The Herald should have done some research into the correction officers hired over the past few years (“Your tax dollars at work,” Aug. 25). You may have found out that the state refused to hire new officers for years, which led to more than 600 vacancies. You would have discovered that as a 24-hour operation, when vacancies occur, officers are forced to work overtime. We accept that as part of the job, but a little research may have shed some light on bigger problems that need addressing.

The year in question was when the state finally agreed to terms for pay raises to the officers who were forced to work OT after four years of negotiations. Yes, as a result of back pay, one officer may have doubled his pay, but what about the other 3,800 officers who only recently actually got a partner to work the block with them? I also didn’t see an article about the 600 assaults on officers in the past year.