When the Dane County Board moved to freeze its vacant positions in 2009, one of the few organizations spared was the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, which agreed to temporary pay cuts in return for a raise in 2011. The sheriff’s union successfully argued public safety would be placed in serious jeopardy if too many deputies were removed from Madison and the surrounding areas.

But with a new report indicating the office is overstaffed by 15 deputy positions, Sheriff Dave Mahoney may have to at last accept what his fellow public servants endured in 2009. The department has just agreed to a hiring freeze in light of the report, which was performed by an independent consulting group. The freeze would allow the positions left by deputies who quit voluntarily to become vacancies, meaning the County Board could in essence downsize the department without going through the painful — and adversarial — process of deciding which deputies to lay off and which to retain.

Although the job of laying off policemen is an unpalatable one at best, the County Board has acted prudently with regards to the Sheriff’s Office. A hiring freeze not only saves money, but minimizes what could have otherwise been a protracted battle with another county union in a time when a great number of municipalities are taking far more drastic steps to remain fiscally solvent. And while fundamental concerns over public safety will only become more prominent, it is a pleasant surprise to see a governing body act with nuance when forced to take an objective look at the relative worth of all the services it offers, including those designed for the county’s most disadvantaged residents.

The measure also displays a degree of fiscal foresight. As Sup. Scott McDonell, the sponsor of the freeze, said, “I don’t want to hire four or five deputies in September and then turn around and lay them off.” Not only would a policy of hiring candidates it can’t retain hurt the county’s already strained budget, it would be dishonest to both residents and those who would hold an essentially seasonal position in the department. This board is optimistic that the freeze will force Mahoney to prioritize resources more effectively, and perhaps even reevaluate his de facto position as the county’s chief deportation official.