Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies have been told to reduce unnecessary overtime and delay any non-critical spending until the Department’s budget is replenished when the new fiscal year begins in July.
An internal message sent to employees last week said the sheriff’s department “has now been directed to immediately implement budget reduction measures” after this year’s county budget was strained by legal settlements related to other departments, reductions in outside funding from the federal government, inflation that’s increased the cost of goods and services and less revenue being collected by the county.
Sheriff’s officials said the reductions would not affect public safety, and the department would continue to meet its deployment needs in county areas and in its contract cities.
A spokesperson also said the spending limits would not affect preparations or staffing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup events as FIFA reimburses the county for its law enforcement needs.
“These temporary budget mitigation measures for the next seven weeks will allow the Department to continue collaborating closely with the Board of Supervisors and the County CEO to strategically pursue long-term approaches to address any ongoing budgetary challenges,” the message said.
Many patrol deputies were instructed last week to make sure they’d completed reports and administrative work by the end of their regular shifts, rather than staying on duty, on overtime to complete them, which has been a common practice, several law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates.
“Please write all reports in the field during your shift,” said one message sent to deputies.
“This is a fluid situation and may change at any time, however as of right now there will be no approval for any paid or saved overtime after the shift is over,” the message said.
ALADS, the union that represents most deputy sheriffs, said the temporary budget restrictions were the result of, ‘decades of mismanagement,’ by the County.
“This is what happens when bureaucrats have a stranglehold on the budget,” wrote union president Anthony Meraz.
“This is an annual issue that comes up at the end of the fiscal year, however, this time it seems more urgent and rushed. There is little value in conducting a fire drill when the Department is already on fire,” he said.
The costly legal settlement referenced in the sheriff’s memo is the county’s agreed $4.8-billion payout to many victims of childhood sexual abuse under state Assembly Bill 218, which the County CEO said was “the largest such settlement in American history.”
AB 218 extended the statute of limitations for filing cases, and many in LA County stemmed from alleged abuse inside juvenile facilities and the MacLaren Children’s Center.
The county still faces thousands of additional claims that aren’t included in the initial settlement.
Last month, the county’s acting Chief Executive Officer said next fiscal year’s proposed budget includes fewer cuts to overall services, but warned more federal funding reductions next year would imperil a variety of the county’s social and healthcare services, which in turn, will add to the pressure on all other Departments.