Here at the Middlesex sheriff's office, we have spent the last several fiscal years combing our budget for opportunities to achieve greater efficiency and reduce spending.

In addition, we face the uncertain future of 450 detainees housed in the Cambridge jail, an overcrowded facility designed to hold 160.

Our efforts to address these fiscal challenges include advocating for legislation that takes an innovative approach to public safety and corrections.

The recent "CORI Reform" bill signed by the governor is the result of legislation filed by state Sen. Cynthia Creem, which I co-sponsored. This new law will move some nonviolent drug offenders to parole earlier to begin their re-entry regimen and to free up expensive, secure beds for more serious offenders. It also contains provisions to give sheriffs more latitude in managing their pre-trial populations.

My staff and I have implemented other measures as well: More than 100 staff positions remain vacant, including 85 correction officers, none of whom have been replaced since November 2008; unpaid furloughs for all Middlesex sheriff's office employees, and a reduction of managers and higher grade/step employees through a retirement incentive.

We canceled a planned (and sorely needed) correction officers academy, made staffing adjustments to minimize overtime, and eliminated all non-mandatory training.

We have reduced take-home vehicles, pagers, and cell phones and found further savings by implementing energy efficiency projects and restructuring telecommunications services.

One untouchable item is the community-standard-of-care health services to inmates, which we are constitutionally required to provide.

I would also hold as untouchable any further reduction in staffing levels, which would endanger staff and inmates. I have a sworn duty to protect the staff and those in my custody from harm. Life in prison is not and should not be easy, but putting human beings in harm's way is not an option.

Cost savings:

It is my experience as a deputy sheriff of 20 years that before I would outsource office space in private buildings, I would use all empty and available offices at the Billerica House of Correction, which would save taxpayers thousands of dollars each month in unnecessary rent and leases.

I will consolidate the civil process division, law enforcement division, and court security division all under one department.

Also, I would restructure the number of top administrative staff versus the ratio of officers without laying anyone off with a significant savings in payroll each month for taxpayers.

The elimination of all unnecessary excessive equipment such as boats, motorcycles, buses, hazmat vehicles, SWAT trucks, unused marked and unmarked cruisers, and the use of state-owned, take-home vehicles. This would again save thousands of dollars in gas and maintenance each month.

More savings would be to eliminate all trips paid by taxpayers such as Washington DC Law Enforcement Memorial, SWAT competitions in Florida, trips to Rikers Island in NY, just to name a few.

I am confident I will cut the budget for the taxpayers significantly without jeopardizing the safety and well-being of the hard-working men and women of the Middlesex sheriff's office, inmates, and the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Untouchable:

Of utmost importance as sheriff, I feel safety of the officers and their continued training and education cannot be sacrificed, as well as the equipment they need daily to perform their hazardous duties in a safe and effective manner, such as stab-proof vests, portable radios, and protective restraints for each officer, to name a few.

All mandatory programs that are required by law for inmates.

Security of the institution can not be compromised to assure the primary function of the institution which is care, custody, and control of inmates.