UCSO receives pandemic first responder grant money

By Michael Williamson, Richwood Gazette

The Union County Sheriff’s Office will be awarded money from the state for retaining staff since the pandemic.

Sheriff Jamie Patton told the county commissioners Wednesday that members of his staff were among the more than 10,000 law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel in Ohio that qualified for state retention incentives as part of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program. The program was created to address first responder burnout caused by “understaffing and overall job stress,” according to a release from Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.

Patton said the county received just over $200,000 in funding from t…

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