Dear Mr. Nichols:
I am in receipt of your letter of February 19, 2008 regarding the proposal to employ a new class of correctional employee in the Orange County Jail system. I fully understand the concerns as stated and want to assure you that they will be addressed. I believe the involvement of AOCDS and other impacted unions will greatly assist the County and the Sheriff’s Department with the successful resolution of current and future correctional staffing issues.
To reiterate what was said during our February 7, 2008 meeting with the entire AOCDS Board of Directors, the Sheriff’s Department is facing tremendous budgetary difficulties that are projected to last for several years. Additionally, operating expenses will spike with the projected expansion of the James A Musick Facility, a necessary undertaking to ensure we can incarcerate criminals who prey upon the good residents of our communities. The continuing cost of operating our current jails extensively with Deputy Sheriffs, and the construction and operating expenses of future planned jail expansion, place an unbearable fiscal burden upon the taxpayers of Orange County. While acting as Sheriff, it is my responsibility to ensure the Sheriff’s Department engages in a continuing, comprehensive self-evaluation of how we operate our jails to ensure best practices are being applied and efficiencies maximized. Realized fiscal savings by introducing a non-sworn correctional employee classification will allow for the sustained safe operation of the jails without having to cut other critical programs and public safety services. Exploring the use of non-sworn correctional employees in our jails is representative of my duty to explore various options to operate the Department more efficiently without diminishing the quality or quantity of law enforcement services provided to the community.
I have considered the employment of non-sworn correctional personnel in our jails as a primary means of cutting expenses, with preliminary projections suggesting that about $24 to 34 million in annual savings will be realized in existing jail facilities alone. Such an initiative is also consistent with industry standards. The vast majority of law enforcement agencies in Southern California employ correctional personnel of varying classifications to work in county or city jails. The savings realized will allow us to maintain and expand existing patrol services, gang and drug suppression efforts, terrorism early warning, child and sexual predator interdiction, forensics and DNA efforts, and a host of other public safety programs and projects.
As you are aware, employing Deputy Sheriffs in our jails under the current system will be difficult to sustain with the build out of the Musick Facility. Currently, Deputies attend a rigorous paid six-month patrol-oriented basic academy and then work for approximately seven or eight years in a jail and/or court facility before being eligible for a patrol assignment. This operational fact is far from optimal. The time delay for Deputies to rotate to patrol assignments with the Musick expansion may rise to 15 years, an unacceptable business practice and poor public policy.
The proposal to utilize a non-sworn correctional personnel class is in its infancy stages and no specific plan or model has been decided upon. Much research and consideration still needs to be undertaken.
I would like to reiterate my invitation for you and the AOCDS members to work with us collaboratively in this endeavor. By working together, we can develop a workable proposal that meets budgetary realities while upholding the tradition of professionalism and safety in our jails.
Sincerely,
Jack Anderson
Assistant Sheriff
Acting as Sheriff-Coroner