Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheriffs COPS unit updates Lemon Grove council; deputies' full cost presented as ~$390K each
Summary
County sheriff representatives described the COPS units enforcement work and presented a per-deputy total cost (salary, benefits, overhead and vehicle allocations) that the county estimated at about $390,350.72, prompting council discussion about whether and how to fund the unit from Measure T one-time revenue.
Sheriff's representatives briefed the Lemon Grove City Council on May 19 about the COPS units operations and budget implications, reporting active enforcement work and providing an itemized cost estimate that council members said they would weigh against Measure T priorities.
A sheriffs presenter described the unit as fully operational for roughly seven months and averaging about 10 arrests per month, with a concentration of drug-related cases, retail-theft operations and homelessness-response activities. The presentation included body-camera snapshots and a life-saving medical intervention by a deputy that the presenter said helped save a residents life.
On costs, the sheriffs representative provided a detailed breakdown that included salary and benefits, allocations for administrative staff and support, facility and vehicle overhead, and other operational allocations. The presentation gave a "per-deputy" total cost of $390,350.72; for two deputies the figure shown was about $780,701.43. The presentation also stated a top-step annual pay figure for a deputy of about $140,423.40 (salary only) and indicated that total per-deputy cost differs significantly once benefits and overhead are included.
Council members asked for clarification on salary versus total cost and discussed funding the COPS deputies on a pilot basis using Measure T one-time funds. Some council members cautioned against using temporary sales-tax revenue to fund recurring personnel costs, while others said the pilot could be appropriate in the near term with a plan to move to general-fund support later.
The council did not approve a dedicated funding stream for extra deputies on May 19; members asked staff to return with options and to consult the Measure T committee before committing new recurring expenditures.
Representative quote from the sheriffs presentation: "Grama total per deputy cost is $390,350.72. For two deputies, that comes out to $780,701.43," the presenter said when summarizing the departments cost model.
The council directed staff to consider conservative budgeting and asked the sheriffs representatives and staff to provide additional detail on the cost components before any funding decision.
