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Residents Pan Sheriff's Spending Cut Plan
Mark Schantz/SUNCOAST NEWS
Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats received tough questioning during a town hall meeting Thursday night in Palm Harbor. Area residents and former deputies, including one seeking to replace Coats as sheriff, faulted Coats’ plan to cut spending. In the background is Jim Kleyman, head of the Greater Palm Harbor Coalition, a group exploring turning the Palm Harbor area into a city.
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Published: June 27, 2008
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PALM HARBOR -- Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats received spirited questioning by former deputies and local residents Thursday night over his plan to eliminate special patrol units to save money.
The sheriff presented his case for the 10 percent spending reduction at a town hall meeting held by the Palm Harbor Coalition, a group that is exploring turning the Palm Harbor area into a city.
Coats said the County Commission has given him no choice but to eliminate community policing and other specialized units. These units target impaired driving and other traffic violators and work with students at Palm Harbor University High School and youths at risk of becoming youthful offenders.
Under the budget plan the Palm Harbor area would loose these special units by the end of July, Coats said. "We are going to do the best we can with the resources we have," he said.
Regular patrol strength would not be affected by the cuts, said Coats. The cuts, however, would likely lead to an increase in traffic accidents caused by drunken and reckless driving, he predicted.
Residents and former deputies told the sheriff they are upset that he decided to cut services that directly affect the community, rather than looking at other areas of his department.
In response, Coats said County Commission budget decisions have left him with no alternatives to the spending cuts he has proposed.
For more on this story see the June 28 North Pinellas print edition of The Suncoast News.
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