Sheriff Orders 4 Programs to Prepare to Shut Down

A day after absorbing sharp cuts to parts of his budget, San Diego County Sheriff Jim Roache Thursday ordered the heads of four key units to “prepare for shutdown” and reassignment of staff at an undetermined date.

If carried out, the orders could leave the Sheriff’s Department without a SWAT team, a public affairs unit, a crime prevention program or its ASTREA helicopter service.

“This is a dark day for law enforcement and public safety,” Roache said in the statement. “This department has no fat. Under the new budget, we will cut well into the muscle and bone.”

Roache and his chief special assistant, Dan Greenblat, were out of town and unavailable for comment Thursday.

Wednesday, the county Board of Supervisors left 49 positions unfunded in Roache’s $136-million budget. Roache, who has the authority to shift funding within his department, said he would apply the cuts in the four programs targeted by the supervisors.

Roache is scheduled to discuss his budget with the supervisors in September, after determining whether funds could be raised by billing individuals or cities that use the ASTREA helicopters for search, rescue and other operations.

Heads of the units targeted for closure said they were evaluating how to respond to a shutdown but that no decision has been made to eliminate or curtail their services.

“We’ve just been instructed to look at alternatives,” said Lt. Kurt Fettu, head of the Special Enforcement Detail, whose 16 officers compose the SWAT team, serve warrants in high-risk situations, form “saturation patrols” in high-crime areas and conduct underwater search and rescues.

Fettu said closure of his unit would force patrol deputies to respond to SWAT situations such as instances where people barricade themselves in their homes with weapons. “They don’t have the training or the equipment to do it,” he said.

A 50% cut in ASTREA funding, which Roache said would “mortally wound” and ground the four-helicopter unit, would leave one helicopter available for emergency duty, said Lt. Jim Sims, ASTREA commander.