Sheriff gets go-ahead to charge more for patrol deputies

Riverside County supervisors today signed off on asheriff’s department request to hike the rates charged to cities and othercontract entities for the use of patrol deputies and other personnel.

In a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Jeff Stone absent, the Board ofSupervisors approved the rate increases, retroactive to July 1, 2012, whichsheriff’s officials say are needed to recoup higher operational costs incurredby the department over the past year.

Under the revised rate schedule, the cost of a sheriff’s patrol deputywill rise from $126.74 per hour to $132.69 — a 4.69 percent jump from theprevious fiscal year.

The increase reflects higher labor expenses and the costs associatedwith support functions, including supervisors and administrators. The cost ofstaff benefits are also priced into the figures.

Higher extra duty pay rates for other sworn and non-sworn personnel wereincluded in the revised rate schedule. According to sheriff’s officials,cities and other contracting parties will only be billed for those expenses ifthey choose to expand their public safety staffs beyond the number called forunder their law enforcement services agreements.

According to the plan, the cost of an additional sheriff’s patrolcorporal will increase from $135.53 per hour to $141.15 per hour, or about 4.15percent; an additional sheriff’s investigator from $69.13 to $73.17, or 5.84percent; and an additional school resource officer from $68.22 to $73.51, orabout 8 percent.

In several instances, costs for contingency personnel will go down. Thehourly rate of a sheriff’s captain will fall from $120.51 to $116.23 per hour,a 3.5 percent drop; a lieutenant from $106.03 to $102.96, a 3 percent dip; anda sergeant from $92.39 to $89.45, also 3 percent lower.

According to sheriff’s documents, 15 cities, a community servicesdistrict and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians will be required to payincreased sums for the sheriff’s use of facilities dedicated to servicing thecommunities.

According to the sheriff’s department, the heftier bills generally stemfrom county Department of Facilities Management costs to maintain stations,including lights, waterworks, landscaping and custodial operations. The sheriffinitially carries the expenses, then passes them on to the contracting parties,each of which is invoiced in proportion to how much they consume.

The largest percentage increase in facilities costs will be borne byEastvale, which faces a $96,253 bill, compared with $53,264 the previous year–an approximately 81 percent jump that sheriff’s officials attributed to full-year service costs being imposed on the nascent municipality. The previousyear, Eastvale was only charged for a partial year’s services.

The city of Perris will bear the highest facilities fee in dollars andcents: $495,714, up from $451,905 the previous fiscal year.