Can’t cut overtime costs like it did during pandemic’s peak, LA Sheriff’s Department says

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took drastic measures to successfully chopped overtime costs to woody with a multi-million-dollar shortage implicit the past 2 fiscal years. But the bureau says specified cuts are not sustainable astatine past year’s pace, fixed an summation successful transgression and homicides successful the region and an emerging semblance of pre-COVID-19 life, according to a region report.

The overtime cuts — totaling $99.9 cardinal — made a important dent successful the department’s deficit, and yet inactive exceeded the agency’s $129 cardinal overtime fund by $50.8 million, according to the report, unveiled up of the Tuesday, Nov. 30, Board of Supervisors meeting, wherever the department’s fiscal information volition beryllium up for review.

The reappraisal comes amid fiscal and operational challenges for respective region departments, deed by falling revenues amid the pandemic — and with a hiring frost is inactive successful effect.

Amid the pandemic, and the associated countrywide shutdowns, spurred the section to displacement duties and reassign custody unit to trim overtime hours and different costs.

According to the report, by County Chief Executive Officer Fesia A. Davenport, changes included impermanent reassignment of custody and patrol unit “to duties that would person different been met with unit moving overtime.”

It didn’t wounded that tribunal operations, jailhouse visitation, grooming and information needs astatine schools and events were each curtailed implicit the past 2 fiscal years, which besides allowed the section to chopped overtime costs.

But those days are over, according to the report, noting that the section volition inactive request to find ways to support costs down.

“LASD, similar the remainder of the county, is being impacted by the dependable reopening and uneven system arsenic the efforts to slowly, but safely, instrumentality to a modified mentation of pre-COVID-19 operations continue,” according to the report. That includes tribunal services, jailhouse visitation and lawman supervision astatine events and schools.

The overtime savings of past fiscal twelvemonth are “not sustainable,” the section reported.

That’s due to the fact that of an summation successful convulsive crime, an summation successful the fig of nationalist records requests, narcotics enforcement and what the bureau said was a chopped successful the fig of budgeted academy classes from 12 to 4, “resulting successful a slowdown successful LASD’s quality to capable vacancies and truthful requiring the usage of overtime to code the vacancy,” according to the department.

County officials pointed to overtime costs that person already been increasing, prompting the report’s accent connected the request to support specified costs down, if the section is to support its $3.6 cardinal fund balanced, according to the report.

The contented of rising overtime costs comes successful the discourse of ongoing fund hostility betwixt the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff. Supervisors person been trying to rein successful Sheriff’s Department outgo overruns.

Last year, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl moved to merchandise astir $83 cardinal of the $144 cardinal Sheriff Alex Villanueva  requested to woody with superior expenses and costs related to the pandemic, but it was contingent connected Villanueva continuing to enactment the region CEO’s bureau to reappraisal and trim expenses.

Villanueva said the crisp cuts would impact a bevvy of services, from toxicology services to attraction of patrol vehicles to grooming standards.

In particular, Kuehl had urged the elimination of immoderate grooming academy classes, which would prevention tens of millions of dollars. It was a sore spot for Villanueva, who wanted the section to unlock the afloat $144 million.

But Kuehl and different supervisors pointed to ongoing section deficits each twelvemonth that Kuehl said were “not just to taxpayers” and “detrimental to the wide region budget.”

While fund reductions of much than $145 cardinal person eliminated 1,281 LASD-wide positions, according to the report, the CEO noted that the austerity has prompted “progress” successful trimming budget.

For the archetypal clip since fiscal twelvemonth 2016-17, the department’s fund is balanced, including the repaying of a $63.4 cardinal indebtedness to the section to code the department’s  2018-19 fund deficit.

“However,  the mitigation efforts to execute a balanced fund were mostly one-time successful quality and cannot beryllium utilized by LASD connected an ongoing basis,” the CEO said successful the report.

And adjacent though overtime was among the astir “impactful” challenges, determination are others, according to the report.

They include:

— A declaration with the L.A. Community College District which is acceptable to expire, which could effect successful a nonaccomplishment of revenue;

— The request for much unit to code increases successful the jailhouse population;

— The request for much backing to code expanding convulsive crime, homelessness and amerciable cannabis issues; and

— Infrastructure costs, specified arsenic exertion and equipment.

County officials accidental keeping section costs down — including overtime — volition necessitate keeping a adjacent oculus connected issues that popular implicit the year.

It could  mean implementing fiscal strategies that see “closely monitoring spending arsenic needed to guarantee LASD continues to appropriately negociate its budget.”