Isleton Law Enforcement Gains New Resources As Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Takes Over

ISLETON (CBS13) – It's a police department plagued with problems, including allegations of officers having sex in squad cars and a barely-there budget. These problems have led to the disbanding of the Isleton Police Department.

Boarded-up buildings and barely a soul on Main Street give it all away. Isleton is dealing with a budget so bad the city had to get rid of the police department.

But now with a new sheriff in town, people are starting to feel safe again as Sacramento County deputies patrol the area.

"Pretty bad stuff would happen and they'd just let people go," said resident Miranda Mindell.

Residents are now getting the promise they'll see a bit more of the badge.

"I want to see all the drug dealers get kicked out of town," said Mindell.

This delta city may be small, but it has no shortage of typical city crimes.

"The druggies and the robberies, break-ins," said Haron Francis.

In the past few months a cloud of controversy seemed to follow the Isleton Police Department with incidents involving an officer shooting a dog, allegations of an on-duty officer having sex in a patrol car, and even allegations of an officer illegally selling department-issued weapons.

"Any other remaining issues we've turned over to the district attorney, FBI, or ATF," said City Manager Dan Hinrichs.

The city manager is hoping to put those issues in the past

The city only took in $450,000 last year; much less than the $500,000 per year it costs to run a police department.

"We will have a 24/7, multi-officer presence in the south county," said Sheriff Scott Jones.

The sheriff has four deputies patrolling the delta communities at all hours and Isleton will have resources they've never had before.

"We also have ability to get air support, SWAT teams, canines," said Jones.

What will these new resources cost Isleton? Less than half of what police used to cost: $180,000, and no sex and weapon scandals.

Since the city hasn't had law enforcement for months, a lot of citizens were asking about taking the law into their own hands. However, the sheriff's department prefers they don't do any citizen arrests. Instead, they'll start a neighborhood watch program.

The city's next goal is get more than one part-time firefighter. But the city manager says Isleton's revenue this year is expected to be even less than it was last year.