RIVERSIDE – (INT) – County Sheriff/Coroner Stan Sniff says his department ended the last fiscal year with a $14 million budget surplus. Much of it was the loss of 131 positions.

Sniff expects further reductions in department staffing through routine attrition this fiscal year.

The sheriff has recommended to the County that some of those surplus funds be returned to his department this year to cover the cost of staff positions within the jail system, required this fiscal year to fully comply with the recent Prison Law Office (PLO) consent decree.

The Sheriff’s Department’s budget was cut $34.4 million from its full budgetary request for this fiscal year - which had included approximately $6 million for hiring additional staff.

Story Date: September 29, 2016