Current staffing at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office faces an unsustainable level of strain, Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said following an hours-long budget and operations meeting with El Paso County Commissioners Court.
The extensive use of overtime to compensate for staffing shortfalls at the Sheriff’s Office was the topic of a meeting in private executive session on Thursday, April 16, at the Juvenile Justice Center on Delta Drive next to Ascarate Park.
In a statement following the meeting, Sheriff Ugarte reiterated staffing concerns he made in an El Paso Times interview early this year, saying that he is often having to use overtime to cover daily operations at the jails.
The sheriff said he needs 100 more detention officers for the El Paso County Jail in Downtown and the Jail Annex.
The Sheriff’s Office is spending overtime quicker than normal for this time of the fiscal year, with the county’s public safety sector having spent 47% of its budget through February for a fiscal year that began in October, County Administrator Betsy Keller told El Paso Matters.
Public safety makes ups 34% of the county’s $495 million general fund budget for fiscal 2026, according to a county informational page.
El Paso County sheriff ‘sounding the alarm’
“Since taking office, I have been clear in sounding the alarm that this office faced years of neglect,” Ugarte, who is on his second year as sheriff, said in a statement. “While our staffing tables may show positions filled, the operational reality is that we do not have the personnel needed to meet the demands of our growing community.”
“Although we continue to meet the standards set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards within our detention facilities, our employees are working overtime to maintain those requirements. That level of strain is not sustainable and is taking a toll on the dedicated men and women who serve this community every day,” Ugarte said.
Special operations, such as the county’s DWI Task Force are staffed by deputies working overtime, Ugarte said, adding that crime overall dropped 14% in the county in 2025.
The Sheriff’s Office will continue working with county administration and Commissioners Court to address budgetary and operational needs, Ugarte said.
“On behalf of the commissioners and myself, we remain committed to ensuring public safety and maintaining efficient county operations,” El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said in a statement.
Samaniego added that he and commissioners would not comment further “due to the impact this matter has on the safety and security of our operations.”
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso sheriff ‘sounding the alarm’ on staffing, overtime costs
Reporting by Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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