El Paso County sheriff details nearly $40 million public safety tax spending, outlines new east substation plan

Sheriff Joseph Bridal told the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 30 that the county's public safety sales tax is financing nearly $40 million in law-enforcement and emergency-response spending and described how the funds are being used to expand staffing, equipment and facilities.

Bridal said the public safety tax total shown in his presentation is $39,924,700, and that money is “dedicated exclusively to meeting the public safety needs of El Paso County.” He told commissioners it covers salary, benefits and taxes for 197 employees in his office and pays for vehicles, body-worn cameras, radios, evidence storage and training.

The sheriff gave a line-item summary in his presentation: just over $11.5 million for law-enforcement personnel, equipment and supplies in that bureau; about $5 million for training; and nearly $1 million for employee and mission support, including administrative supplies and facility upgrades. Bridal also said the office recently upgraded patrol vehicles to sport-utility vehicles and is…