Several county commissioners and the county sheriff are debating against equipment and personnel. Thursday afternoon the arguments became heated and the sheriff accused the county commissioners of “shortchanging” the sheriff’s department to save money. “You’re putting the lives of people of this country in jeopardy,” stated Sheriff Gus Dicesari. But according to Commissioner President Anne Chenn the county does not have enough money to pay for new police cars, and hire five new sheriff’s deputies. Chenn is not alone with believing there isn’t sufficient money. Along with her are commissioner members Valerie Dawkins, Faith Ellis, Jose Gardoz and Roland Grauman.
But according to Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne the county should spend more money on law enforcement and the sheriff’s department rather than wasting it on migrant workers. “We never had problems until we began letting migrants come to this county to work. They are a problem for our law enforcement, our schools, and our healthcare system. They take away jobs from decent people and work for next to nothing and if something gets stolen, you can bet it is one of them that’s taken it. We need to protect local residents from them,” Shenuski said directed at Chenn. Chenn on the other hand did not agree, “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people being employed at jobs that local residents don’t want to do. They add a great deal to the local economy and they pay taxes. You are being a hypocrite when you try to blame those people for everything.” Comissioner Jose Gardez said there are more than 5,000 migrant families working in agriculture, construction, and service industry jobs. Many of these workers becoming permanent members of the community and earning citizenship.
The county has run low on funds this year due to $30 million being spent on a new prison to alleviate overcrowding, and health care and fuel costs have escalated. The county had $127 million budget this year and ran short. Dicesari would like to purchase 8 new police cars to replace 8 older ones that have over 150,000 miles on them. “It is getting too costly to maintain the older vehicles and they spend too much time in the repair shop. You commissioners eliminated the equipment budgets for my department this year and now I can’t buy anything. This is the first time in my 27 years as sheriff that the county hasn’t allocated money to the sheriff’s department to buy equipment. My deputies can’t keep driving these old vehicles. Something bad is going to happen.” Chenn told Dicesari he will have to make do this year because they will not have an extra $580,000 to supply them with. Anne Chenn made a suggestion that the deputies not drive their cars home to save on wear and tear and gas, but Dicesari said it helps keep crime down in their neighborhoods. The commissioners voted 5-2 against the sheriff’s request.
