(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — Out of all the sheriff's deputies across the front range, El Paso County deputies are the lowest paid, according to a new study that was completed at the request of El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal. To keep deputies from leaving the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) for higher pay, Sheriff Roybal requested more funding from county commissioners during a meeting held on Tuesday morning, Oct. 22. There were about 100 sheriff's office employees inside the meeting when several county commissioners spoke in support of the sheriff's request. "I was saddened to find out that we have this pay gap," said Commission Chair Carrie Geitner. The sheriff requested a funding increase of $600,000 from the board of commissioners, to increase the salaries of the deputies that he said are "grossly underpaid." If approved, the smallest pay raise would be $500 for new recruits and the largest raise would be $3,000 for senior deputies. That would place El Paso County's max deputy pay just above Pueblo's max deputy pay. Pueblo is currently second to last for deputy pay across the front range, just ahead of El Paso County. Sheriff Roybal said the fact that his deputies are the lowest-paid deputies on the front range is alarming and with how much it costs to train them, he said the county should focus on keeping them. "(It's) almost $8,400 for a new recruit and we had well over 100 new hires this year. That's a lot of money. You know, that's an investment that we should keep here in the County. Why would we train them just to lose them to another agency outside of our jurisdiction?" asked Sheriff Roybal. The sheriff believes the board will vote on his request in either November or December. If the request is approved by the board of commissioners, the sheriff said he will not receive a pay increase since his salary is set by state statute. According to EPSO, the pay increase would take effect right away if passed.