DuPage sheriff asked to consider patrol changes

DuPage County Board members want the sheriff's office to explore the possibility of having municipal police departments patrol unincorporated areas with an eye toward cutting costs.

But Sheriff John Zaruba says such a change wouldn't save money.

The county board's finance committee on Tuesday reviewed Zaruba's proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year, which starts Dec. 1. The sheriff is requesting a spending plan totaling roughly $43.3 million.

James Kruse, the sheriff's administrative bureau chief, said the proposed "maintenance" budget is about $54,000 more than what the department received for the current fiscal year. The proposal includes funding for several initiatives, including $74,000 to buy and install 69 cameras at the county jail.

Kruse said the department's funding request is similar to this year's because officials understand the need to control spending.

"There was a level of uncertainty during preparation of the budget to what was happening in Springfield," Kruse said. "So we were taking a very cautious approach to sustain operations."

DuPage officials recently learned that decisions made as part of the new state budget will cost the county roughly $1.7 million during fiscal 2018.

Those budget constraints have some county board members asking if the sheriff should consider enlisting the help of local police departments to patrol unincorporated neighborhoods near their boundaries.

"I just think it's time to study this," board member Gary Grasso said.

But Zaruba says his department researched the issue years ago and found that contracting with municipal departments wouldn't save money.

"It would cost a lot more, actually," Zaruba said.

That's because municipal departments would need to hire more officers to handle the additional patrol duties, Zaruba said, and municipal officers are paid more than sheriff's deputies.

In addition, Zaruba said, contracting with municipal departments wouldn't shield the county from potential liability issues.

"Whatever they (municipal officers) do, you have the liability on it," he said. "And I'm not about to do that for the county of DuPage yet."

Grasso, however, said he believes the county could save money and called on the sheriff's office to update its study.

Board member Paul Fichtner agreed with Grasso.

"A lot has changed," said Fichtner, who serves as chairman of the finance committee. "There's an interest to look at this a little bit more. There's disagreement about what exactly are the numbers. This is the perfect reason why we should do this."

While Zaruba agreed to update the study, he said he's confident "it will show the same result."

Meanwhile, Kruse said the trend nationwide is for municipalities to ask sheriff's departments to patrol incorporated areas.

After hearing from department heads and countywide elected officials, county board Chairman Dan Cronin is scheduled to present his proposed spending plan for the county on Sept. 26.

The county board has until Nov. 30 to approve a budget.