In 2008, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department began taken precautionary measures for budgetary issues by creating the position of Correctional Services Assistants (CSA). CSAs are civilian employees who are hired to fill positions at county jails that are traditionally held by sworn sheriff’s deputies.

The CSAs earn a lower hourly rate than new deputies and are also given fewer retirement benefits. Of the approximately 730 positions within the county jails, 80% are filled with deputies. There are 140 civilian employees working in the Orange County corrections system at present. It is the intention of county officials to increase the number of CSAs to 34%.

Two years ago, sheriff’s deputies sued the county because they were barred from applying for certain positions within the system. Those positions were instead going to the new civilian employees. It is the claim of the deputy sheriff’s union that the county did not allow negotiations about adding CSAs to the jails, which is required by state law.

A judge ordered the county to open negotiations with the union about the issue and put a freeze on hiring additional CSAs to fill positions until the negotiations were settled.

Correctional Services Assistants have minimal contact with inmates. They undergo an 11-week training program, as opposed to the six-months of training that deputies must go through. The county has saved $70 million since starting the program.

The hiring of civilian employees at the Orange County jails has not lead to lost jobs or demotions among deputies. On average, deputies must work at the jails for five or six years before they can be moved into patrol duties.

The Correctional Services assistants are represented by the Orange County Employees Association. The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s did not sue the county about the issue until after civilians began to take up positions at the jails in 2009. The county human resources director refused to include the topic of CSAs in the contract negotiations at the time, so deputies agreed to remove the topic from their list and signed a new contract.

An injunction was granted in 2010 that blocked the county from hiring additional civilian personnel at the jails. After the county appealed, the decision was stayed until the court considered an appeal. The ruling was upheld in 2011.

This year, a judge declined to remove the CSAs from their current positions and that they would remain under the representation of their current union while negotiations are ongoing.

Source: Judge won't yank civilian workers from county jails

Published:  4/12/2012