Cuyahoga County sheriff outlines staffing studies, overtime pressure and reforms to cut costs
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Summary
Sheriff Pertel told the Committee of the Whole on Nov. 3 that staffing analyses and operational changes aim to reduce overtime and improve efficiency. He described the county’s electronic monitoring and warrant work, proposed a goal for a Community Support Unit and detailed reassignments and hiring practices intended to lower costs.
Cuyahoga County’s sheriff presented the department’s recommended 2026–27 operating outlook and described steps the office is taking to reduce overtime and improve operations.
The sheriff said two staffing analyses—one focused on law enforcement and one on corrections—are informing changes intended to improve efficiency. He identified overtime as the department’s primary budget pressure and said projected overtime for 2025 is about $23,000,000. He said the office has reduced certain staffing hours by reassigning duties (for example, moving correction officers away from custodial tasks and hiring custodians and laundry workers) and by adopting shift‑length adjustments, such as a 10‑hour schedule implemented last year.
The sheriff described operational units and statistics: an electronic monitoring program with an average daily count of about 608 people and roughly 1.6 million alerts annually; a warrant unit working with U.S. Marshals on violent offenders; and a SWAT team that provides tactical support for municipalities and major events. He said the Community Support Unit (formerly the downtown safety patrol) is projected at 12 deputies and two sergeants to allow two squads and seven‑day coverage, but he also said current staffing and the hiring freeze limit immediate growth and that any expansion will depend on budget and hiring decisions.
Council members asked for detail on where overtime is spent (hospital transports and backfill were identified as major drivers) and whether recent administrative reforms—including stricter attendance policies and training for non‑corrections trades—had produced savings. The sheriff said those changes have reduced staffing voids and overtime. He also said the department is pursuing technology and scheduling tools to better track and manage overtime and staffing in near real time.
The sheriff characterized the work as a multi‑year effort involving the Office of Innovation, HR and the fiscal office, and he asked for continued support for staffing, equipment and leadership positions that he said are required to sustain the department’s improvements.