Grand Jury Report on Mandatory Overtime in the Sheriff’s Office
The 2017-18 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury learned that a mandatory overtime policy has been in effect for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office custody deputies for a number of years. The Jury investigated the background and history of the policy, the reasons for the policy, why the policy has lasted so long, the impacts of the policy, and options for addressing the issue. The Jury concluded that mandatory overtime has become a de facto element of the Sheriff’s Office personnel and budget management practices; the Sheriff’s Office has made no significant effort to understand the human toll of this policy on its personnel; and recruiting to fill vacancies that contribute to overtime requirements is a low priority.
