A new Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report is calling for the shutdown of the main Santa Barbara County Jail in Santa Barbara, as part of an effort to get the Sheriff’s Office overtime under control.
It’s been an issue for years, but has become a bigger one with the county dealing with what’s projected to be a $66 million budget shortfall over the next five years.
The Sheriff’s Office has a $10 million overtime budget for the current fiscal year, but projections a few months ago had the estimated number at $19 million.
The Sheriff’s Office is working to control it, and the County Board of Supervisors asked the Auditor-Controller to investigate the situation.
The Grand Jury points out that one of the biggest staffing drains on the law enforcement agency is the jails. It is recommending that the Sheriff’s Office decommission and close the old main jail facility in Santa Barbara, and focus detention on the newer jail in Santa Maria.
The report recommends negotiating with the deputies union to eliminate the use of leave as hours worked, and to put caps on overtime.
Other recommended steps from the Grand Jury include additional training for command staff to improve staffing efficiency, and implementing a new payroll system that’s better at tracking overtime.
