Hall County authorizes sheriff to develop paid intern program to bolster patrol support

Hall County commissioners authorized Sheriff Joshua Burley to develop a paid internship program intended to recruit and train college students as patrol-support staff.

Burley told the board the internships would be vetted through the same background checks as patrol-support hires and could perform courthouse security, transports and other noncertified duties. He said pay would be "right around $20 an hour" and that, for two interns at the proposed hours, the annual cost would be "just under $20,000." Commissioners supported the concept and moved to authorize the sheriff to proceed and to include budget details in upcoming planning.

The program is intended to improve recruitment pipelines and provide additional coverage during the planned courthouse expansion. Staff will return with budget specifics and account allocations during the next budget cycle.