Knox County Sheriff hoping to raise salaries prevent staffing shortages

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Shorthanded and low starting salaries. It’s an ongoing problem at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Now, the sheriff is trying to raise pay to compete with nearby counties. Tom Spangler, Knox County Sheriff, said corrections officers have an increasingly difficult job. County data shows that 289 inmates have been convicted of possessing using illegal drugs since the start of 2022. 93 have been overdoses. “It happens almost daily that we have to, for a lack of better words, hit someone with Narcan,” said Sheriff Spangler. Narcan is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, potentially…