From the Orange County Register
Jail Audit report lands with a thud
November 25th, 2008, 6:37 pm by NORBERTO SANTANA JR.
When Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told county supervisors this summer that she was going to set up a comprehensive jail audit, many started salivating…and having dreams about cheaper correctional officers or maybe even private prisons.
But when they heard the two consultants gear up at today’s supervisors meeting, the saliva mainly came from sups mouths hanging wide open…even yawning.
No correctional officers. No private prisons.
In fact, quite the opposite. Check out my story here. The auditors say they need up to 500 more deputies and jail faciilities need upgrades…All during a budget hearing where sups were slicing $32 million. Â
This is an asinine situation. We, the citizens and taxpayers are being abused by expensive and ridiculous salary and benefits we are paying to the deputies of Orange County Sheriffs Department.
Where else can someone, with a GED, retire at the age of 53 and be paid over $200,000 with extremely, expensive full benefits. That is what “3 at 50†means.
The citizens of Orange County have been lied to by the unions and their members. Understanding today’s realities for today’s sheriffs is they can make more than our Judges! The Sheriffs deputies while have built themselves into a powerful union and they have grown rich and powerful completely ignoring the economic hardships faced by the rest of the county.
Where can someone, just out of high school and with a few weeks of training, start at $74,000 a year, plus full benefits, and with just a few hours of overtime make over $100,000 a year? Where in private industry is this possible?
Compare a recent high school graduate entering the US Marine Corps who undergoes rigorous training, many times harder and performs a job significantly more difficult, for $19,265. The US Marine is serving the citizens and putting our County first – they do NOT serve as a US Marine for the money. The OCSD deputy is serving only for the money. Their OCSD Deputies’ Union is bankrupting Orange County with their extortionist compensation and unbelievable retirement compensation.
Why should a better trained and educated US Marine get 1/5 of salary of an Orange County deputy that has much less training and skills?
Why should a better trained and educated US Marine get 1/10 the retirement of an Orange County deputy with each one retiring at 50, with 30 years of service?
No cop jokes in this posting.
This serious injustice that needs to addressed by the voters in Orange County after they have educated themselves as to the facts and truth about the exorbitant compensation, outrageous benefits and the unbelievable retirement plan that is better than any retirement private Industry.
Orange County taxpayers are funding retirements up to $200,000 a year for the rest of the lives. Deputies are retiring at 50 and I can’t retire until I am 65 because 50% of my income goes to taxes!
“Full pay†for “no work†was extorted by the deputies union and is a disaster for Orange County taxpayers. Do the math, multiply $200,000 a year by the thousands of retired deputies! Simply stated, taxpayers are paying $1 million dollars for every 5 retired deputies, starting when they are only 50 years old. Starting at 50 years old, they get 100% of the paycheck for the rest of their lives; where in private industry can you find this?
It is time to end this ridiculous strangle hold by our unionized “public servants†and reduce their compensation and retirement to market levels just like the citizens they are supposed to serve. Any idiot that makes the specious argument that, OC deputies are paid in line with other law enforcements, only proves how widespread this epidemic of by our law enforcement unions are forcing exorbitant amounts of money from taxpayers.
It simple street language, “This is a shakedown. Pay us or we won’t protect you. This strategy works very well for illegal protection rackets as well.†When their union shakes down a taxpayer that is supposed to be legal? Government unions should be abolished for the good of the citizens paying the taxes. It is ridiculous that a deputy is being overpaid in relationship to the rest of us trying to earn a living.
Think about it. They want more officers, they want more money, they want more benefits, and they want new facilities. Within 2 years, the Orange County Sheriff Department budget will be in excess of $1 Billion taxpayers’ dollars and they still can’t rid us of the gangs in Santa Ana. You want higher and higher taxes, right?
The Orange County Deputies Union should be eliminated in the interest of serving the public they have sworn to serve.
The Board of Supervisors will probably get a 2nd opinion at $250,000 of Ta payer\’s money, then a 3rd opinion at $300,000 from the same source, then a forth opinion at $450,000 of more tax payer money until they buy/hire a consultant that will tell them that privatizing the jail is the best way to go.
The Supervisors really do waste too much tax payer money in the name of saving tax payer money and in decorating their offices.
Judge them fairly:
Where exactly do you get your $200,000 figure? You may want to get your facts straight.
Here are the numbers, as of December 31, 2006.
There were 1,850 men and women engaged in active law enforcement duties for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
They were 41 years of age on average and had an average projected annual compensation of just under $81,000. They had an average of 14.5 years of service to this county!
There were 684 RETIRED members of county law enforcement with an average age of 63.5 years and an average monthly pension of $5,280 ($63,360 annually).
These are the men and women who earned their pension benefit after years of dedicated law enforcement service to the County of Orange!
There were 301 DISABLED members of county law enforcement with an average age of 56.7 years and they receive an average monthly disability pension of $3,439 ($41, 268 annually).
The men and women who receive this benefit are those that were permanently disabled from their law enforcement work and had their career cut short from work-related injuries during their service to the County of Orange.
There were 110 BENEFICIARIES of those that worked in county law enforcement. These folks have an average age of 69.5 and receive a monthly benefit of $2,229.
Source: http://tinstarblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/moorlach-will-sue-aocds-over-retirement.html
Can one of the “free market” conservative types explain what it means
that even with the so called “generous” compensation package being offered
to recruit police officers that agencies still have a difficult attracting
qualified recruits.
Wouldn’t that indicate higher levels of pay are needed?