County Issue / Law Enforcement Funding...

Michael D. Bradbury, Ventura County district attorney

Neither the sheriff nor the district attorney are “proposing” budget cuts. Quite the contrary, we believe the cuts we have sustained over the past three years have greatly diminished our ability to effectively deal with petty crime. Public safety is the most basic fundamental and important human and constitutional right we have. When it is seriously eroded, as is the trend, there is social breakdown. Not much else then matters. Criminologist George Killing’s “broken-window theory” is right on point. It says that low-level disorder--petty crime, public drunkenness, panhandling, unfixed broken windows, abandoned cars that aren’t picked up, people sleeping on sidewalks--is a signal that social controls have broken down and the community is up for grabs. Stable citizens sensibly avoid such areas. The not-so-stable move in and the area goes under. It’s not a matter of can the Board of Supervisors come up with funding to maintain current police and prosecutor services; the board must.

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Paul Lawrason, Moorpark mayor

This is not the time for me or my city to accept scaled-back law enforcement, no way. I’m totally sympathetic with the financial situation that he’s confronted with and it’s dramatic; he’s got a very serious problem. But on the other hand, looking at the whole picture in the county, police protection is, if not the most important item that we provide, it is very close to the most important item. It is just absolutely an essential service that needs to be there and at a level that provides the safety and security that the residents deserve and require. The thing that’s going to really impact us directly is the closing of the East Valley Jail and booking facility. We have a level of police protection that we contract for which includes so many officers on the street for so many hours, and this process would erode that away significantly. I think in some way the Board of Supervisors are going to have to support that operation. I know something’s got to give, but let’s not impose such a dramatic reduction on police protection.

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John Flynn, Ventura County supervisor

Each (county) agency is presenting proposed cuts to its budget. The sheriff has identified areas that could be cut which add up to $4.7 million. I have trouble with some of those proposed cuts. One is the closing of the East Valley Jail and another area that it seems to me that needs emphasis is patrol in the unincorporated areas. Presently there is not enough patrol in these areas. The sheriff has a certain amount of money committed already to planning for the Todd Road jail project. Even though the order has already been given to build the jail, perhaps the money allocated for jail planning could be one of those areas subject to cuts. At least it should be considered. The board is looking at each department’s budget at the present time and hearing testimony. At the end of this process the board will look at the total budget and will make determinations to move money from one department to another. The board may determine that the cuts facing the Sheriff’s Department are too severe and shift money to the department from some other area. But that debate has yet to take place.”

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Larry Carpenter, Ventura County sheriff

I don’t think it’s time for the public in Ventura County to have to accept a scaled-back version of law enforcement yet. I think that the citizens of this county need to make the state aware of the dramatic decrease in public safety that the budget proposal will cause and get Ventura County’s money returned to Ventura County. If the state is not forthcoming with additional funds, then very important decisions will have to be made by the county supervisors and the decision will be to either reduce or eliminate other county services or scale back the level of law enforcement in the county. People have to understand that if funds are cut from the existing Sheriff’s Department budget, there will be a decrease in the level of our ability to respond to calls and our ability to investigate crimes. It will not be business as usual. Based on the proposal, facilities will close, investigators will be assigned to black and white patrol cars and there will not be follow-up investigations to any but the most serious of crimes.

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Michael Saliba, Executive director, Ventura County Taxpayers Assn.

It is time for the Board of Supervisors to not only set priorities for funding within a department but to also set priorities for funding amongst the county departments. The Ventura County Taxpayers Assn. feels that the Sheriff’s Department should be on a very high priority list vs. potential cuts in other departments. Therefore, the supervisors should look very closely at not instituting any cuts for the Sheriff’s Department or for the other departments connected with the administration of justice. Police protection and other agencies involved in ancillary services to police protection are a top priority with our members. When we pay the taxes we presently pay, we assume we’re going to get police protection. Therefore, that department should be fully funded, even if it would necessitate greater cuts in some other departments with lower priority. What’s happening here is the state is withholding some funds and they’re hitting fire and police heavily, and what we’re saying is if you have to withhold funds, withhold them from the areas that the county has determined are lower priority.