Philadelphia Sheriff's Office now says it will cut overtime spending

Pressured by Nutter administration budget officials, the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office Monday said it was launching a plan to reduce overtime spending.

The announcement came a week after the office said cuts would be difficult, as its overtime was largely driven by the court system, which is run by a separate entity.

On Sunday, however, the Sheriff's Office appeared to reverse course, saying it had told all city judges of an overtime-reduction plan that will immediately save $150,000.

The city's budget director, Steve Agostini, said the office was on track to overspend its $12.3 million budget this year by $2.2 million.

The Sheriff's Office is responsible for transporting more than 1,500 prisoners daily, and oversees safety in 116 courtrooms and for 144 city judges. Among other duties, deputies are also responsible for building security at the Criminal Justice Center, Traffic Court, and Family Court, and for enforcing court orders involving personal property, warrants, and writs.

Under the new plan, fewer deputies will be assigned to Family Court, a second shift will be initiated in Traffic Court, and deputies in various courtrooms will work on staggered schedules.

The new plan also unravels staffing policies put in place two years ago in response to Philadelphia's overcrowded prisons, where the daily jail count has decreased this year.

"The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office is committed to assisting the city in this time of financial crisis," the office's chief deputy, Barbara Deeley, said in a news release. "We need ongoing communications with this office from everyone involved in the criminal justice process to make sure our deputies are deployed efficiently while not sacrificing security or public safety for our courtrooms, prisoner transports, as well as our sworn personnel."