Spokane7
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June 8, 2011 in City
Sheriff gets $128,000 for gear
Spokane County commissioners gave Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich $128,223 from reserves Tuesday – about one-third of the amount he requested for equipment and software.
Knezovich requested $372,631 last week, but commissioners balked. This week, he pared the total to $257,121, but commissioners lopped off a couple of items they didn’t consider essential for officer safety.
Commissioner Mark Richard voted to not supplement the sheriff’s budget at all.
“We’ve done the best that we can, but it’s as far as I’m prepared to go at this time,” Richard said.
He noted he had already voted to take $726,724 from reserves to prevent the layoff of eight deputies.
Knezovich said last week that commissioners told him in December that he could recover unspent money from his 2010 budget, but Richard said this week that he promised only to “do all that I can.”
Commissioner Al French, who took office in January, proposed giving Knezovich money for Tasers, beanbag shotguns and bulletproof vests but not for software and car-mounted traffic-ticket-printing equipment.
Commissioner Todd Mielke supported that approach.
All three commissioners expressed concern that continued dipping into reserves could reduce the county’s bond rating.
Now about 9.5 percent of the general fund, Spokane County’s reserves are at the low end of the range for same-rated counties, bond attorney Roy Koegen told commissioners.
A bond firm reported that a one-notch reduction could add about $2 million to the cost of a $100 million, 20-year bond measure. A proposed jail project could cost nearly $200 million.
Knezovich didn’t attend Tuesday’s meeting but said afterward that he was particularly frustrated that commissioners denied $110,000 for software to identify crime hot spots quickly.
“That was a software program to help us be more efficient with less manpower,” Knezovich said. “That was critical for us.”
He requested a second software program last week for internal affairs investigations, but now expects drug forfeitures to cover that $30,000 expense.
The money commissioners allocated Tuesday will provide 88 Tasers, 22 beanbag shotguns and $21,116 to replace bulletproof vests that are guaranteed only for five years.
Knezovich said he has only 50 Tasers, some of which may need to be replaced, and he wants each of his 120 patrol officers to have one. He said sharing Tasers from shift to shift proved impractical because of the need to keep records on their use.
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johnclarke on June 08 at 8:12 a.m.
bond attorney Roy Koegen; how’s all that profit from the River Park Square deal ?
Ron_the_Cop on June 08 at 10:22 a.m.
LOL Mr. Clarke,
Koegen LOL - concerned about the County’s bond rating:-) Given me a break! Those that were complicit in the RPS bond frauds with an actual loss to Spokane taxpayers of $87M minimum, I guess can sleep easy at night.
Why didn’t Koegen speak up then when our City fathers and mothers allowed this robbery to occur?
Actually I would support using some of this money to equip sheriff deputies with personal cameras and or audio recorders. The money would be well spent and save considerable staff time in investigating complaints and protect the County from civil liability in allege police misconduct cases.
This was a recommendation in my Creach OIS Investigation - A Report and Analysis.
http://tinyurl.com/4ohxhd9
This OIS was the fatal shooting of Pastor Scott Creach by Dep. Brian Hirzel. Such equipment would have gone a long way to resolve many of the issues in this, he said she said case. We only have one surviving witness and I’m not willing to give Dep. Hirzel’s statements the benefit of the doubt because of certain inconsistencies that have not been resolved in my mind.
Providing_Buttonholes on June 08 at 10:22 a.m.
If his officers didnt abuse their tasers… mr Creach would be alive…
detroitdude on June 08 at 10:47 a.m.
Yes, again….want all this money but he won’t buy recording devices for cops in the county to wear when on duty. Nice transparency there.
Albert on June 08 at 11:39 a.m.
Mr. Clark…on a side note, were you affiliated with the opening of the SERE complex on Whidbey back in March 1967? Just curious
johnclarke on June 08 at 12:01 p.m.
Ron - that’s simple to answer. The bond attorney could care less. He is printing money no matter what. On top of the RPS crap, each and every time there is a refinance, he prints more money. Nice business to be in.
Mr. Albert, negative. I would have been 3 years old, and I’m not aware of any SERE school on Whidbey (there certainly may have been) and I was in Air Force.
MrBloggy on June 08 at 12:25 p.m.
give them tasers
bean bag guns
super soakers
clown wigs
1965 VW beetle
squad cars in fuschia
big white flowers
badges that squirt
water
Ozzo the clown
and his merry
pranksters
Thoreau on June 08 at 12:37 p.m.
If Mr. Creach didn’t approach an officer with a gun, “Mr. Creach would still be alive.”
misjustice on June 08 at 8:52 p.m.
If one of Ozzie’s Own wouldn’t have over reacted, Mr. Creach would still be alive. And if Ozzie’s Own would have had video cameras we, the public as well as the Creach family, might know what really happened that dark, fateful night.
Use the $$$ to buy video cameras, Ozz Man…as RontheCop suggests…
Ron_the_Cop on June 08 at 8:57 p.m.
Thoreau,
Agreed. But suppose Dep. Hirzel is not being entirely truthful in his account of what happened that night. We only have two witnesses and one is now dead. That was my point regarding having personal cameras and audio recorders. There are other possible shooting scenarios. I’m not willing to give Dep. Hirzel the benefit of the doubt until certain inconsistencies are resolved.