Sheriff Darren Thompson spoke candidly to supervisors Tuesday about a severe staffing shortage in his department and warned officials about the dangers of having two deputies on patrol at any given time.
Thompson spoke openly to supervisors in a department head announcement and asked officials to “green light” the hiring of additional deputies. Thompson noted how there were nearly 100 employees when he was elected in late 2010 and there are 47 positions now, with three vacancies.
It amounts to having two patrol deputies covering the entire county of 1,400 square miles during a given shift. Thompson told supervisors that some criminals have picked up on the “dismal staffing” and the lacking patrol.
“We are unable to perform contemporary police work such as separating members of a household when responding to domestic violence,” Thompson said, also pointing to potential problems in a possible crisis situation such as a school shooting.
While he wasn’t making an official request – it isn’t yet mid-year for the current budget cycle – he hoped to spur dialogue and commitments for hires in the coming months. That would allow his department to start the long processes of recruitment and training.
Thompson said some arrested individuals had been using a scanner and had knowledge of the low staffing.
“Anyone with a scanner knows there are only two units responding,” Thompson said.
Supervisors followed his statements by expressing support for the notion of hiring more deputies.
“I think the board has been fully aware of your staffing challenges and certainly it needs to be a priority for us to improve that situation,” Supervisor Anthony Botelho said.
Supervisor Robert Rivas called the staffing a problem.
“It’s a shortage,” he said. “But at the same time, as much as I would like to allocate more deputies to your department and in our county, there’s the fiscal component. Can we do it?”
