Sac Sheriff: Public Safety Suffering --McGinness Says Department 'Reactive'

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said in the face of deep budget cuts, public safety in the county is suffering. "We are no longer proactive at all. Our operation is overwhelmingly reactive. We get the call after something horrible has happened. We do the best we can to pick up the pieces," McGinness said. McGinness said department is not throwing up its hands, but said it's a matter of numbers as there were 122 sheriff's deputies laid off last year due to budget cuts. "Well, I certainly don't share this message with the law-offending public, with an encouragement for them to do so. But I've got to be honest with you and everyone else within the sound of our voices … we are experiencing the effects of a unilateral disarmament of criminal justice and law enforcement resources in the county," McGinness said. The sheriff said his department is doing all it can, but unfortunately, what it can do is "insufficient to combat the crime problem." Auburn attorney Nina Salarno worries about the cuts. Her sister was killed years ago, and said as a parent, it's scary to think of children playing outside without proper law enforcement. "And when the criminals know, especially in the impacted areas, in the inner city areas, they know that there's going to be less law enforcement. They're going to take advantage of it," Salarno said. http://www.kcra.com/mostpopular/23130578/detail.html