Calaveras Sheriff DiBasilio Makes Plea To ‘Refocus On Public Safety’

Zoom Image

San Andreas, CA — Calaveras County’s Sheriff says a staffing problem is becoming “exasperated” and his office is losing members “like there is no tomorrow.”

Sheriff Rick DiBasilio spoke to the board of supervisors this morning.

He said the sheriff’s office has a staffing level of around 30 employees. However, because of neighboring counties offering higher pay, he says 10 people were hired in 2022, and they lost “almost all of them.” Adding, “In 2023 we’ve hired nine people, and with retirements, and people quitting, we have lost 11 people.”

In the next month, they are losing a few additional corporals and a sergeant. Dispatch is also a big concern, as there are typically 12 staff members, but right now it is down to seven.

The loss of institutional knowledge, and money it takes to hire new people, he says, is troubling.

If things don’t turn around, he warned that he may have to start cutting services.

He told the board, “You guys aren’t fighting with the unions, you are fighting with the other counties, and the other municipalities that are paying these people more money. Tuolumne County did a 20% pay bump in one shot. Our folks got 17% over five years. We are still behind Tuolumne County. We are way behind Amador County, and we are behind everyone else who we are associated with in the bargaining units.”

He said the county adding more parks and recreational opportunities is great, but if there are no deputies, there will likely be new problems in those areas.

Sheriff DiBasilio concluded, “I am asking you to redirect your focus back to public safety, where it needs to be. We need to keep our constituents safe, and I can’t do that if I don’t have the staff. And if I can’t keep the staff, we are going in a vicious circle.”

The sheriff’s comments were made during staff reports, so there were no statements made by the board of supervisors afterward.