Barren River DTF director Ron Lafferty puts retirement on hold
Lafferty said nine people applied for the position, but seven later decided not to continue with the hiring process after interviews were scheduled.
GLASGOW, Ky. — Ron Lafferty will not retire as planned at the end of October.
Lafferty, executive director of the Barren River Drug Task Force, said Monday he withdrew his retirement notice on Sept. 18 and now plans to remain with the organization for at least two to three more years.
Lafferty, who has served as director for the past 13 years, announced in July that he planned to retire after 23 years with the task force.
“It was a decision that wasn’t made lightly, but my wife and I are looking at buying a new home,” Lafferty said.
The Barren County Fiscal Court oversees the DTF director and began advertising the position after Lafferty announced his retirement. Applications were accepted through Aug. 17.
Lafferty said nine people applied for the position, but seven later decided not to continue with the hiring process after interviews were scheduled.
“I think the pay was lower than they thought,” Lafferty said. “They started to set up interviews and people started pulling out.”
The DTF director currently earns $61,000, which Lafferty said is $15,000 to $40,000 less than salaries offered by many similar drug task forces across the state.
Brennan Crain
Lafferty said he expects the DTF board of directors to increase the salary at some point.
The director oversees the administration and day-to-day operations of the Drug Task Force, including coordinating investigations, managing grant compliance, preparing budgets and working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies on drug enforcement efforts throughout the region.
