By Cassie Lavley
Plumas County dispatcher
Safety in Plumas County is on the verge of collapse. For over a year now several pleas have been made to the Board of Supervisors to help raise wages so the Sheriff’s Office can compete in the workforce and those pleas have been ignored. The result has been catastrophic. The 911 dispatcher center is now down to 3 full time employees and a supervisor to maintain 24 hour services for our county. The jail is being staffed by Patrol Deputies and the streets are being covered often times by a 2 man patrol unit for 10 plus hours a day for the entire county. The fact that the Board of Superviosrs is content to stand by while this happens is appalling to say the least. The Board was warned this was going to happen yet they have failed to act. Choosing to blame bad leadership instead of acknowledging wages as being the driving force of declining staff levels. These working conditions have been going on for several months now and the Board must realize that unless they take immediate action someone is going to get hurt be that someone in the public or one of the sheriffs office employees.
Many have sat before the Board pleading their case often times being ignored while the board members and CAO tap away on their laptops or phones in front of them. The blatant dismissal most get during public comment is shameful. I had wanted to once more address the Board but I have questioned if it is even worth it since they dont bother to pay attention...
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