MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office is looking to hire correctional officers (CO) for the Milwaukee County Jail. Hourly wage ranges $30 to $33.69. 

According to the sheriff's office, approximately 250 CO positions are budgeted, but at one point in early 2023, staffing fell below 120. The sheriff's office says as soon as they'd hire 20 people, 21 would quit -- citing exhaustion, low pay, and other factors. 

Recruitment continued steadily throughout 2023 and the jail staff is back over 200 and "holding steady," according to the sheriff's office. 

A real-time hiring event is set for Thursday, Jan. 11 with a special focus on recruiting Latino applicants. 

"We recruit all over the county and welcome all qualified applicants," the sheriff's office said in a release. "But it is worth noting that we’re focusing on a community –geographically and culturally—that hasn’t always gotten positive attention from law enforcement agencies." 

"The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has worked diligently for more than a year to recruit solid correctional officer candidates and retain the hard-working men and women already employed by this agency to staff the Milwaukee County Jail and protect occupants and employees alike. MCSO is encouraged that new hiring and retention have increased slowly but steadily in recent months," said James Burnett, Director, Public Affairs and Community Engagement with Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, and acting chief of staff, in a statement. 

"More staff means better working conditions in a challenging environment, a greater likelihood of work/life, balance for employees, and more opportunities for employees. The recent approval by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors of a starting salary increase to $30 should help our efforts by making correctional officer pay more competitive. MCSO continues to recruit aggressively, with a goal of reaching full staffing - approximately 250 correctional officers - as soon as possible," said Burnett in a statement. 

The hiring event will take place Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UMOS Inc. -- located at 2701 S. Chase Avenue in Milwaukee.