Says there is a need for more officers, threatens work on domestic violence issues, says they can’t tell him what to do, criticizes the study that was done, cuts medical staff in the jail, says that its not worth individual monitoring of special needs inmates to prevent suicide and threatens that there will be more overtime, which they have no choice but to pay. This is from the PP&J or Public Protection and Judiciary presentation on the budget from Tuesday.
Sheriff David Mahoney starts off his presentation by talking about a grant they didn’t get for 2 education officers, he says there were turned down, several thousand applications.
The sheriff says he is mot asking for additional positions, not that there isn’t a need, but in these times one has to identify priorities. He notes that the deputies stepped up to do more in recognition of their responsibility on public safety and they made progress in alternative incarceration program, they reduced jail overcrowding. They have worked with sexual assault and domestic violence groups for alternative programs. When they saw numbers decrease when vacancies in jail went down, he took his responsibility to reevaluate needs, reassigned staff while providing adequate staff. He says he is appearing tonight in response to proposal to cut positions.
The sheriff says he says he has verbal amendments. Um, someone want to tell him that he isn’t a county board supervisor and can’t make amendments to the budget.
“Sheriff PP&J #1” – He requests that they evaluate 2 positions, it is 2 “Deputy 4” positions – that is a classification, two assignments to the crime scene investigator, one works days and one works afternoon. I couldn’t follow him, but he’s now he is calling them detectives, he says the two most junior detectives that would be replaced are assigned to domestic violence. Hmmm . . . domestic violence = rookie job/job no one wants? The elimination of those positions would reduce ability of sheriff department. He talks about they don’t just work in the Town of Burke or Town of Middleton but they are statutorily required to assist every agency in the county. They are working on a homicide right now, they assisted in Fitchburg and Sun Prairie with a horrendous crime cuz we had adequate staffing. Each of the positions to be eliminated work on domestic violence, crime victim services. Losing these positions also would increase overtime, that is just natural common sense if eliminate 2 detectives that work gets picked up elsewhere.
Carousel Bayrd asked if they eliminate those positions is domestic violence no longer a priority, would the level of service go down.
Sheriff says that this body created the positions to address domestic violence, he says the level of service goes down, this project would eliminate those positions. I believe he said it was $160K, but he was hard to hear.
“Sheriff PP&J #2” – He wants the reinstatement of deputy 1 & 2 positions, he says that those along with two created sergeant positions was $255K, if they have three community deputies, that costs $214K, which would save $41K. (Again, I’m not sure I understood what he was saying, he was sort of mumbling and not really talking in complete sentences. I’m not well versed in Sheriff Mahoney speak.) He says the elimination of those positions will have a detrimental impact, negative impact on overtime, it will impact time off and and make it hard to cover long term absences. When he spoke to the full board, he told them in 2001 that they created the positions to address overtime, they have 6 people to cover vacant positions due to leave to reduce overtime, this is leaving them 5 positions, they have 20 long term absences due to FMLA, military and disability leave. The five are filling those needs, if reduce deputies 1 and 2 positions – in 2009 they eliminated overtime cuz of staffing numbers they maintained. He never finished his sentence.. These positions are vital to community policing, he heard form staff on DMI? study and community policing, it is no different here in Dane County the community deputies affect ability to do community oriented policing. He says that even though these positions were eliminated in the executive budget, the sheriff still has authority to assign staff as necessary, the courts have determined that it is very clear that only the sheriff has ability to decide staff, elimination of two sergeants . . . and then he mumbles.
“Sheriff PP&J #3” This is another deputy 1 or 2 position. $71K, he’d like them reinstated, concerned about elimination of that position. He says the matrix study disregarded supreme court rules that they should have two security in some cases, they are abiding by the rules, they need adequate bailiff positions, but can’t address overtime.
“Sheriff PP&J #4” This one asks for reinstatement of deputies 1 or 2 position. This one does civil process. He again states that the position of Sheriff is a constitutional position, it’s his responsibility, he says this comes back to matrix staffing study, they recommended no reduction in the report, on p 217 they said the reduction is possible if work load decreases by 7% from 2009 level, in 2010 number of process served 2.7% less, half of what study calls for.
“Sheriff PP&J #5” This is $20K, he says no good deed goes unpunished, for years they asked the sheriff to create lines that are more transparent, more accountable. This is the Sheriff Admin line, 2168 misc deputy expenditure line, he asked for it to be reduced but put in a new budget line for field services for $20K. For years it was in this line, he changed it to be more transparent, the money was removed from admin, but not in the new line.
“Sheriff PP&J #6” Decrease the revenue line by $25K. There is a provision asking for sale of county property, the prisoner bus. It is true they have not sent out prisoners in two years, but they spent $74550 in 2007, today the bus is estimated valued at $25K. Currently have 1991 vehicle, being used for ??, if had to buy new vehicle for ???, they would have to pay $130K, if take prisoner transport vehicle and then use it for something else, it would save $40K.
The sheriff says he prioritized these at the request of the chair. He says PP&J #1 is his priority. He listed them in order of priority. The 2 positions doing domestic violence, the 3 community police officers, 1 bailiff, the civil process server and then the miscellaneous line.
Wiggie (i.e. David Wiganowski) says that Kathleen Falk cut 8 positions, you didn’t ask for them all, what did they miss?
Sheriff says that they carry positions open, he was given no notification of the cuts, there is currently a hiring freeze and 1 position ??????????, he talks about case loads.
Paul Rusk asks if he has a sense of judges in courthouse that do rotation every three years, would it save on bailiff staff if we put all criminal judges together, he understands that the way it is now the bailiffs are running all around multiple floors cuz criminal judges not lumped together and can’t use staircase cuz in private part of the building so they wait for elevators – does he have anything there or would the impact be negligible.
Sheriff says he wouldn’t tell the judges where their offices are, he won’t go down that line.
Rusk asks if anyone else in the room could answer that question.
Someone who works in the bailiff office says no it would not, because when someone is in custody the defendant need two deputies.
Paul Rusk concludes then that it wouldn’t make a difference.
Sheriff says that in open court house where there are non-secure individuals and secure individuals that is different than where they have a secure courtroom. The study used standards for secure jail, which is easier than in facility where people are coming and going.
Bayrd asks about p 170 of the budget, what is a “background deputy”.
Sheriff says that in the heyday, staff were assigned to background investigation, in 2008 budget there was funding for a recruiter, with the sole purpose of working with people of color and faith based community to hire candidates, the program was successful, they doubled population of employees of color in 4 short years, that is one of the positions, with the hiring freeze this person can plug a hole in shift at any time, those are the positions.
Bayrd also asks about electronic monitoring deputies, she says they don’t have the number they predicted, it is not obtainable, while she is very satisfied with that huge success, the number we came up were not realistic accurate number, do you still need positions for electronic monitoring.
Sheriff says he already made those adjustments, the number 200 came from average number of inmates, he went back to staff and asked what we need, they have that number, never hit 200, its 160 – 180 average but today it is only 100, so realizing that we reassigned part of deputies to fill in the tasks and keeping them and they are awaiting a day when jail population increases and until need them, have reassigned the staff.
Rusk asks if pharmacy tech position also eliminated?
Sheriff says that there are two positions in medical contract – a clerk and a pharmacy tech, the pharmacy tech deals with medications that came back in, you could dedicate their time to dispensing medications, now a nurse will have to do it, the nurse will now will be doing more duties, there will be some level of service, a health care provider can work around that cuz it is necessary. So, no one can tell the sheriff how to do his job, but he knows what medical services are necessary and which ones are not? He says there was no push back on the clerk positions, some on the pharmacy tech position, but the nurse can do both jobs.
Rusk confirms that the nurse position was part of the health care team not the one we added at mental health.
Wiggie says most of system has cameras to monitor for suicide, someone is monitoring that 24 hours, he asks about a recent suicide, are they short staff, if not, why not?
Sheriff says they had staffing but several responsibilities going on at same time, cameras could not solve that, inmate dead set on committing suicide, they have the whole thing on video tape, if someone was watching at the monitor only on that cell, maybe they could have interceded, but they monitor multiple inmates at a time in special needs cells on who are on camera and to sit and watch multiple images we don’t have individual that can sit there, would not be good use of resources, on that night, we had an inmate dead set on it – the moment the deputy passed by the cell they did it, after multiple attempts in the past.
Wiggie tries to make the argument that more deputies would prevent this and increase security.
Sheriff says no, doesn’t know if needed more staff, he says that need to address people with chronic illness, they need medical care, sheriff says can’t do it in istitution.
Brett Hulsey asks about 20 bed unit at Tellurian, can’t they use that?
Sheriff says that is a drop off, not secure, not for individuals who would be incarcerated, they still come to Dane County Jail, the two at Dane County Mental Health are a respite center for people suffering from mental illness, not secure, just monitored an assisted with medications.
Hulsey asks if they have secured beds.
Sheriff says detox goes to detox, those aren’t facilities for . . . . mumbles
And that’s it . . .
Well, except Mark Hazelbaker speaks from the public and asks them to restore the 7 positions, he says they worked to build up core, it goes back to when he worked for Jonathan Barry, they had 1/3 of patrol deputies, response time was horrible, the county has done a lot to address staffing, they are not overstaffed, he will look forward to working with committee to keep the positions – regarding the court service position, he is a practicing lawyer, although plenty of private services out there, nothing compares to sheriff serving the paper if we want people to show up, and appear, first step is getting service of process, very important.
