JEFFERSON COUNTY — Jefferson County Sheriff Travis Allen is requesting to hire more deputies, telling county leaders that at the current staffing levels, his department cannot handle two major incidents in the county at one time.

But his request to hire more deputies has been met with skepticism from county board members, who say they’re worry about the cost.

Allen told board members Thursday night that the deputies under his watch have roughly 500 square miles to cover.

He says he has just three patrol deputies per shift, and believes increasing that number to four deputies per shift would make a difference.

Allen said the additional deputies would cost about $250,000, just in salaries and benefits, but the county would still need to buy additional squad cars and other gear.

He says his goal with increasing the number of patrol deputies is to reduce call times and improve patrols.