What an Ada County commissioner just told the sheriff amid talk of defunding police
Ada County Sheriff Stephen Bartlett appeared before the county commission to present his case for more funding in 2021, asking for more deputies at a time when some have called to defund, or even abolish, police departments after George Floyd’s death.
Bartlett asked commissioners to increase his budget and hire more deputies to keep up with the needs of the county’s rising population and to better equip it for policing needs.
The Republican sheriff drew praise from a Democratic commissioner, Diana Lachiondo, for efforts to make justice fairer for minorities.
Lachiondo said the Sheriff’s Office has been “ahead of the curve” in working to reduce “racial and ethnic biases in our criminal justice system.”
She cited “the hard work that you’ve all done to take a look at your operations and see how it can be improved and relay that commitment to continuous improvement.”
“I assume some of my fellow commissioners will stand with me there, but in front of everyone, I wanted to give you a big kudos and thanks for being ahead of it. It means a lot for our citizens.”
Bartlett’s requests include:
▪ Four new deputies.
▪ A DNA lab that Bartlett said would cost a little more than $1 million over three years. The state lab at Idaho State Police can take months to process DNA evidence, Bartlett said, and having in-house processing could help not only decrease the time it takes to get results, but also allow make the office to make money by offering that service to other police agencies.
▪ A new jail management system, including software to manage inmate data and other daily operations, as well as new mobile data terminals in patrol cars that allow deputies to input license-plate numbers and obtain results without having to call dispatch.
The current terminals were purchased in 2013 but are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The Sheriff’s Office replaced some of them last year but is seeking money to replace the rest of them in the next fiscal year, which begins in October.
“Not tying up emergency airspace for routine checks increases safety, and reduces risk,” Bartlett said.
Sheriff has county’s biggest budget
The requests came at a time that much of the country is engaged in a discussion about defunding police departments and directing more funds toward social services. The city council in Minneapolis, where Floyd died when a police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes, has signaled its intent to end the police department — saying years of reform efforts had failed — and bring about a community public safety model.
Ada County Commissioners showed no interest in doing that Monday. In Idaho, the elected sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer outside of cities that have their own departments. The sheriff also runs the county jail.
The department is requesting $85.9 million, according to Bartlett’s presentation. That’s up from $80.4 million this year, the largest of any Ada County department and 27.9% of the county’s total budget.
His presentation, and those of other county agencies, are the first steps in the commissioners’ preparation of a 2021 county budget. No decisions were made Monday. Commissioners will hear presentations from other county departments throughout the week.
There will be a public hearing on the budget on 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the Ada County Courthouse. You can register to participate in the meeting virtually at https://bit.ly/2zdhVPk.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
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