Editor:Recently, the Harford County Deputy Sheriff's Union began a public conversation concerning collective bargaining.Collective bargaining is being sought by the Deputy Sheriff's Union in hopes that they will have the opportunity to negotiate with the County on issues related to salaries and benefits. As Sheriff, I have no authority to provide funding for raises or benefits as this is a function exclusive to the County Executive.What has led to this initiative by the Deputy Sheriff's Union goes back to a number of years ago. The union, working with the past County administration, established an agreement upon a compensation package that included modest increases and step enhancements. The informal agreement resulted in a comprehensive pay package that addressed the immediate needs and also made the Sheriff's Office marketable in the competitive world of recruiting. The latter becoming so important in current times with the beating law enforcement has taken at the hands of liberal media.Law enforcement remains a noble profession sought by caring individuals who put others ahead of themselves; however, without a competitive pay package it is becoming increasingly more difficult to recruit and retain those who serve you with devotion.The past County Administration, citing financial challenges, did not fund the established pay scale and step increases for a seven year period. The result is now a severely broken pay structure which has created scenarios where some in ranks are making the same or more than those senior in grade. These compression issues of the pay scale have created great management challenges and confusion and apprehension on the part of potential recruits and those currently doing the job.Since taking office, I have worked to create a fair and competitive environment.In working with the Glassman Administration, we were able to provide a $1,000 across the board raise in 2015 and a Step, along with a tiered increase for Sheriff's Office employees in the 2016 budget. These increases in salary were long overdue and much appreciated by the employees of the Sheriff's Office. To ensure your Sheriff's Office remains competitive in terms of attracting and retaining the best candidates, we commissioned a salary study to determine the appropriate compensation for all of our employees based on salaries for like jobs in the State. This study will be complete by mid-November and presented to the County Executive and Council in hopes that we receive a commitment to address recruiting, retention and compression issues being felt by the Sheriff's Office.Our deputies and members of the Sheriff's Office do a great job each and every day, and while we will never be able to pay them for what they are truly worth, our goal should be to pay them fairly and comparably to surrounding jurisdictions. I have no opposition to our law enforcement and correctional deputies having the ability to collectively bargain with the Administration, but favor a process where all groups, the Office of the Sheriff included, are part of the conversation.Jeffrey R. GahlerSheriff of Harford County