Mark Adams: Reducing Cost and Waste, Not Personnel

By Deputy Mark Adams, Candidate for SLO Sheriff

I have been a member of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department for 22 years and a citizen of this county since 1964. As a Deputy Sheriff, I have worked in Investigations, Civil and Patrol Division. This has given me a unique perspective on many of the issues the Sheriff’s Department faces today. With the current financial crisis, it is important the Sheriff’s Department budget be reviewed line-by-line in order to spot waste and develop new cost saving programs. This can only be done with the input of Sheriff’s Department personal and you, the citizen. Reducing waste and cost instead of cutting personal is the answer and allows us to continue our programs that benefit you, the citizen.

As a Patrol Deputy in the North County, I assist citizens with solving problems both personal and within their neighborhood on a daily basis. Having worked the Coast, South and North Substations I know each area has its own unique personality and problems. The priority to solve these problems will be based on input from the citizens and deputies of each area. As your Sheriff, my Command Staff and I will continue to meet with community leaders and the citizens to forge programs to solve current problems and identify others that may occur in the future.

Here are some of my goals:

1. Separate the training budget from the general fund. This will be a “regenerating fund”. Within one year, we will no longer require funding for training from the County.
2. Replace the majority of our jail transportation vans with vans that run off LNG. A gallon of gas cost approximately $3.05. A gallon of LGN cost approximately $1.86.
3. Explore and implement a paperless system within the areas of operation in the Sheriff’s Department that would be beneficial and practical.
4. Explore and implement the use of solar power throughout the Sheriff’s Department. Our annual electricity bill is approximately $439,000.00.
5. Add an online reporting form on the Sheriff’s Department website. This would allow citizens to report non-criminal matters and certain misdemeanor crimes allowing deputies to remain on proactive patrol.
6. Expand the use of our Explorer program allowing our Explorers to handled non-criminal matters. This frees up Deputies to remain on patrol. It also provides the Explorer an opportunity to use and hone skills they will need in their Law Enforcement career.
7. Begin planning for a new Property Building and adding an additional officer. The current Property Office is too small for our Sheriff’s Department. In 2008, the property office handled 149,000 pieces of property. It destroyed 72,767. In 2009, it handled 106,000 pieces of property. The exact total number of pieces of property being held is unknown; it is estimated between 300,000 to 600,000 per the Property Officers.
8. Issue concealed weapons permits to citizens of this county who request and meet the requirements.

For more information on my goals and my bio, please visit my website.