The chiefs of the San Bernardino police and fire departments vowed on Thursday to preserve the most important emergency services in light of looming cuts to city departments under the city’s likely bankruptcy.
In a press conference called Thursday morning, San Bernardino Police Chief Robert Handy said his 458-member department will not be hiring any time soon, but that police patrols will remain intact.
"We've dealt with difficult times before," the police chief said. "We will continue to provide emergency services. You will continue to see police and firefighters day and night.
"We will stay focused on providing the essential emergency services and other services to our community as best we can."
MORE: City Officials Knew About Financial Woes for Years | Residents Worry About Services in Wake of Bankruptcy
Interim San Bernardino Fire Chief Paul Drasil read a brief statement during the press conference on Monday, reaffirming his agency's commitment to public safety.
"We will do our best not to compromise public safety," he said. "I am confident that we will be able to manage this situation as to prevent any adverse impact to our community."
Neither chief talked about potential layoffs. Handy said his department would have to be restructured and he said that narcotics and gang officers could move into patrol functions.
The first jobs on the chopping block would be administrative positions.
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Police and fire employees said they were concerned about the future, as did residents worried about the bankruptcy's effects on public safety.
Meanwhile, an investigation into just what went wrong with the city’s finances was ongoing on Thursday. City council members in San Bernardino have said they had no idea that the municipality was in such dire straits, despite documents going back at least to 2009 showing severe deficits looming every year.
Every financial director for years has warned that the city’s reserves were depleted. But each year the budget was re-written in a way that made it appear to be balanced. Salaries were cut ands jobs reduced significantly by attrition.
San Bernardino City Attorney James Penman, in urging the city council to vote to authorize a bankruptcy filing Tuesday night, went to far as to say budget documents had been falsified over the years. He said he had turned information on possible wrongdoing over to the FBI and other authorities.
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