Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton is working on his budget for 2012 and predicts it’s going to be a tight year. Just like businesses and households, he says he is trying to stretch the dollar the best way possible: “We have a $36 million budget at the Sheriff's Office. Something that we do not take lightly. We spend about $3 million a month to provide safety to the citizens of Deschutes County. We'll tighten our belt a little bit for 2012; working on the budget right now." Sheriff Blanton describes 2011 as a busy year with some challenging investigations surrounding identity theft, murder investigations, and some significant highway crashes.