Patrol or jail deputies? Sheriff asks citizens
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson (Photos from www.co.josephine.or.us)
From our weekly issue dated March 12, 2008
Since assuming the office of sheriff, I have focused on finding and creating efficiencies within the organization, ensuring that operations are undertaken in a logical and fiscally responsible manner.
We are currently operating more efficiently, and the residents of Josephine County are receiving a greater return on their investment from the sheriff’s office.
As sheriff, I am required to meet certain clearly defined legal obligations, established by statute. Specifically, we are required to provide court security, search and rescue, civil paper service, and a jail. The law also requires a sheriff to “arrest and commit to prison all persons who break the peace, or attempt to break it, and all persons guilty of public offenses.”
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Additionally, we are required to “defend the county against those who, by riot or otherwise, endanger the public peace or safety.” This can only be accomplished with patrol and investigative units.
Clearly, each of these services is necessary to provide some measure of safety. However, those same laws that require me to provide each of these services also give me the latitude to determine what level of service my office will support, which in turn, depends on the level of funding received.
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Recently, a hiring freeze was implemented in hopes of stretching the county’s resources until another federal bailout occurs. This hiring freeze affected our ability to bring on six new deputies. More recently still, we were directed by the county’s chief financial officer to reduce my coming budget by almost $2 million.
Because I am required to use county services for many of our office’s needs, the only area that I truly control within my budget is how many people I can hire to serve you. Facing this $2 million reduction leaves me with no options except to once again lay off personnel.
In the past, personnel responsible for emergency response (911) were the first cut when faced with a financial crisis. In my opinion, that is most certainly not a healthy or responsible choice to make.
The top three priorities for everyone in this office are the protection of life, liberty, and property. To reduce those deputies who can provide emergency response to your calls for help violates the very tenets of public service, and our responsibility to provide you with a safer community.
Conversely, reducing the number of employees at the jail diminishes the number of inmates we are capable of safely housing. Due to safety and other regulatory considerations, it may be necessary to house prisoners in beds rented from another county, which may actually be cost-prohibitive.
Having to choose between eliminating Patrol deputies and Corrections deputies is similar to being forced to choose between buying groceries and paying one’s electric bill.
Court Security and the Civil Division already are operating with meager staffing. Reducing personnel in either of those two areas is not an option.
As the owners and customers of the sheriff’s office, your input in determining where to focus these coming cuts is necessary. Because these choices have such an effect on all of you, it is only fair that you share in the decision.
Please take this opportunity to vote in our “Public Survey” on what you feel is important to you, your family, and this community. Go to www.co.josephine.or.us.
My promise, as always, remains to manage the sheriff’s office as efficiently as possible with the resources you provide.
