SALISBURY — The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office added four new hires to its employee roster this week in the ongoing effort to fill vacancies.

Tabitha Herrin and Leanna Hildebrand joined the force as detention officers. Anastastiia Shumeiko was hired as a part-time deputy and Matthew Honeycutt was hired as a patrol deputy.

Shannon Morgan, a recruiter for the RCSO, said the process is making “great headway” as the department seeks to get back to full staff.

The department is not alone in its recruiting efforts, as public safety departments across the state and country are also struggling to reach full staffing levels.

“Finding qualified candidates is not always easy, but positions are continuing to be filled with quality candidates,” Morgan said.

According to Morgan, the on-the-job training that takes place is made efficient with current staff, so getting them in the door is the biggest hurdle.

“With the size of the department, there are a lot of great training opportunities from our seasoned deputies,” Morgan said. “The longevity of these seasoned deputies allows for quality training experiences for new hires.”

And good training is not the only draw — promotional opportunities abound.

“There are countless opportunities for promotions and growth with all the divisions encompassed within the department,” Morgan said.

The recruiter also emphasized the impact that the latest additions are having on the department as a whole.

“Employee morale has been boosted and continues to grow as spots are being filled,” Morgan said.

There remain 20-25 full-time openings “across the board” at the department, but Morgan mentioned that about ten are currently in the hiring process.

Those numbers include positions as sworn deputies and detention officers.