Orange Co.Sheriff rips Diana about proposed cuts to overtime

[ace84 100]

Orange County Sheriff rips Diana about proposed cuts to overtime

GOSHEN — Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois blasted County Executive Ed Diana on Tuesday for seeking to cut his overtime budget by more than $1.1 million, saying it could deplete the jail's funds by June and cost the county a lucrative arrangement to house immigration prisoners in unused beds.

In his 2012 budget proposal this month, Diana slashed overtime for correction officers by $800,000, or 44 percent, and for patrol deputies by $301,475, or 39 percent. The sheriff's office had requested amounts similar to the previous two years

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Edited October 26, 2011 by ace84

[Guest Steve Rollo]

He also trying to take the Orange County Sheriff's deputies(SRO) out of the schools to save money.

[LT1296 3]

These municipalities and bosses just dont understand. You either hire more officers or you pay the overtime. There is no way around it, people have been trying for years. Its sad because the citizens are the ones suffering the most because the less overtime and positions filled, teh less protection is being given. You cant have your cake and eat is too.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Never understood the thought process of cutting back on public safety be it fire, police or EMS. I wonder how many department heads have assistants, etc make top dollars to do who knows what.

[helicopper 1,050]

These municipalities and bosses just dont understand. You either hire more officers or you pay the overtime. There is no way around it, people have been trying for years. Its sad because the citizens are the ones suffering the most because the less overtime and positions filled, teh less protection is being given. You cant have your cake and eat is too.

Or, and this is becoming the disturbing trend, they will simply reduce the number of required positions cutting both officer positions and overtime.

[v85 212]

I think it should be mentioned that there is a backstory here, in that the county executive and many of the legislators don't believe the Sheriff should have a police function. They believe in a strict reading of the county charter which only mentions the service of civil process, and maintaining the jail as functions (ignoring the preserve peace and order function present). As the OCSO is currently taking on more of a police function, this could be backlash from that.

[NWFDMedic 58]

Never understood the thought process of cutting back on public safety be it fire, police or EMS. I wonder how many department heads have assistants, etc make top dollars to do who knows what.

I think that legislators target public safety for cuts many times because they know that the public outcry to keep the positions will give them a reason to raise spending (and taxes) above the level that the public would tolerate. Of course people hate taxes but the legislators can say "yup, we're making you pay a few more dollars that we wanted to but we saved your cops/FF/EMS workers". Nobody would stand up to save the job of the third assistant to the chief paper pusher in town hall.

Public safety should not be exempt from cuts in difficult times. If there is waste in any department, it should be cut. Unfortunately, it seems that many government agencies seem to view public safety as the first place to cut.