On the Issues
UNDERSTAFFED & UNDEREQUIPPED
The short term answer to this question is probably the least popular with the Deputies. However, the Department needs to be restructured. Currently there are considerably more deputies working the day shift then any other shift. The recent retirement of a deputy with no replacement hired, doesn’t help the situation either. I see no reason to have two Chief Deputies. The man power situation is what I would deem a crisis and in a crisis the mentality needs to be “all hands on deck”. The safety of the community is the priority. I would balance out the shifts by the amount of calls for service. For example, if the hoot owl shift has more calls for service then the day shift, it would only make sense to have more deputies on that shift.
The long term plan has to be the hiring of at least two new deputies a year. This can only be done by cutting cost in other areas such as the jail budget. Community safety can not be a secondary concern.
The safety of these road officers has to be an issue as well. In my opinion these road deputies are not equipped with the proper tools to effectively do their jobs. It's bad enough that “back-up” units are often twenty minutes away, but these officers are also not issued equipment that may save their lives. The additional equipment I would issue to every officer would be tasers, assault rifles, as well as new body armor. This can also be done without raising the budget.