Job cuts at the sheriff's office are just smoke and mirrors

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Sheriff Floyd Bonner is threatening to sue the county if funding for hundreds of jobs in his department is cut, but a county commissioner says it's nothing more than “smoke and mirrors.”

County Mayor Lee Harris unveiled his budget plans earlier this month and calls for cutting funding for hundreds of vacant positions at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

Bonner says that represents 441 job cuts. Many of those jobs are correctional deputies for the understaffed county jail and dozens of patrol officers who will be used in Memphis and throughout the county.

The sheriff said it was illegal to cut funding from his budget without his consent, and he threatened to sue the county if positions were cut.

“We are a full-service law enforcement agency. So when I don’t have much like I would like to do in other areas of Memphis, I don’t have the officers to do it and to eliminate positions,” Bonner said. “It will only make our job more difficult.”

But some county commissioners, like Charlie Caswell, are questioning the sheriff about possible layoffs.

“I would say this,” Caswell said. “The sheriff should not be worried about layoffs. The contents of this budget give him enough money to hire 300 additional officers this year. I think 26 officers were hired last year.

Caswell says the sheriff's words appear to be a manipulation of the truth.

“All the talk about layoffs is just smoke and mirrors,” Caswell said. “I think actually in this budget he (Sheriff Bonner) still has the capacity to hire 300 additional officers this year. I hope he gets these officers hired.

The difficult discussions come during an already heated budget season.

“This is not a redundancy budget. It’s about hiring more people and continuing to keep our county safe,” Caswell said.

Mayor Harris' office said the mayor is committed to providing resources to law enforcement and, more importantly, increasing salaries for deputies on the street by 6 percent.

“Now is the time to raise the salaries of our law enforcement. We are fully committed to exploring all available options to increase compensation for our law enforcement officers,” Harris’ office said. “By implementing a 6% increase, we will elevate our law enforcement officers to some of the highest paid in the region. Our goal is to attract and retain top talent, and strong growth is the best way to do that.

Bonner, speaking to WREG Friday, said the sheriff's department employs some 500 jailers, with 27 new additions, but said the jail is still understaffed.