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Sheriff's Department Challenge
Posted 7-20-1999
County government is faced with the difficult task of how to effectively manage the
increased responsibilities of our County Sheriff's Department. It is a challenge not only
for our Sheriff, but also for the County Commissioners because we have responsibility for
the Sheriff's budget and the negotiation of the Department's union contract. The situation
is difficult and awkward in that we do not directly manage the office but do have fiscal
and contractual oversight.
What has transpired is our Acting Sheriff,
Ron Baughman has been forced to use temporary employees an excessive amount of hours.
According to the contract we have with the Service Employees Union we could not work
temporary employees regular shifts. Therefore we had to add five full-time positions and
convert seventeen of the temporary employees to part-time (they can work regular shifts up
to 49 hours in a pay period), and will keep a number of temporary slots to fill in for
absent employees. This action will begin to resolve the scheduling challenges for the
Sheriff. But we intend to meet and work with the many entities involved to get better
cooperation in how they request the services of the Sheriff's Department.
Over the past decade, the problems have
become more pronounced. A significant factor has been, as the public has demanded stricter
criminal laws the court system has grown. As the court system has grown, so have the
responsibilities of the Sheriff's Department The number of adult and juvenile prisoner
transports from the prison and our Juvenile Detention facility to the Courthouse and
District Justice offices has increased dramatically. In addition, the service of papers
(writs, warrants, and Protection from Abuse orders) has grown in an increasingly
legalistic society. In 1998, the Sheriffs Department served a total of 10,130 documents.
Prisoner transports and document service
are only two areas of increased responsibility. The number of Common Pleas Court Judges
has gone up, requiring more courtroom security. Deputy Sheriffs are also stationed at
Domestic Relations, Juvenile Detention, Night Court, and on certain days at the Clerk of
Courts Office. Plus, the Sheriffs Department is responsible for posting notices on several
thousand properties for tax sale. All of these factors added together have caused a need
for more deputy sheriffs to be employed by Westmoreland County.
In summary, some of the problems related to
the growth of duties for the Sheriff's Department are part of the larger issue of the
expansion of the criminal justice system. Other problems are internal to the operation of
county government. Where we can affect the situation with internal operational
improvements, we will take appropriate action. But expect to see a larger Sheriff's
Department in county government as we catch up with a growing criminal justice system. |
