Utah County deputies may face big cutbacks

PROVO — Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, Utah County sheriff's deputies stopped a car weaving across the road.

Inside, officers found alcohol and two bags of marijuana rolled up in the feet of a child's outfit, which was stuffed in a diaper bag next to a 2-month-old baby, said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Jones.

The baby's 18-year-old mother was charged with drug possession, and the driver was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.

At another DUI stop, officers confiscated a golf-ball-size wad of cocaine. A mother and dad were taken to jail, and two young children in the back seat were picked up by a relative.

This past weekend, Utah County sheriff's deputies pulled in 10 DUIs, made 13 drug arrests, three domestic violence arrests and handed out dozens of alcohol tickets.

It gets busy every weekend. Sometimes busier.

Yet a sinking economy and shrinking Utah County revenues are forcing Utah County Sheriff James Tracy to cut $5.9 million from his 2009 proposed budget of $39 million, which means pulling officers off the roads.

"I'm doing everything I can as sheriff to preserve public safety," Tracy said. "I need somebody to step up to the plate and help out as far as funding."

The county commissioners had been considering a countywide tax hike to plug the financial gaps but decided against it Tuesday.

The proposed cut to Tracy's budget means no outsourced training next year, no new vehicles and the loss of 18 full-time, sworn positions. While Tracy is hopeful the cuts mean no one will get a pink slip, he may end up shifting officers from the street to fill empty positions at the jail or behind a desk.

At Tuesday's meeting, commissioners alluded to possible leftover money in other budgets that could be reallocated to Tracy later. But Tracy said he's concerned.

"How do we go into (2010) if we haven't fixed the core problem (of having) a stable, adequate amount of funding for basic services?" Tracy asked. "You can put a Band-Aid on things for so long, but sooner or later the patient needs surgery."

Jones, who heads the Canyon Area Enforcement Team, one of the county's proactive enforcement teams, knows they're way beyond a Band-Aid level.

"Right now, we are at below-minimum staffing levels," he said. "As far as response, we're already tapped out. It's scary. If we drop below that, we're in trouble."