expanded law enforcement capacity, and needed efficiency

I was a federal law enforcement agent for 28 years, and faced high-risk enforcement activities throughout my career. The rule of law is fundamental to a safe and civil society. And today’s law enforcement environment presents even more challenges than I encountered in my career. At the same time, the last few years of Sheriff Department budget growth are not sustainable without a tax increase.

It is the county board’s responsibility to ensure the Sheriff has adequate resources to meet today’s challenges. The county budget has reflected this priority:

- Additional funding for a substance abuse/mental health responder team.

- Additional funding to expand the dispatch center to absorb all municipal dispatching.

- Upgraded radio systems.

However, the current level of Sheriff budget growth IS NOT SUSTAINABLE into the future without a tax increase. The Sheriff must be encouraged to find economies of scale, technology efficiencies and metric-driven prioritizations must be implemented in this department.