Sheriff's Newly Proposed Budget Would Keep All Jobs

Unincorporated areas around Temecula would get three deputies per station at most under a newly proposed budget, Sheriff Stan Sniff said today.

Sniff proposed a budget to the county that would shave off millions but would still leave the department’s peace force intact, he announced this week.

The sheriff said under his proposed budget – the specific details of which he has not made public – no deputies in the would have to lose jobs.

Law enforcement slots in the surrounding Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Banning and Palm Desert, however, would be lost to attrition.

This means any posts left open by retirements, firings, transfers or promotions would remain unfilled for the time being.

Sniff promised he would not allow staffing in the county’s unincorporated areas to go below .75 percent per 1,000 residents, which would roughly pencil out to two deputies per 2,500 residents.

Response times would increase, as fewer deputies would be forced to cover larger areas, but his proposal would keep the jails open without taking away any beds, he said.

The sheriff was directed to cut about $40 million off his budget and there was a fear that he would have to lay off about 300 deputies and leave other positions unfilled.