By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — While Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers are willing to lend any police agency a hand, they can’t replace 16 Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department deputies laid off earlier this week, said Lt. Mike Harmon, superintendent at the Saybrook Township post.
“We’re offering assistance, but in no way can we assume the duties of the sheriff’s department,” he said Wednesday. “If people assume there won’t be an interruption of service (because of the deputy layoffs), they’re wrong.”
On Tuesday, Harmon said his agency stands ready to help the sheriff’s department when asked. One day later, Harmon and Sheriff William Johnson met to dispel any thought that OHP troopers will effortlessly fill the void created by the missing deputies.
Johnson agreed that despite the aid of other departments, service won’t be the same in areas served by deputies. “Response time will be affected, even with other agencies (assisting),” he said.
Budget woes forced Johnson to lay off 27 employees, 16 of them road deputies. As a result, only one cruiser — staffed by two deputies — patrols the county per shift.
The county’s law-enforcement agencies routinely assist one another, Johnson said.
“The public needs to understand we help out,” he said. “We work together, whether we’re full strength or not full strength. But the Patrol has things to do, and we’ve got things to do.”
The county OHP does not have a surplus of troopers available to answer calls for the sheriff’s department automatically in addition to their own duties, Harmon said. Two or three troopers work a typical shift, he said.
“We do have other duties,” Harmon said. “We’re not saying we don’t need a sheriff’s department. If we don’t have (the department), the entire law-enforcement community suffers.”
The layoffs have decimated aspects of the sheriff’s department. The detective bureau, for example, has been disbanded, Johnson said. Some detectives were laid off, while the survivors were given patrol duty.
Last month, Johnson warned townships to expect a drop in service as a result of the budget situation. In the wake of the layoffs, some trustees have contacted Johnson, presumably to discuss options.
“Some townships have called, and we’ve set up meetings,” Johnson said. He declined to elaborate.
