Local Police Chiefs Back Sheriff’s Plan

Local police chiefs hope the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approve a budget plan proposed by the sheriff’s department.

Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff presented his plan to the board of supervisors Monday afternoon during their final budget impact hearing.

Beaumont Police Chief Frank Coe and Desert Hot Springs Police Chief Patrick Williams, with the Allied Chiefs of Police Association went to support Sniff’s proposed budget plan.

Under his plan, the department would avoid the immediate layoffs of hundreds of deputies.

“I think as we reduce staffing through attrition over time it gives us the opportunity to evaluate our needs, deploy our resources where we need to be to ensure we maintain a very safe county,” said Coe.

Layoff fears started last month when the Sheriff’s Department passed out 200 pink slips to jail deputies and deputies who patrol unincorporated parts of the county.

Sniff said hundreds more layoffs were expect

Coe and Williams both worry local police departments, already stretched thin, would have to pick up the slack responding to calls from unincorporated areas.

“So to pull a police officer out to respond to a county call is going to impact everybody,” said Coe.

Williams said his department helped the sheriff’s more recently.

“I do see us more and more the past couple years as our staffing has increased our ability to assist more,” said Williams.

The sheriff’s plan would also keep jails open, and the Safe Team and Gang Task Force intact.

While Sniff is optimistic about his proposal, he admits there’s still a lot of uncertainty.

His department will still be in the red.

Supervisors still have to approve it when they finalize their budget in September.

“If the county, the board takes time to look at the overall picture and if they adopt Sheriff Sniff’s proposal, it’s a practical solution to help them through their budget challenges,” said Williams.