After five years of having the top rung of the ladder all to
himself, Sheriff Curtis Hill is looking to reorganize the
department by reinstating the undersheriff position which he says
will create a better management system.
Hollister – After five years of having the top rung of the ladder all to himself, Sheriff Curtis Hill is looking to reorganize the department by reinstating the undersheriff position which he says will create a better management system.
Hill said the department is finally in the position financially to appoint an undersheriff. The undersheriff would make almost exactly what Hill makes – about $99,000 a year plus benefits, but Hill wouldn’t comment yet on who’s the likely candidate.
Lt. Pat Turturici is directly under Hill in the chain of command currently, but Hill didn’t say he would be appointing Turturici.
“I wouldn’t be able to say that,” he said. “That would not be fair.”
The county’s growing population and added strain on himself and his employees warrant the addition, he said. The department’s 26 sworn officers patrol the county which is approximately 1,400 square miles.
“I’m a student of this business. I watch the other sheriff departments around the state, and it works better with an undersheriff spot,” he said. “It creates a clear command structure – there’s no questions if I’m not in the office who’s in charge.”
Hollister City Councilman and former sheriff Robert Scattini, said he did away with the position of undersheriff in 1984.
Scattini said he had a management survey conducted by the Police Officer Standards & Training and it recommended the department eliminate the undersheriff position.
“Why have an undersheriff when you’ve got a sheriff running the farm?” Scattini said. “You still have a lieutenant running the department. I don’t see any rationale behind it.”
Scattini said he doesn’t know if the size of the department warrants an undersheriff, but conceded it is the sheriff’s prerogative to organize his department the way he sees fit.
“Personally, I’d go with the set-up I had. I’m looking at taking a crack at sheriff again in two years – I’m really leaning toward it,” he said. “It’d be a good race, and if I don’t beat him it won’t be because I didn’t try.”
Hill, who served as the undersheriff for 10 years to former sheriff Harvey Nyland, said the Board of Supervisors decided to do away with the position in 1999. When he first came into office six years ago, board members had some issues with the way he was running the office and they decided to unfund the position, he said.
“Since then we’ve moved on,” Hill said. “In the last six or seven months I’ve had county administrative officials coming to me, saying, ‘When are you going to bring back the undersheriff position?'”
Supervisor Reb Monaco said he agrees with Hill’s decision to bring back the position because the county’s growing and there’s more demand on the sheriff.
“It’s justifiable in having a balance of some kind of work detail,” Monaco said.
Hill plans to budget the position into next fiscal year’s budget when details about the state’s budget are clearer and he can propose the idea to a new board of supervisors, he said.
Hill wants to reinstate the position because he believes it creates a better management structure.
An undersheriff, which is a position appointed by the sheriff and reports only to the sheriff, oversees all administrative aspects of the department while the sheriff’s out of the office, he said.
“I don’t want ‘yes’ men working for me. I want people to tell me what I need to know, not what they think I want to hear,” Hill said. “I want someone who understands the way I think so we can maximize delivery to the community.”
Hill said serious discussions about the addition of the position and who will be appointed won’t start until April of 2005.
“I have the responsibility to put together a good, solid management team,” he said. “I’m looking for qualified people to promote.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
