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Palm Beach sheriff, seeking hefty budget hike, threatens to lay off 125 deputies
By Leon Fooksman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 12 2007
Up to 125 deputies could be laid off if the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has to trim almost $15 million from its proposed $425 million budget for the next fiscal year, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told county commissioners Monday.
For its 2007-2008 budget, the 3,812-employee agency is seeking $41 million more than the $384 million allocated for this year.
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But county administrators are requesting the Sheriff's Office reduce its spending by almost $15 million as part of a scaled-down county budget, depending on property-tax changes enacted by the Legislature.
Laying off so many deputies would be the worst-case scenario, Bradshaw said. The agency's proposed spending already is tight from soaring personnel costs and overtime attributed to investigating violent crime, he said. Still, the department could make further trims -- to reduce the replacement of aging cars, for example -- but such cuts would hurt the response to police callouts, he added.
"Our budget's already cut. This is as far down as it could go," Bradshaw said.
The sheriff said the new budget includes cuts to basic service.
In a bid to save on overtime, deputies would not respond to non-emergencies, such as reports of fraud, if they occurred at the end of their shifts. Instead, deputies from the next shift would go. The result: Residents could wait 45 minutes or longer for deputies to show up.
The agency also would cut back routine police patrols by reducing the time deputies spend cruising neighborhoods, checking shopping centers and doing traffic enforcement. Deputiesassigned to school anti-drug programs and some community policing deputies would be moved.
Part of the soaring cost is because of efforts to jail many of the 6,000 suspected gang members in the county, Bradshaw said. Overtime for running the violent-crimes and gang-suppression task forces is estimated at $200,000 a month, he said.
Some commissioners suggested the Sheriff's Office look for alternative ways to fight crime.
"Maybe we need more Guardian Angels on the street," said Commissioner Burt Aaronson, referring to the civilian crime-watch group that recently arrived in Lake Worth to root out drug dealers and gang members.
Commissioner Mary McCarty laid out a budget plan that would force every area of county government -- including the sheriff -- to cut expenses equally. She said the sheriff and deputies should sacrifice union pay and benefit increases in order to bring down costs.
Staff Writer Josh Hafenbrack contributed to this report.
By Leon Fooksman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 12 2007
Up to 125 deputies could be laid off if the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has to trim almost $15 million from its proposed $425 million budget for the next fiscal year, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told county commissioners Monday.
For its 2007-2008 budget, the 3,812-employee agency is seeking $41 million more than the $384 million allocated for this year.
LocalLinks
But county administrators are requesting the Sheriff's Office reduce its spending by almost $15 million as part of a scaled-down county budget, depending on property-tax changes enacted by the Legislature.
Laying off so many deputies would be the worst-case scenario, Bradshaw said. The agency's proposed spending already is tight from soaring personnel costs and overtime attributed to investigating violent crime, he said. Still, the department could make further trims -- to reduce the replacement of aging cars, for example -- but such cuts would hurt the response to police callouts, he added.
"Our budget's already cut. This is as far down as it could go," Bradshaw said.
The sheriff said the new budget includes cuts to basic service.
In a bid to save on overtime, deputies would not respond to non-emergencies, such as reports of fraud, if they occurred at the end of their shifts. Instead, deputies from the next shift would go. The result: Residents could wait 45 minutes or longer for deputies to show up.
The agency also would cut back routine police patrols by reducing the time deputies spend cruising neighborhoods, checking shopping centers and doing traffic enforcement. Deputiesassigned to school anti-drug programs and some community policing deputies would be moved.
Part of the soaring cost is because of efforts to jail many of the 6,000 suspected gang members in the county, Bradshaw said. Overtime for running the violent-crimes and gang-suppression task forces is estimated at $200,000 a month, he said.
Some commissioners suggested the Sheriff's Office look for alternative ways to fight crime.
"Maybe we need more Guardian Angels on the street," said Commissioner Burt Aaronson, referring to the civilian crime-watch group that recently arrived in Lake Worth to root out drug dealers and gang members.
Commissioner Mary McCarty laid out a budget plan that would force every area of county government -- including the sheriff -- to cut expenses equally. She said the sheriff and deputies should sacrifice union pay and benefit increases in order to bring down costs.
Staff Writer Josh Hafenbrack contributed to this report.
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