Grant Allows 5 Sheriff’s Deputies to Be Added to Patrols
South County cities patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department will get five more deputies for three years, thanks to a Community Oriented Policing grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
County supervisors approved the new positions Tuesday.
The grant provides $1.2 million in funding; the county’s share, from law enforcement contracts paid by the cities, is about $17,000 per deputy per year.
“I think that’s pretty cost-effective law enforcement,” Supervisor Todd Spitzer said.
The grant proposal called for two investigators and an assistant to be hired. But sheriff’s officials reworked the grant to allow for five deputy positions--the equivalent of another patrol car on the street.
Sheriff’s Capt. Tim Simon said the shift to deputies instead of investigators “will create no problems for us.”
The department covers:
* Dana Point
* Laguna Hills
* Laguna Niguel
* Lake Forest
* Mission Viejo
* San Juan Capistrano
* and San Clemente.
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