Monterey County deputy shortage

A deputy shortage in Monterey County has some residents concerned about their safety.

Many came together Tuesday in Carmel Valley where the sheriff’s office held a town hall meeting. It was a big turnout; one after another addressed Sheriff Steve Bernal saying they just don’t feel safe anymore.

“I feel safe in general. But obviously when you hear the word
reduction, you think you’re safety is potentially in jeopardy,” said Carmel Valley resident Jeff Hawkins.

Hawkins is one of many living in the unincorporated areas of the Monterey peninsula, worried over the Sheriff’s decision to pull 18 deputies from the streets to handle to the overpopulated jail.

“Throughout the years the jail has pretty much hasn’t been staffed
where it should be but especially since AB109,” said Sheriff Bernal.

Bernal said despite the shifting of resource, there’s still 24-hour coverage in all areas of the county.

“We do work well with other police agencies within Monterey county.
We’ve assisted other city police departments and they’ve assisted us. Everybody now a days is never fully staffed and we do what we can to help each other out,” Bernal said.

But residents like Hawkins are still worried if they ever need help, will it come fast enough.

“If you’re going to call 911 is it going to be 5, 10, 15 minutes? What is the response going to be when I need it?” asked Hawkins.

At the end of the meeting, Bernal said he hopes to start sending deputies back to patrol within the next few weeks.