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Posted by: mturnipseed on 07/01/2009 02:29
Updated by: mturnipseed on 07/01/2009 02:29
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00
Questions about Sheriff's Budget
Comments to the Board of Supervisors
Questions Concerning the Sheriff’s Budget
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
Chairman McQuiston, Members of the Board, I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association.
Yesterday, we received the attached fax with questions concerning the Sheriff’s budget. Many of these questions are worthy of your consideration. We respectfully request that your Board address some of the issues brought forth in this fax.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these questions for the Sheriff.
Comments to the Board of Supervisors
Questions Concerning the Sheriff’s Budget
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
Chairman McQuiston, Members of the Board, I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association.
Yesterday, we received the attached fax with questions concerning the Sheriff’s budget. Many of these questions are worthy of your consideration. We respectfully request that your Board address some of the issues brought forth in this fax.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these questions for the Sheriff.
A fax received by KERNTAX June 27, 2009
Attention Michael Turnipseed:
As a concerned citizen, I believe the command staff, including the sheriff of the Kern County Sheriffs Department, should be asked many questions during the current fiscal crisis. The patrol function of law enforcement agencies has always been referred as the "backbone" of a department. Taking the bad boys and girls off the streets has also been necessary to curtail criminal activity. I believe that this agency needs additional oversight, so it can function the way it is meant to.
I have heard that the sheriff plans to maintain 115 vacancies and lay off 15 civilian staff: 2-Crime Prevention Specialists. 4-Report Desk Personnel (Sheriffs Report Technicians), 1-Safety Officer (Office Services Technician), 6-Evidence Technicians, 1-Complaint Officer (Sheriffs Aide), and 1-Supervising Sheriffs Report Technician. It is also said he plans to transition Deputy Sheriffs into the central receiving facility and lay off 45 Detention Deputies.
In my opinion the deputies need to remain on the streets protecting the citizens of Kern County and the detention deputies need to be keeping our jails running. Both deputies and detention officers have been trained to do just that.
Some of the things i question are as follows:
• I would like to know how much it cost us taxpayers to operate the air unit, including maintenance, operating cost and ail personnel? Also, why do we train deputies to be pilots? Maybe it is so the sheriff can justify himself flying a county aircraft, as I understand he is a pilot! What would the cost be if they went back to using civilian pilots and using a deputy as an observer? Is the air unit of the sheriffs office the sheriffs priority over personnel? After all, deputies cannot affect an arrest from the air.
• It seems the sheriff has a vested interest in the air unit, as he was in charge of the unit prior to his retirement as a commander with the department. Helicopters can be a good resource when times are good: however, times are grim at best. It would seem that one of the lower cost helicopters would suffice in times like this, i have heard that the Huey has a crew of three and burns 90 gallons of fuel an hour, at over $4 a gallon and the crew spends most of their time standing by in the hanger. The sheriff should justify the hours of each airplane or helicopter flight.
• Other agencies such as the Kem County Fire Department, California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and the Federal Drug Enforcement
• Agency could help fill the void of a downsized unit Bottom line is that an air support unit is a luxury that is not afforded by many other law enforcement agencies.
• If I remember correctly, the sheriff asked for and was denied a raise this year. If so, why would he ask the board for additional compensation with such a budget deficit? Is he not receiving a retirement check from the county on top of his current salary? Has the sheriff and his staff offered to take a pay cut and/or furlough days? If not then why?
• Why did the sheriff recently go to training in Australia? Hasn't he had training from the FBI? What could he possibly leam in Australia that he could not leam in this country? I understand the federal government paid it for, but wasn't it still taxpayers money and don't the most of us pay federal taxes. I believe the training for others in his department has been canceled. Why should he go to training functions when others cannot? In this electronic age, it would seem most information could be exchanged without leaving the county in these depressed budget times of our country.
• How many training classes have managers taken since the budget down fall? Please justify!
• How many specialized units, including drug units, does the sheriffs department have? isn't the Special Operations Unit just a swat team doing narcotics work? It has been my experience that specialized units have a lot of down, or free time. Is this a good utilization of manpower?
• Why are we maintaining and staffing the Rosedale substation and what is the operating cost? It is my understanding that the deputies spend a great deal of time in Oildale. where the main office is located.
• It is my understanding that the board of supervisors allotted funding for many positions within the department to be filled and that these funds where depleted on overtime. If so, why was this allowed to occur and how about sharing a list of expenditures and justification?
• Why is there talk of the sheriff laying off people who have completed their probation period and choosing to keep deputies that just graduated from the academy? Where is the salary savings? Isn't it true that they still need to have Meld training and pass their probationary period?
• How many supervisors does the sheriff have in the search and rescue unit and whom do they supervise on a daily basis?
• Is the undersheriff and command staff eligible to retire? If they were to retire, what would the savings be with new staff starting out at the lower pay scale?
• How much money did the undersheriff allocate for new office furniture? I have heard that it was in the neighborhood of $75,000. If so, how is this justified?
• Is it true that managers and supervisors of the sheriffs department were told to spend their budgets at the end of the year to prevent any leftover money from going back to the general fund? Is it true items were bought just to exhaust their budget, so they could justify the same amount, or more next year? Were the items purchased properly researched and were they needed?
• Has the sheriff ever considered put his detention staff on 8 hours shifts rather than 12-hour shifts? As it stands now, each detention officer earns 4-hours of overtime every two weeks, which is paid at time and one-half. If the sheriff knew this was coming why did he allow the overtime to be spent like it was?
• Why is the budget so much larger for the next fiscal year? If you do the math on the total cost of employees he is laying off with salaries and benefits, it does not seem to justify the increased amount the sheriff is seeking, in comparison to what he received last year.
• Put deputies in the jails? It was done before. In fact, many deputies became frustrated and left for other agencies after Kern County taxpayers paid for their training. The sheriff said he can double the inexperience deputy with an experience deputy in the event of a crisis. What happen to law enforcement mutual aid and who will watch over the inmates in custody?
An audit of the Kem County Sheriffs Department should be conducted by an outside entity. It appears the sheriff has kidnapped proper law enforcement from the citizens of Kem County and is asking the board of supervisors for ransom in the amount of $4,000,000, or more. I have heard he is threatening more layoffs even if that amount is met. Luxury equipment and other items should not chosen over humans and public safety. Maybe a visit from the Grand Jury, or the Attorney General's Office, could educate the sheriff and his command staff with their multi-million dollar budget and the mathematics needed to perform this task. Please research these items and hold the sheriff and his command staff accountable.
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