Sheriff Demands More Cheese to Go With His Whine
Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson this afternoon complained about the more than $5 million in budget cuts his office is facing in this budget.
In a broadcast interview this afternoon, Anderson said he first learned about the proposed budget cuts this morning. The Sheriff’s budget went from $91.3 million to $85.7 million. Anderson disputed the argument by the Ballard administration that his budget for the jail costs taxpayer $107 per day per inmate. Anderson said the costs are closer to $57. He said the County jail is more expensive than the private jail because he to harbor more dangerous inmates and those with more health problems.
Anderson also complained about funds being cut from what he called his “law enforcement” division, saying his men have made more than 1200 warrant-related arrests. Anderson side-stepped any questions about whether he thought the move was political. But he neglected to mention his office requested an extra $26 million.
A spokesman for the Mayor’s office said the information given to them by the Sheriff showed a lot of room for efficiencies in the way the jail is run and it is up to the Sheriff to find efficiencies. Marcus Barlow also said no one is immune to cost cutting and it is up to everyone to find efficiencies in their budgets.
