Sheriff Kory Honea says funding from Measure H — a one-cent sales tax approved by voters last November — is immediately paying off for the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Honea told county supervisors this week that the funding has allowed his department to invest in new technology, including Flock Safety cameras that use artificial intelligence to read license plates.
“We have solved murder cases because we've been able to identify suspects leaving the scenes of crimes based on their vehicle driving past one of these cameras. It helps us narrow in on suspects so we can do better investigations.”— Kory Honea, Butte County Sheriff
“We have solved murder cases because we've been able to identify suspects leaving the scenes of crimes based on their vehicle driving past one of these cameras,” Honea said. “It helps us narrow in on suspects so we can do better investigations.”
He says the new revenue has also strengthened recruitment. The department has struggled for years to attract applicants, but Measure H funds have helped the office hire a firm specializing in social-media outreach. He says applications have increased 27% in the past year.
Honea says the new funding is a game changer after more than a decade of trying to move the department forward amid financial constraints.
“I look back at my tenure, beginning with the position of undersheriff in 2010, and I would characterize the majority of that period as this constant battle of trying to move forward, to be one step forward and then two steps back in everything that we did,” Honea said.
Measure H directs millions of dollars in local sales-tax revenue to county services, including law enforcement, fire protection and emergency response.
