http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400601/ron-littlepage/2012-08-17/ron-littlepage-bad-surprises-getting-bigger-city (http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400601/ron-littlepage/2012-08-17/ron-littlepage-bad-surprises-getting-bigger-city)
From Ron Littlepage's column today:
QuoteSince Finance Committee Chairman John Crescimbeni prepared these numbers, you can expect him to bring up that the Sheriff’s Office budget has increased from $215.2 million in 2003 to $358.5 million now proposed for the next fiscal year (59.5 percent).
He also might ask why the number of civilian JSO employees has jumped from 429 in 2003 to 801 this year with 723 proposed for the next budget while the number of sworn officers has remained fairly constant during those years.
The rise of the budget 130 million over 9 years and the increase in civilian workers, when we are supposed to be sharing staff for HR, IT, and other activities, maybe the JSO has been the reason the library cannot stock its shelves???
I like Sheriff Rutherford, but this information leads to many more questions. And do you feel safer over the last 9 years, feel better about the job of the JSO as a result of the increase in their budget by this large amount, probably at the sacrifice of other city programs and departments.
maybe this will mean less cops setting up speed traps on JTB?????
Quotethe increase in civilian workers, when we are supposed to be sharing staff for HR, IT, and other activities
Most of that increase is from the introduction of the community service officer program. There has not been a large increase in HR staff, etc. Just wanted to add some levity to the discussion, and not in any way to debate the benefits of CSO program.
Quotee community service officer program.
So most of the 300 in new staff are community service officers?
http://www.coj.net/departments/sheriffs-office/docs/news-room/jso-news/fy-2013-budget/20120815-additional-budget-documents.aspx (http://www.coj.net/departments/sheriffs-office/docs/news-room/jso-news/fy-2013-budget/20120815-additional-budget-documents.aspx)
JSO lists 91 as being in the CSO program. :P
I'm just reitterating a direct quote that I personally heard from the Sheriff during a recent interview.
The Sheriff also introduced and expanded the crime analysis unit which has been very effective in identifying and PREDICTING where crime is occurring. It's amazingly effective and one of the reasons that crime has been reduced using the same number of sworn officers.
Yes, you are safer now than you were nine years ago.
Dog Walker,
I am sure that the records department makes me feel safer as well. 39 people in records there? The City outsourced their records, the clerk outsourced their records, but the JSO needs 39 people in the records department?
What about IT, isn't the city supposed to share resources? Why does the JSO need 40 people in IT for themselves? Logistical Support is something that no one else can do either?
The JSO cannot serve 2 masters, it provides safety to the citizens, but it must come to the 21st century with its back office operations. Many of these services can and should be outsourced to cut down on labor and overhead.
QuoteI'm just reitterating a direct quote that I personally heard from the Sheriff during a recent interview.
I have heard the Sheriff speak in many forums, he is a nice guy, but he is trying to protect his kingdom, and he has run his kingdom this way for many years, Peyton let him do his own thing, now right on for Brown (mostly City Council) for looking at ways to trim down the back office. I am all for keeping feet on the street, but do they really need to duplicate in areas where the City has people who can do the work for them?
All HR in the city should come from one department, when I left working with the City in 2011, the HR with the JSO was still being handled at the JSO, it is ridiculous to have duplication of services, as a taxpayer, I find this offensive and a waste of resources.
Quote from: fsujax on August 17, 2012, 10:15:00 AM
maybe this will mean less cops setting up speed traps on JTB?????
well apparently theye aren't patroling (or assisting with accidents) on state roads anymore