Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said it’s cheaper to kill suspects than wound them.
In footage, provided by the Kern County Detention Officer’s Association, the sheriff explains why killing someone is better for the county financially than crippling them, stating, “Because if you cripple them you have to take care of them for life and that cost goes way up.”
He stated further, “Do you know what happens when a guy makes a bad shooting on somebody and kills them? $3 million bucks and the family goes away.”
The 12-year-old video was released by the association, which said the county’s police force was in “desperate need of positive changes.”
The Guardian reported on Kern County in 2015, and found it to have the highest rate of police killings in the U.S.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood said he stands by his remarks though he wished he phrased them differently, stating, “I stand by the intent of what I was trying to get across — that just because someone doesn’t die doesn’t mean we escape with less money or unharmed.”
He’s also running for re-election against his Chief Deputy, Justin Fleeman who has the support of all 3 f the police unions in the county.
