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John Gilligan says the use of per diem workers would greatly help his office.

WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County Sheriff John Gilligan said Friday there are not enough sheriff deputies to go around, and that the use of per diem workers would help his office a great deal.

Gilligan, who took office in June after being nominated for the post by Gov. Ed Rendell after former sheriff Michael Savokinas resigned in 2009, said at Tuesday’s Luzerne County budget hearings that in 1996, the office had 40 deputies, which is the same number as today.

“We bring in a lot of revenue,” Gilligan said. “And if I had the people to do it, we could bring in a lot more.”

The office has budgeted $452,188 in revenue for 2011.

Gilligan said since Aug. 1 the office has transported 3,600 prisoners from Luzerne County and other counties.

He said the amount of civil paperwork to be served doubled in June and that the real estate division is “crazy” with the number of foreclosures because of the economy.

“We’ve been operating shorthanded for awhile,” Gilligan said. “Pier diems would help a great deal.”

At Tuesday’s hearing before Luzerne County commissioners, Gilligan asked for eight more deputies to cover work that needs to be done.

Gilligan explained back in 1996 there were only five or six courtrooms, and now there are 10 spread out between the Luzerne County Courthouse, Brominski Building and Penn Place in Wilkes-Barre.

Gilligan said each courtroom needs two deputies, maybe more depending on how many prisoners are in the room.

Commissioners ultimately turned down Gilligan’s request for eight deputies, but said they would be in favor of re-evaluating the use of per diem workers.

“Basically they are on call. If you need them, you call them. If you don’t need them, you don’t have to call them,” Gilligan said.

Gilligan said the per diem workers would help cover what he needs now, but indicated he would ask for more full-time deputies in the future.

Gilligan also suggested Tuesday that the court system utilize video conferencing more to bring down the number of inmates that need to be transported, freeing up deputies for other duties.

“More video conferencing would help,” Gilligan said, citing that the number of prisoners transported from Aug. 1 is a large number and that one prisoner is transported by two deputies and that if the sheriff’s department bus is utilized, at least four deputies must accompany the prisoners.

Gilligan said he hasn’t seen the video conferencing system used much in county court, only in Central Court for preliminary hearings.

Luzerne County President Judge Thomas Burke said he believes the court system makes a reasonable use of the video process and that the video is specifically used to lift arrest warrants or hold arraignments. It also is used for waiver of extradition hearings, Post-Conviction Relief Act hearings, guilty pleas and sometimes sentencings.

Use of more video conferencing is something the court is willing to look at more closely, Burke said.

“We are always trying to improve efficiency so long as it does not detract from meeting due process standards,” he said.