Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
15 <br /> <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the main issue of late is the coverage he is providing to UNC for <br />recent civil unrest occurring there. He said the days have been 15-20 hours long, and the <br />attrition rate suffers under these conditions. <br />Commissioner McKee said he would like a mid year report update on this. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said it would be helpful to split the two overtime costs out. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the report would hours from things like the civil unrest <br />at UNC. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said when an agency calls for help, the Sheriff’s department goes <br />even if payment cannot be provided. He said there is a payment agreement with UNC athletics. <br />He said a lot of the time there is not time to debate the cost at the time. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said but since the coverage of the civil unrest coverages is <br />part of this, it should be included. <br />Commissioner Price asked if this is just a spike in overtime due to recent campus <br />activities. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said he cannot predict if this is a trend. <br />Commissioner Price said if 5 new positions can only bring coverage up to current service <br />levels, would it be wise to have 2 more positions. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said he appreciates that thought, but this is a need as of now. <br />Commissioner Price said she wants to know where the need is, and if it would be wise to <br />have more staff to offer some buffer. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said he has a plan, and this meeting may not be the best place to <br />discuss it. <br />Travis Myren resumed the PowerPoint presentation: <br /> <br />• Communication System Improvements – Sheriff’s Office - $273,250 – p. 61 CIP <br />– Final Year of Multiyear Replacement of Portable and In-Vehicle Radios <br />– Replace Remaining Sheriff’s Office Radios – Approximately 131 Mobile and <br />Portable Units <br /> <br />Commissioner Greene asked if more explanation could be given about the increase in <br />“average scene time”. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the way emergency personnel are responding has changed. He <br />said it is no longer feasible to expect staff to arrive, gather names, and leave. He said this <br />approach sets his staff up for a guaranteed return to scene at some point. He said if his office <br />does not take the time to get to the root cause for the call, it is doing a disservice to the <br />community. He said he cannot advocate strongly enough for the community paramedic <br />position, and way of responding has changed. <br />Commissioner Greene asked if law enforcement has changed its behaviors, or if the <br />needs of the community have changed. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said both; and part of it has to do with a societal change, part of which <br />is due to opioids. <br />Travis Myren resumed the PowerPoint presentation: <br /> <br />• Sheriff’s Office Body Worn Cameras - $158,381 – p. 62 CIP <br />– Successful Pilot Project – Report in February 2018 <br />– $300,000 Appropriated in FY2018-19 <br />– Finalizes Implementation to All Sworn Officers <br />– Public Safety – CIP <br /> <br />• Non-Departmental Expenditures – page 330 <br />– No significant budget changes