The O.C. Register published the results of their investigation into the overtime hours accrued by Orange County Deputy Sheriffs on Friday. Their major finding was that “The department calculated its “savings” using the salary and overtime rates of the most expensive deputies. If the department had assigned new deputies to work even half of the overtime accrued by deputy sheriff II’s in the jails, it could have saved more than $500,000 per year. If officials had replaced half of jail deputies with more basic law enforcement officers – such as special officers or correctional officers – they could have saved as much as $10million.”
Former interim Sheriff Jack Anderson tried to cover up by saying that the County was saving money by paying overtime instead of hiring new deputies. But the Register’s researched nullified his comments.
This should not be too hard to understand. Allowing Deputies to retire early at 50 with incredible benefits and pensions has created a huge problem for the County as they are now continuously understaffed. And allowing Deputies to work only a few days a month and get overtime pay for the rest of their hours is killing the Sheriff’s budget. The combination of these two stupidities has screwed Orange County taxpayers. We have disgraced former Sheriff Mike Carona to blame for much of this – but the O.C. Supervisors also deserve much of the blame.
Perhaps our new Sheriff, Sandra Hutchens, will work with the current Supervisors to undo the damage. It is too bad that the Deputy Sheriffs got away with all of this for so long. Obviously their union did a good job or ripping us off.
Don’t be jealous that we have good benefits. We are willing to die for any one of the citizens we swear to defend. Besides if paying Law Enforcement is difficult to stomach, be encouraged, we only live for about 18 months after retirement.
Back home in New England, most officers make bank on details, not salary. Edumacate me. How does that work here in SoCal?
SMS
I think that the term “ripping us off” is a little harsh for this situation for the following reasons:
1. Staffing levels are likely set by formula, staffing needs are dictated by circumstance. This results in overtime both for coverage reasons due to leave usage by deputies as well as overtime for part-time staffing needs until the formula dictates another full-time time position and that position can be hired.
2. Overtime distribution is set by a negotiated bilateral agreement that allows staffing based on needed experience along with a fair method of distribution among qualified personnel. Staffing must be based on the need not on the cost. We are dealing with public safety here.
3. A slow down in hiring, or a freeze, can have an accelerating effect on overtime while allowing the administrator or official temporary bragging rights about dealing with the cost issue.
4. If you didnt want to be in the Retirement System business why didnt you join the CalPERS system years ago? I’ll tell you why, because you couldn’t siphon off investment returns if you weren’t in the business. Now because the Feds want you to report your actual liability and not just your monthly cost you are all freaked out and spend your time trying to make it the deputies problem. Its not their problem, they fulfilled their part of the bargain. Pay up!
So I guess I’m saying that its not the Deputies or their Union thats “ripping” us off its the Board and he Administration that makes it look that way. They’re doing it for a definite purpose too – to screw the Deputies out of their hard earned retirement.
This is another “smoke and mirrors” trick. When will these local leaders get that we’re on to them and we wont be easily fooled anymore.
#1,
See my new post – “ Do cops and firefighters really die more often than other workers?” It turns out that there are MANY occupations with higher fatality rates than you Deputies – but FEW of them make as much moolah as you do – and NONE of them get to retire at 50.
#4 Do you like attention
Its seems that you do how sad
LOOK LOOK READ MY POOR TRASH TALKING
#1, I find your comment that any one of you cops on the street would be willing to die for a regular citizen to be complete horsecrap. That’s what you guys like to tell each other when you’re patting each other on the back, but the fact of the matter is, you chose to become cops because you get to carry a badge and a gun and the ultimate power to take a person’s life without any consequences. You guys don’t have the most dangerous jobs out there, not even close! You guys earn fantastic salaries, tons of overtime and incentive pay for various assignments, and yet you guys still complain and snivel. Most public safety personnel are primmadonnas with the most fragile egos anywhere.
#5,
Maybe you need to use some of your excess pay on remedial English classes.
#6 I can’t tell you there aren’t people like that on the force. I can tell you there are people like that in every line of work. People become cops for a lot of different reasons and they do their jobs in a lot of different ways. If they do it like you portrayed then they should get them out of the force, they’re not helping solve the problems.
The fact is the mortality rate is low for our public safety personnel because they are so well trained that on the job they can run into the burning buildings and still be safer than the average joe occupations. This doesn’t change the fact that they are running into the burning building for us, not for themselves, not for their stockholders, not for a fat profit margin but for us.
We damn well ought to show some gratitude and not try to make them responsible for something thats obviously decided at some other level of government. As if the Deputies decided how many cops would be on duty at any one time. They are knocking themselves out working long hours just to provide coverage throughout the area and this is the thanks they get?
Why go after them for a fairly negotiated, legally binding bilateral agreement and not the Administrators and Board Members who approved it? Why ignore the assessment that this is smoke and mirrors to screw the Deputies out of their retirement? If you are on the wrong side of this one Art, you are really on the wrong side.
#8,
The wrong side is the one that holds that Deputies should be able to retire sooner than the rest of us. That is not fair and it is wrong. And I have proven in my post about mortality rates that MANY professions are MORE dangerous than being a cop.
I dont think the retire at 50 option, and they dont have to take it, is not to save the Deputy from dying after age 50 its to save the public from the increasing risk to the public by an aging force. We want our Deputies to be young, and dumb, and full of … if they are going to be running into the burning buildings for us.
I disagree that mortality rates indicate danger exclusively. Its more of a ratio of danger to safety don’t you think?