Mendocino County Sheriff Warns of Staffing Shortages, Safety Risks
Deputies are working overtime without backup
Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall warned Tuesday that severe staffing shortages in his department are straining operations and creating safety risks for deputies, and he cautioned about the impact a proposed annexation of county land by the city of Ukiah could have on his department.
Speaking during a county budget meeting, Kendall said patrol coverage is also significantly understaffed. Kendall said the department has four patrol beats that require 24-hour coverage, totaling more than 700 hours per week, but only has enough personnel to cover about 280 hours. The remaining shifts are filled through overtime.
Kendall said the shortages have increased workloads for deputies and forced many to work without backup.
“We’re beginning to create a working environment that’s a little more dangerous,” he told the Board of Supervisors.
In some cases, deputies may wait an hour or more for backup to arrive, compared with a desired response times of a few minutes, he said.
Despite the conditions, Kendall said morale remains strong among current staff, whom he described as “the best of the best,” even as they continue to operate with reduced numbers.
Read additional coverage of the May 5 Board of Supervisors Meeting:
Proposed Ukiah Annexation Could Cost Mendocino County as Much as $27 Million Over 16 Years