BAKERSFIELD, CA - Fewer sheriff's deputies on our roads and longer response times. That's what the sheriff says will happen if the Sheriff's Department is required to cut its budget by a recommended $6.6 million this next fiscal year.
The plan would be to close four substations, a jail, and eliminate 51 positions, and it's all because the county is trying to make up for fiscal losses of up to $30 million at Kern Medical Center.
The cuts are part of the County Administrative Office's request for all departments to cut their budget by 5 percent.
"This has been the story for the last five years," said Chief Deputy Francis Moore.
So far, the sheriff cut $7 million. Those cuts include not getting new vehicles and cutting rural crime officers and deputies for the new Tejon Outlets. But to be on budget, the department still has to cut an additional $6.6 million.
"There's nowhere left to cut," said Chief Deputy Moore.
On the chopping block at this point, the Ridgecrest jail and 51 deputy positions resulting in 19 layoffs, cuts that Chief Deputy Moore said will dramatically increase response times and force Ridgecrest deputies to bring inmates to Bakersfield.
"Meaning when you call 911 it's going to take us a lot longer to get there because you can only do so much with the current staff," said Chief Deputy Moore.
Laying off deputies is something supervisors told the Sheriff's Department Tuesday they don't want to do, but if more money is allocated to the sheriff, the $6.6 million will have to come from another struggling department.
"We don't want to cut the libraries anymore than the librarians do, but we have a different role," said Chief Deputy Moore.
The county is set to discuss the budget July 22, but decisions won't be made until August.