Tehama County sheriff hosts town hall meeting in Corning
May 2—While the turnout to the Town Hall meeting hosted by Tehama County Sheriff Dave Kain was not great, the information shared by the sheriff was well worth attending.
The April 25 gathering at the Corning Veterans Memorial Hall was the third of Kain's town hall events — the first in the Bowman area and the second in Red Bluff.
"I am here in an effort to establish open communication, transparency and trust," Kain said. He started by explaining the ins-and-outs of the day-to-day operations of his department.
He said Tehama County has a population of about 67,000 covering 3,000 square miles.
"At any given time, we have two deputies and one sergeant on patrol. That is why we have to prioritize calls," Kain added. "The sheriff's department's three responsibilities include manning and running the jail, civil, and bailiff for the courts. However, we also provide patrol and other services to the community."
He talked about the department's ongoing efforts to improve staffing levels.
"Our recruitment is improving," Kain said. He listed the most recent being three lateral hires from the Corning Police Department, two from the Red Bluff Police Department and several from other agencies in the North State.
"We are fully staffed in dispatch and are looking to be fully staffed by the end of December in patrol," he added. "Where we are lagging behind is in correctional deputies."
Kain went on to explain, when the new correctional facility is completed just west of the current site, the staffing and inmates in the current jail will be transferred to the new jail. Once that transfer is complete, the old jail facility will undergo much needed upgrades and renovations.
"When we have built up our correctional facility staffing we will be able to use both sites to house inmates. If you don't have a place to put convicted criminals, they stay on the street. With strong jails that have lots of beds that can keep the criminals off the streets, that is an increase for public safety," the sheriff explained.
As for the sheriff department's budget, Kain expressed frustration with county administration, stating he was asked to cut his budget by $4 million.
"We want to be good stewards of the taxes you pay," he added. "We need you to let the (Tehama County)Board of Supervisors know what is important to you. You deserve a deputy sheriff to respond face-to-face when you need one. That is what I want to build back up to once again."
As for the department's new helicopter program, Kain said there have been no funds for the program coming out of the department's regular budget. He said the cost of the program has been covered through donations, military surplus, grants and asset forfeitures.
The helicopter will be available to serve allied agencies, for search and rescue, fires, patrol support and search of illegal commercial marijuana operations.
He noted other changes that have and are occurring, include updating the morgue/coroner's department, uniforms, look of the patrol vehicles, social media, new furniture in the office, and new patrol equipment.
During the question and answer period of the meeting, a couple of people in the audience monopolized the time with commentary, however, a few questions got to the sheriff, who ended the evening by saying, "This is the hardest time ever to be a cop in California."
