05-13-2007, 04:29 PM
Palm Beach County sheriff to cut street patrols, school programs
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office would cut back routine police patrols under a $425 million proposed budget for next fiscal year.
Reducing the time deputies spend in their cars cruising neighborhoods, checking shopping centers and doing traffic enforcement would be among the cost-cutting measures Sheriff Ric Bradshaw plans to outline for county commissioners next month.
Other potential decreases in service would be pulling deputies out of schools assigned to anti-drug and other programs, and taking some community policing deputies out of troubled neighborhoods, Bradshaw said.
Also, plans to hire 30 additional deputies to cover population growth areas would be sidelined because of an ongoing hiring freeze.
"We are doing everything humanly possible to get to an amount in the budget that would keep the agency running," Bradshaw said Wednesday. "I'm going with a bare minimum budget."
His budget for 2007-08 seeks $41.7 million, or almost 10 percent, more than the $384 million set aside for spending in the current year.
The additional money is needed to keep up with rising employment costs mandated in union contracts and in retirement and health care contributions, Bradshaw said. In addition, expenses are rising for providing food, clothing, medical care and transportation for inmates in the jail.
Significant cuts are expected also at other county agencies, as administrators brace for the potential of state legislators enacting tax changes in June that could cost the county $75 million in revenue next year. County Administrator Bob Weisman, for example, is proposing that county Fire-Rescue not hire 30 new recruits.
At the Sheriff's Office, the budget hit list includes money to replace cars with more than 100,000 miles. The agency had wanted to spend $17 million to buy about 600 cars next year. But officials are looking at budgeting $9 million, enough to purchase about 315 cars.
The gap, Bradshaw said, would force deputies to drive less to prolong the life of their cars. Driving less would have the added benefit of saving money on gas, he said.
As a result deputies would drive their cars only to calls for help. Once they finished a call-out, they would drive to shopping centers, entrances to high-crime neighborhoods and other high-visibility areas, turn off their engines and wait for the next call.
At the same time, deputies would be asked to cut back on driving their take-home cars. Taking the cars on personal trips would be discouraged, even though one of the points of take-home cars is to increase police visibility and prevent crime.
Sheriff's employees are projected to pay almost $700,000 next year for the use of their take-home cars. The agency has 3,812 employees.
"These are drastic steps, but I am trying to balance tax relief with protecting the public," Bradshaw said.
County Commission Chairwoman Addie Greene said requiring deputies to cut patrol time is unfortunate, but the measure reflects the coming budget shortfalls.
"Depending on what happens in Tallahassee, we'll have to suffer sacrifices," she said.
Greene said she isn't worried about an upswing in crime since there are more than 20 other police agencies in the county.
But the proposed change in deployment worries Sheri Scarborough, president of the West Boca Community Council, which represents 110 homeowners associations west of Boca Raton. She would rather see other programs trimmed so deputies could continue normal patrols.
"It's a shame. I think we'll see an increase in crime," she said.
Scarborough thinks law enforcement can deter crime simply by having officers drive around in marked cruisers.
"I'd hate for the sheriff to have his hands tied behind his back," she said.
What impact the reductions in patrols would have is hard to tell, Bradshaw said. But he pledged to continue his agency's enhanced street presence following the recent spike in gang-related violence.
His word, he said, is reflected in the budget: About $14 million in overtime is budgeted for next year to keep deputies and detectives working on solving crime. That's up from about $8 million budgeted at the start of the current fiscal year.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office would cut back routine police patrols under a $425 million proposed budget for next fiscal year.
Reducing the time deputies spend in their cars cruising neighborhoods, checking shopping centers and doing traffic enforcement would be among the cost-cutting measures Sheriff Ric Bradshaw plans to outline for county commissioners next month.
Other potential decreases in service would be pulling deputies out of schools assigned to anti-drug and other programs, and taking some community policing deputies out of troubled neighborhoods, Bradshaw said.
Also, plans to hire 30 additional deputies to cover population growth areas would be sidelined because of an ongoing hiring freeze.
"We are doing everything humanly possible to get to an amount in the budget that would keep the agency running," Bradshaw said Wednesday. "I'm going with a bare minimum budget."
His budget for 2007-08 seeks $41.7 million, or almost 10 percent, more than the $384 million set aside for spending in the current year.
The additional money is needed to keep up with rising employment costs mandated in union contracts and in retirement and health care contributions, Bradshaw said. In addition, expenses are rising for providing food, clothing, medical care and transportation for inmates in the jail.
Significant cuts are expected also at other county agencies, as administrators brace for the potential of state legislators enacting tax changes in June that could cost the county $75 million in revenue next year. County Administrator Bob Weisman, for example, is proposing that county Fire-Rescue not hire 30 new recruits.
At the Sheriff's Office, the budget hit list includes money to replace cars with more than 100,000 miles. The agency had wanted to spend $17 million to buy about 600 cars next year. But officials are looking at budgeting $9 million, enough to purchase about 315 cars.
The gap, Bradshaw said, would force deputies to drive less to prolong the life of their cars. Driving less would have the added benefit of saving money on gas, he said.
As a result deputies would drive their cars only to calls for help. Once they finished a call-out, they would drive to shopping centers, entrances to high-crime neighborhoods and other high-visibility areas, turn off their engines and wait for the next call.
At the same time, deputies would be asked to cut back on driving their take-home cars. Taking the cars on personal trips would be discouraged, even though one of the points of take-home cars is to increase police visibility and prevent crime.
Sheriff's employees are projected to pay almost $700,000 next year for the use of their take-home cars. The agency has 3,812 employees.
"These are drastic steps, but I am trying to balance tax relief with protecting the public," Bradshaw said.
County Commission Chairwoman Addie Greene said requiring deputies to cut patrol time is unfortunate, but the measure reflects the coming budget shortfalls.
"Depending on what happens in Tallahassee, we'll have to suffer sacrifices," she said.
Greene said she isn't worried about an upswing in crime since there are more than 20 other police agencies in the county.
But the proposed change in deployment worries Sheri Scarborough, president of the West Boca Community Council, which represents 110 homeowners associations west of Boca Raton. She would rather see other programs trimmed so deputies could continue normal patrols.
"It's a shame. I think we'll see an increase in crime," she said.
Scarborough thinks law enforcement can deter crime simply by having officers drive around in marked cruisers.
"I'd hate for the sheriff to have his hands tied behind his back," she said.
What impact the reductions in patrols would have is hard to tell, Bradshaw said. But he pledged to continue his agency's enhanced street presence following the recent spike in gang-related violence.
His word, he said, is reflected in the budget: About $14 million in overtime is budgeted for next year to keep deputies and detectives working on solving crime. That's up from about $8 million budgeted at the start of the current fiscal year.