Pros
Co-workers are friendly and some are willing to help. The department chief is very friendly and approachable. He's new to the department, and trying to change the atmosphere and culture, which is definitely needed.
Cons
Small county means small department and little opportunity to promote. There haven't been raises in many years, so most PO's are making the same salary as new hires. There's still very much a "good ol' boy" feel, and you can usually accurately guess who promotions are going to when spots open up. There have been no black people in supervisory positions there in many many years. Supervisory staff is very much "white dominant". There are some people in positions of power that have ruined the morale at this department, and turnover is very high because of that. Because of the high turnover, caseload sizes are insanely high and unmanageable. It is impossible to supervise these individuals in the community when you are responsible for 80-110 of them every month. The salary isn't nearly high enough once you realize just how much work they are going to throw at you. The only way to complete everything to get decent file reviews is to work extra hours off the clock or sweep issues under the rug. There is no over-time allowed and no raises.
