Rockland police chiefs joined Rockland County Sheriff James Kralik outside the county office building today demanding changes to the 2012 Rockland budget.

Kralik says the current proposal includes $5 million in cuts to his budget. He says these cuts would essentially devastate his department and have a negative ripple effect throughout the county. The sheriff said he would have no choice but to lay off 30 officers and dismantle many of the existing programs including the arson squad, the bomb squad, the computer crime unit and the marine unit.

The local police chiefs say it would be nearly impossible to replace the services the sheriff's department provides.

The law enforcement officials say they are asking the legislature to lift the tax cap and restore funding to their department or otherwise, they fear the county will be a more dangerous place to live.

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