[Adopted 5-23-1979 by Res. No. 79-38; amended in its entirety 2-20-1980 by Res. No. 80-17]
The Education Incentive Pay (EIP) Program has been adopted because education assistance serves to help attract superior personnel to the Charles County Sheriff's Department and helps upgrade the present law enforcement system. All Deputy Sheriffs are encouraged to obtain academic degrees in field of expertise as defined in this article as being beneficial to Charles County. It is the County's expectation to improve the degree of productivity among current officers of the Sheriff's Department through the availability of the program.
Course work must be taken at a college or university that is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education, Middle States' Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools or a comparable organization having jurisdiction over other parts of the country.
Course work for the Education Incentive Pay Program must lead to either an associate's or bachelor's degree or 60 credit hours, provided that the officer was enrolled at the time of eligibility in an approved course of study. Course of study must be in any one of the following areas: law enforcement, police administration, psychology, sociology, public administration, law or business administration. A minimum of 18 credit hours must be successfully completed in law enforcement in any of these areas.
A. 
The successful attainment of an associate's degree or 60 credit hours will allow for an annual payment of $750. A bachelor's degree will allow for an annual payment of $1,500.
B. 
The certification form, accompanied by an official transcript, shall be submitted by the officer to a designated representative of the Sheriff's Department staff by June 1 of each year. The request for certification will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sheriff prior to being forwarded to the County Finance Officer for action by the County Commissioners.
C. 
Payment will be made in July and the following December for eligible officers.
D. 
Officers will not be eligible to be considered for such compensation until they have successfully completed their probationary period of employment and have been removed from probationary status by the Board of Public Safety.
E. 
To initiate the program, officers shall provide certification information to the Sheriff by June 1, 1979. Those officers approved as meeting the program requirements will obtain their first check shortly after the beginning of the fiscal year. Payment for the initial period will consist of 1/2 of the annual payment, i.e., $375 for the attainment of an associate's degree or 60 credit hours or $750 for a bachelor's degree.