Watch VideoPublic safety and public health at risk in El Paso county
Story By: Susan Davies
Source: KOAA
Members of a local citizens group say they've scrutinized El Paso county sheriff's office and the county health department and they're concerned.
The health department says they have only 2/3 the staff they need to deal with rising rates of infectious disease and state mandated restaurant inspections.
Sheriff Terry Maketa says although the county's population has increased 43% and calls for service are up 137% since 1990, no new patrols have been added. The National Sheriff Association guidelines call for 29 new deputies immediately.
Members of Citizens for Effective Government support sales and property tax increases to raise 200 million dollars to fix immediate problems and 60 million dollars annually to support the changes.
