The sheriff’s office presented a detailed review of county-funded law-enforcement positions during the Nov. 17 work session, describing roughly 31–33 sworn positions funded by the general fund that provide services across the county and to contract cities.

The sheriff (Speaker 8) and command staff listed core functions funded or partly funded by the general fund: drone and search-and-rescue deputies, civil process deputies, canine teams, detectives, patrol (12 deputies total, described as 3 per shift), an events coordinator, ICAC (internet crimes against children) investigator, a strike/strikeforce contribution, traffic/crash-team support (county-owned crash software and equipment), and support to the ATAC threat-assessment center. Staff noted the county is currently down by one canine and reported roughly 24,000 active warrants identified in a recent check.

Commissioners and city representatives pressed for more data showing how these positions are deployed, how frequently the county backfills contract-city responsibilities, and which duties are mutual aid versus county core responsibilities. Some contract-city representatives said they need clearer evidence that they are paying for the services they receive. Several participants urged a third‑party or internal-audit approach to assemble the usage and cost-allocation data needed for budget decisions.

Sheriff’s staff said they are not asking for all additional positions at once but noted they may request one ICAC position immediately and have discussed an ideal staffing target of 40–43 sworn positions to meet countywide needs; for the current budget cycle, staff said they are asking for up to 10 additional positions in the coming budget as priorities are evaluated. The commission asked staff to provide clearer spreadsheets and operational examples showing how often general-fund deputies perform countywide duties as opposed to mutual aid or contract-city coverage.