Patrol deputies may be assigned to staff the jail due to correctional deputy shortage

Everyone knows the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office is stretched thin trying to cover the public safety needs of a county as large as the state of Connecticut. Lassen is the eighth largest county in California.

At its Sept. 13, 2022, meeting, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors and the Lassen County Deputy Sheriff’s Association approved a Memorandum of Understanding.

In closed session, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, the board discussed a “Side-Letter of Agreement” with labor negotiator Scott McLeran of the LSDSA, and the board approved that side-letter agreement later during open session.

Lassen County District 5 Supervisor Jason Ingram questioned the board’s approval of this item — the side-letter agreement presented to the board and discussed during closed session now coming up for approval in open session without being released to the public.

“We got our packet this Friday,” Ingram said, “and the actual request is to approve the side letter and authorize the CAO to execute it. I didn’t have this in my packet. I still don’t have it before me. So, what side letter am I motioning to approve?”

“This was a last-minute negotiation,” said Richard Egan, Lassen County administrative officer. “The item didn’t make it to the packet, but I thought it was handed out … ”

“It was handed out during closed session,” Ingram said. “It’s not appropriate to talk about closed session items … ”

“It’s a public document,” Egan said.

According to the agreement, unanimously approved by the board, “For those correctional deputy staffing shortages that are not filled by correctional deputy voluntary sign-up coverage, the sheriff shall assign two deputies from the patrol division to the custody division to address staffing shortages at the jail,” under certain conditions.

Regarding the correctional deputy shortage, some in the community have expressed concerns about a recent LCSO Facebook post from Sept. 20, 2024,  addressing vacancies in the department.

According to the post, new-hire correctional deputies will be paid at least 66 cents more per hour than a new deputy sheriff recruit — $23.67 to $31.23 per hour for a correctional deputy and $23.01 per hour for a deputy sheriff recruit.

Here’s a copy of the side-letter agreement.