Financial Disagreement Ends

A disagreement between county Sheriff Gus Dicesari and several county commissioners came to an end Thursday, when the county commission voted 5-2 against Dicesari’s request for new equipment and personnel. The Sheriff’s request for new police cruisers and additional sheriffs deputies was voted down by five commission members, including commission president Anne Chenn. 

Sheriff Dicesari accused the commissioners of “shortchanging” his department, claiming they were putting the lives of the people in the county at risk. Disagreeing with him, commissioner Chenn said the county did not have the money to afford new cruisers or the hiring of additional deputies. Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Grauman stood in support of Dicesari, blaming the lack of funds on the 5,000 migrant workers in the county. Both Shenuski and Grauman said that the immigrants take jobs away from decent people and will work for next to nothing. Commissioner Chenn defended the immigrants, calling them honest, hardworking people who contribute to the local economy and pay their taxes. She called  both commissioners hypocrites for blaming the money shortage on them, citing the cause of this years money shortage to be increased healthcare costs for employees, as well as $30 million the county had to spend building a new prison to help alleviate overcrowding. 

Sheriff Dicesari said he needed the eight new police cruisers to replace older vehicles, each with over 150,000 miles on them. According to Dicesari, these older cars were too expensive to keep driving, and that, “Something bad is going to happen”. He said in the 27 years that he has been sheriff, this was the first time the county had failed to allocate money for the sheriffs department to buy equipment. In response, Chenn told  him they simply did not have the $580,000, and that the department would have to get by this year without. She suggest the deputies not drive their cruisers home, saying this would help the cars last longer. To which sheriff Dicesari made claim that the police cars helped deter crime in the neighborhoods they were parked in.