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Sheriff reports armory ahead of schedule; briefs board on staffing gains, marine patrol limits
Summary
Sheriff Bingham said the armory construction is slightly ahead of schedule, reported progress on recruitment and warned marine patrol staffing remains constrained despite new equipment and grants; the board approved sheriff budgets with minor amendments.
Sheriff Brian Bingham updated the Board of Supervisors on June 25 about multiple sheriff's office budget units, construction projects and staffing changes.
Bingham said the county armory project is progressing well and was about four months ahead of schedule. He also said an emergency-operations-center remodel and other facility upgrades are in the pipeline. "The main office armory project is going well...they're about 4 months ahead of schedule," the sheriff said.
Staffing: The sheriff said recent recruitments and new strategies are improving staffing. He reported hires that will reduce the number of unfilled correctional positions and said several deputy candidates are in background checks or entering academies. "We started a new recruitment program...we have the run recruitment sergeant, but we've designated three deputies...we're sending to academies now and to do that recruitment for us," Bingham said.
Marine patrol and equipment: Bingham described marine-patrol funding constraints and the county's reliance on 900-hour (seasonal or temporary) employees. The state Department of Boating and Waterways provides $315,312 annually; additional patrol funding must come from county boat taxes or the general fund when staffing increases. He said several longstanding 900-hour deputies retired recently, reducing summer coverage, and the office is trying to rehire annuitants to restore patrol presence.
Body cameras and facility work: The sheriff said the department has designated over $1 million for a body-worn camera upgrade and will move to a cloud-based system for evidence. He also told the board the jail fencing project carried forward $101,114 in AB 109 revenue for payment when the work is finished.
Why it matters: The armory and EOC work affect public-safety infrastructure; staffing and marine-patrol funding affect the sheriff's operational capacity on the water and in patrol operations. The board approved the sheriff's suite of budget units later in the agenda as part of a consolidated action (see Votes at a glance). Bingham said the department will continue recruiting and use short-term hires where necessary while stressing the long-term goal of returning to a larger, proactive patrol and investigative capacity.
