Sheriff argues over funding

Hannah Schott
Sept. 28, 2009
County Affairs

An argument regarding county affairs occurred Thursday between the county sheriff and several county commissioners. The sheriff accused the county commissioners of preventing changes the county sheriff's department needs.
"You're putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy," Sheriff Gus DiCesari said to commission president Anne Chenn and commission members Valerie Dawkins, Faith Ellis, Jose Gardez and Roland Grauman. DiCesari asked for five new sheriff's deputies and eight new police cruisers, but Chenn said the county does not have the $580,000 needed for those improvements.
DiCesari told the county commissioners that the eight current police cruisers each have more than 150,000 miles on them. DiCesari said: "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 suggested that deputies not drive their cruisers home each day as they do now, which would make cars more available and limit mileage. DiCesari disagreed. He said letting the deputies drive their cruisers home and parking them in their neighborhoods is a deterrent to crime.
Commission members Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne supported Sheriff DiCesari's plea for more funding. Shenuski and Laybourne said the county should spend more money on the sheriff's department and law enforcement than on programs for migrant workers who come to the county.
Shenuski said during an argument with Chenn: "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 health care 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."
Chenn denied that migrant workers are the problem. Chenn said the county ran short of money this year because of increased costs for employee health care and fuel. The county also had to spend $30 million to build a new prison. Chenn said: "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."
The county commissioners estimate that there are around 5,000 migrant families now in the county working in agriculture, construction and service industry jobs. Commissioner Jose Gardez said many of the migrant workers become permanent members of the community, open businesses and become citizens.
The commissioners voted 5-2 against the sheriff's request for additional money.