Overview
- An OIG preliminary report labels the sheriffs’ budget system "opaque, chaotic, and deeply flawed," tying chronic overspending to routine reliance on supplemental appropriations.
- The review urges lawmakers to clearly define sheriffs’ duties, set realistic base budgets, and restrict supplemental funding to rare, unforeseen needs, with a final report expected in May.
- The OIG revises the reported shortfall to roughly $110 million and notes years of underfunding combined with overspending, singling out Hampden, Plymouth, and Suffolk for overruns up to about 28%.
- Investigators say 10 of 14 sheriffs collectively received more than $260,000 in unauthorized extra pay and found civil-process fees kept in private accounts outside state accounting, prompting calls to update the law.
- Legislative leaders withheld supplemental funds during the probe, several counties now show negative balances, and sheriffs warn that rehabilitative and behavioral-health programs could be curtailed.