Rockland mulls elimination of Sheriff's Transport Unit

County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef (R-Rockland) has proposed eliminating the Sheriff's Transport Unit to help tackle a $50 million budget deficit.
The Transport Unit is responsible for taking prisoners between the county jail, courts and hospitals. Officials say about 50 part-time workers make up the unit and that they are mostly retired police officers who are paid $25 per hour with no overtime or benefits.
However, Sheriff Jamess Kralik says cutting the unit would wind up costing the county $5 million because the part-time workers would have to be replaced by full-time officers. Right now, the unit costs $1.2 million to operate.
Vanderhoef: Rockland finances a sinking ship