CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — That loud clang of a jail cell might usually signal trouble, but in Nueces County, it’s starting to sound more like opportunity.
The Nueces County Sheriff’s Office is on a hiring streak, offering recent high school graduates and others a direct path to stable employment and long-term careers in law enforcement. The starting salary for a jailer is $48,000 a year, a number that’s catching the attention of many 18- and 19-year-olds fresh out of school.
“It happened to me — in 1981. I was a jailer, and then after 35 years with CCPD, I became the sheriff,” said Sheriff J.C. Hooper. “This job really can be the beginning of something big.”…