Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Adopted Budget - County of Sonoma

RECOMMENDED BUDGET
SHERIFF
Steve Freitas, Sheriff-Coroner
The recommended budget reflects overall expenditures of $121.7 million, a $4.6 million decrease from FY 10-11. Recommended
expenditures are supported by $50.2 million in revenues and internal reimbursements for services provided to other departments and
agencies and County General Fund support of $69.9 million. Revenues and reimbursements increased about $1.4 million and overall
County General Fund net cost decreased as a result by nearly $6.9 million from FY 10-11. This equates to a 16% reduction in County
General Fund support for continuing programs from the prior year. Reductions in County General Fund support/total expenditures were
made primarily in salaries and benefits. The significant increases in revenues and reimbursements were related to charges for services for
law enforcement and court security service contracts.
Under state law, the Sheriff-Coroner is responsible for the delivery of law enforcement and related emergency services to the
unincorporated areas of Sonoma County. Additionally, the Sheriff-Coroner is responsible for the housing and all basic living needs of
incarcerated criminal offenders and persons charged with criminal offenses. By law, the Sheriff-Coroner must provide food, clothing,
medical, and mental health care as well as a variety of other services including library and educational programs to the inmates while
they are incarcerated within the County detention facilities.
Core Services Maintained
The Sheriff's Office main mission and core service is to provide safe, healthy and caring communities, and any reductions in the Sheriff's
Office budget will negatively affect the safety of the communities within Sonoma County.
• The Sheriff's Office will maintain patrol services in the unincorporated areas of the county, providing law enforcement response to
emergency dispatch calls for service and initiating service delivery when possible. Contracts with Sonoma and Windsor, which are
fully funded by the cities, are maintained at existing levels.
• The Coroner's Bureau will retain a high level of expertise in forensic death investigation and pathology examination.
• The Marine Unit will provide limited law enforcement and patrol services on the waterways of the county and along the coast,
maintaining life saving equipment, watercraft, and staffing.
• The Sheriff's Office will continue to provide an effective and efficient Dispatch Unit, receiving calls for emergency services and
dispatching response personnel 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
• Prisoner transportation functions and court security services for the Sonoma County Superior Court will continue to be provided.
• The Sheriff's Office will keep, to a limited extent, its Investigative Bureau where most felony crimes and other complex matters are
investigated. Services include narcotic/drug enforcement within Sonoma County and investigations of property crimes, violent crimes,
domestic violence/sexual assaults (DVSA), and crime scene investigations.
• The Central Information Bureau will continue to maintain the Records Management System containing crime reports and call-for
service information, the Central Warrant System including all criminal warrants issued in the county as well as the storing of physical
evidence, found property, and property for safekeeping. Visitors to the Sheriff's Office will be assisted at the main building front
counter Monday-Friday, 8a.m-5 p.m. with general information, crime reports, registrant files, fingerprinting, and vehicle releases.
• The Sheriff's Office will retain Civil Bureau services including the serving and execution of all writs, warrants, summons, and orders
of the Court including all papers and orders required to be served in proceedings in court or otherwise by law.
• Other core specialty services maintained include those performed by the Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) Team (response to
critical incidents), Hostage Negotiations (HNT) Team (response to hostage or kidnapping incidents), and Crime Analysis and
Prevention, which includes responding to community requests for graffiti removal, crime prevention education, presentations on
domestic violence, child and bicycle safety, drug and alcohol education, gang education, neighborhood watch, security surveys and
vehicle abatement.
• The Sheriff's Office will continue to operate the two adult detention facilities in accordance with federal and state laws for the
incarceration of inmates and related provision of services to inmates including housing, medical, mental health, and education classes
and programs.
Services Eliminated or Reduced
• The Helicopter program is eliminated including five positions, for a cost savings of $1.9 million dollars. Funding is included to
continue the helicopter lease payment, hangar space and minimal service to maintain equipment for one year. The grounding of the
County of Sonoma
FY 2011-2012 Adopted Budget
103
Justice Services