By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com
The union representing Sacramento County sheriff's deputies has launched a campaign to warn residents of the dangers of further budget cuts to the department - and to get them to lobby the Board of Supervisors for support.
The campaign, titled "Service With Concern" - which also is the Sheriff's Department's slogan - aims to "educate the residents of Sacramento County that these budget cuts are real and the budget cuts are coming," said Kevin Mickelson, president of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association.
"They've got to know," he said. "We're at the bottom of the barrel. I don't know where they're going to take bodies from" if the department is forced to lay off deputies, he said.
To promote the campaign, union officials have started a website (www.servicewithconcern.com
One of the mobile billboards shows a frightened child with a hand over her mouth. The sign reads "Your child's safety is at risk! By cutting deputies, county supervisors are putting your children's safety at risk!"
The effort is costing the union about $75,000, Mickelson said.
During the last fiscal year, Sheriff's Department officials slashed $59 million from a discretionary budget of $130 million. Officials laid off 122 sworn deputies, as well as non-sworn employees.
According to Sheriff John McGinness, his department now faces a hit of $37.6 million as the county grapples with a deficit of $181 million. McGinness has begun asking residents if they'd rather see a decrease in patrol and investigations staffing, or in jail staffing, a reduction that would require the release of low-level inmates.
Though more expensive, the DSA's strategy is arguably tamer than that employed by the Stockton Police Officers Association, which began erecting billboards across that city over the weekend.
The background of one billboard is blood-spattered asphalt. The message reads "Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California," and then "Stop laying off cops!" The city manager's phone number is plastered there, too.
Another billboard advertises the city's "body count" of 24.
Mickelson said described that union's campaign as a notch above his union's efforts, which he described as "shocking."
They've already fielded a few phone calls from residents upset over what they described as the union's scare tactics, Mickelson said. But at least the campaign caught those residents' eyes, he said.
"We're trying to get people to pay attention," he said. "They think it's a scare tactic, but look at the numbers."
Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.