Public Safety Emphasized in Fresno County $2.6B Budget

Fresno County approves a more than $ 2 billion budget and county leaders say a major focus is investing in public safety. The sheriff says this investment means Fresno County can improve emergency response times and will have a better chance at hiring and maintaining the very best officers on the market.

The approved budget includes funds to provide incentives to attract new deputy hires to fresno county and provides the county with six additional patrol officers.

"The message to the community is that the deputy sheriffs step up every single day 24 hours a day 365 days a year," said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office plans to add six patrol officers and invest more money into current deputy sheriffs. Sheriff Mims says money provided in the approved $ 2.6 billion county budget makes Fresno County more competitive in the hiring process and aims to make communities feel safer.

"I can show crime rates are going down all day long, but unless our citizens feel safe those stats don’t mean anything," said Sheriff Mims.

Dean Alexander lives in the Old Fig Garden Neighborhood. Fresno County sheriff’s deputies are assigned to patrol those streets.

With cutbacks in policing during the recession Alexander’s neighborhood watch has had its hands full. This new investment in law enforcement has residents feeling encouraged knowing sheriff’s deputies won’t be far away.

"It’s nice to poke your head out and see a patrolman it’s something that makes you feel secure and it can help change the perception of Fresno knowing that we do have a police presence," said Alexander.

Sheriff Mims says it will take some time to figure out the best strategy for utilizing the county’s new patrol officers.

"When you have to spread that out over 24 hours a day in a county 6,000 square miles. That might not have a big impact right now, but we are heading in the right direction," said Sheriff Mims.