Sheriff requests multiyear funding for staffing, CAD replacement and a "correctional care center" study
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Summary
Sheriff Robert Luna told the Board that staffing shortages, a failing 40-year-old CAD system and an aging vehicle and aircraft fleet require targeted, phased investments; he asked for $1.2 million to study a replacement “correctional care center” and ongoing funding for eight academies and extra trainee slots.
Sheriff Robert Luna told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17 that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department faces pressing operational and infrastructure shortfalls and urged a targeted, multiyear budget approach.
Luna outlined requests that include continued funding for four additional academies (bringing the total to eight annually) and funding for 244 additional deputy trainee slots to address a 23 percent unavailability rate among sworn personnel. He said the department has been receiving over 400 applications per week and that recruitment has improved, but that retention programs are also essential.
"We have many challenges in technology," Luna said, thanking the board for funding the first phase of a new computer-aided dispatch system and noting the existing CAD is nearly 40 years old and has failed multiple times in the last month. He asked the board to approve positions to bridge the transition and to later authorize a capital project to house a centralized CAD.
Luna also requested a multiyear equipment replacement plan for patrol cars, inmate-transport buses and patrol-rescue helicopters, pointing to a fleet with thousands of vehicles exceeding recommended service years. He said the county’s helicopters range between 15 and 25 years old, sometimes use discontinued models, and are increasingly costly to maintain.
On correctional facilities, Luna requested $1,200,000 for engineering and architectural work to scope and produce initial schematics for a proposed Correctional Care Center to replace the aging Men’s Central Jail. "Today, 51 percent of our inmate population requires specialty mental health housing and services," he said, and argued that a new facility with appropriate treatment and housing could reduce liability and meet legal obligations.
Luna said some immediate deferred maintenance needs include a failing hillside at Pitchers Detention Center — he asked for $3,500,000 to stabilize a failing slope that jeopardizes a large water tank. He framed the approach as pragmatic and phased, noting some components (like vehicle and air-rescue replacements) could be partially funded through Measure E and other district revenues.
The board’s members pressed for additional detail about community outreach, alternative funding sources (state or federal), and whether the design work could build on prior studies. Acting CEO and other supervisors emphasized that any large capital program should involve mental-health partners, Public Works and community stakeholders early in the planning process.
Next steps: Luna said he will return with more detailed capital project proposals and updated cost analyses; the board asked for a written packet of prior study costs and a community outreach plan before moving to a capital authorization.
