Only YOU can protect you: Brown Co. sheriff patrol will be down to 1 cruiser

"You don't need a gun - let the police protect you", right?

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that residents throughout Brown County won't see as many sheriff's deputies on patrol and will have to go to the sheriff's office to report non-emergency crimes beginning Jan. 2.

Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger told the Enquirer his office will lay off 10 employees from its 42-member staff and will not fill six vacant positions.

The cuts were made to slice $400,000 from the sheriff's overall 2005 budget of $2 million, Wenninger said.

The biggest impact for residents: One sheriff's cruiser will patrol during each shift and will respond only to emergencies, such as a crime in progress, domestic violence and other violence-related calls.

Also, the sheriff's investigations division will decrease from four investigators to one, and the canine program will decrease from four officers to one.

The newspaper notes Wenninger's office patrols about 460 square miles of a mostly rural county, where nearly 44,000 people live.

Commentary:
Why does the State of Ohio continue to fund the Ohio State Highway Patrol so lavishly, while Ohio's highest law enforcement officers are forced to struggle like this?

Related Story:
Underfunded Sheriffs forced to accept hand-me-downs; OSHP wins ''best-dressed"

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