaries right off the street, are just under $45,000 a year, going up to just under $74,000 in year five.

“We are being unconventional. We are thinking outside the box and doing everything humanly possible to get people through the door into what is really a great career. It is really a great job that affords you an opportunity to provide for your family, take care of your wife, your husband, your children, but also to give back to the community,” said Akshar.

This understaffing issue has already impacted communities across the state.

Rikers island has been shutting down facilities over the past few years due in part to understaffing, and Cape Vincent Correctional Facility in Jefferson County temporarily shut down last year.

In Broome County, Akshar says it all starts with getting deputies and corrections officiers on the same playing field. 

“They were under different standards. They were viewed differently. I said in my first week in office when I met with all three years during our commander calls that we may wear uniforms, but we all have the same pattern," said Akshar.