Staffing shortage pushes Merced County Sheriff's Office to launch online reporting portal

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- A lack of law enforcement personnel is forcing the Merced County Sheriff to change the reporting of some crimes.

"I've got two thousand square miles to worry about in this county, and sometimes I've got 4 to 6 deputies working, and that's half of what it should be minimum," explained Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke.

Warnke says he is frustrated that the level of service his office offers will have to decline.

Monday night, he announced some non-violent crimes will need to be reported through this online portal.

Those crimes include Disturbing the Peace, Fraud, Lost Property, some Theft, Vandalism and vehicle burglary.

"The priority calls that come in, we'll be responding to those first but I can't spare the deputies to go take care of a cold call," Warnke said.

Once something is reported online, an investigative assistant or a deputy on desk duty will review and follow up.

However, submitting a report to this site will not dispatch a deputy, so if it's an emergency, call 911.

The sheriff claims the county hasn't done enough to retain deputies and correctional officers, which has led to this change in reporting.

As it is, Sheriff Warnke has had to respond to calls himself.

We're going to do what we have to do, what we can do and like I said before, if I'm the last gunslinger we've got going out, I'll be taking the calls," Warnke said.

Warnke says he's desperate for the board of supervisors to provide more funding as deputies leave for other parts of the state where they can make more money.

Last month, the county told Action News the board is committed to closing the pay gap between Merced and other counties in the Central Valley.

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