Demanding Accountability
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Guest Editorial
Josephine County Sheriff
By Gil Gilbertson, Sheriff
Guest Opinion / Press release
Since assuming the Office of Sheriff, I have focused on finding and creating efficiencies within the organization, ensuring that operations are undertaken in a logical and fiscally responsible manner. We are currently operating more efficiently and the residents of Josephine County are receiving a greater return on their investment from the Sheriff’s Office.
As the Sheriff, I am required to meet certain clearly defined legal obligations, established by Statute. Specifically, we are required to provide court security, search & rescue, serving civil papers, and a jail. The law also requires the Sheriff to “arrest and commit to prison all persons who break the peace, or attempt to break it, and all persons guilty of public offenses.” Additionally, we are required to “defend the county against those who, by riot or otherwise, endanger the public peace or safety.” which can only be accomplished with patrol and investigative units.
Clearly each one of these services is necessary to provide some measure of safety. However, those same laws that require me to provide each of these services also give me the latitude to determine what level of service the Office will support, which in turn, depends on the level of funding received.
Recently, a hiring freeze was implemented in hopes of stretching the County’s resources until another Federal bailout occurs. This hiring freeze affected our ability to bring on six new Deputies. More recently still, I was directed by the County’s Chief Financial Officer to reduce my upcoming budget by almost $2 million. Because I am required to use County services for many of our Office’s needs, the only area that I truly control within my budget is how many people I can hire to serve you. Facing this $2 million reduction leaves me with no options except to once again lay-off personnel.
In the past, personnel responsible for emergency response (911) were the first cut when faced with a financial crisis. In my opinion, that is most certainly not a healthy or responsible choice to make. The top three priorities for everyone in this Office is the protection of life, liberty, and property. To reduce those Deputies that can provide emergency response to your calls for help violates the very tenets of public service, and our responsibility to provide you with a safer community.
Conversely, reducing the number of employees at the jail diminishes the number of inmates we are capable of safely housing. Due to safety and other regulatory considerations, it may be necessary to house prisoners in beds rented from another county, which may actually be cost prohibitive. Having to choose between eliminating Patrol Deputies and Corrections Deputies is similar to being forced to choose between buying groceries and paying the electric bill.
Both Court Security and the Civil Division are already operating with meager staffing and reducing personnel in either of those two areas is not an option.
As the owner and customer of the Sheriff Office, your input in determining where to focus these upcoming cuts is necessary. Because these choices have such an impact on all of you, it is only fair that you share in the decision.
Please take this opportunity to vote in our “Public survey” on what you feel is important to you, your family, and this community. Go to www.co.josephine.or.us, and follow the links to the Sheriff’s Office page; there you will find a link to the survey.
My promise, as always, remains to manage the Office as efficiently as possible with the resources you provide.
Gil Gilbertson, Sheriff
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