Thursday, September 1, 2011

Millbrae moves to explore police partnerships

September 01, 2011, 04:15 AM Daily Journal Staff Report

Millbrae will consider contracting with the Sheriff’s Office or working with a neighboring agency to provide police services.

Tuesday night, the council directed staff to consult nearby agencies about a possible partnership as well as explore the cost of contracting with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for services — a move a number of other cities have done to save cash.

San Bruno and Millbrae currently share Neil Telford, who acts as police chief for both cities. Since then, San Bruno has asked that Telford return as a full-time employee. During a special meeting Tuesday, the Millbrae City Council explored options for providing police services. The council expressed a desire to reach out to the Sheriff’s Office, look for other possible partners and explore funding options, Telford said.

In March 2010, the two cities entered into a contract to share Telford, a veteran with more than 27 years of experience with the San Bruno Police Department. The one-year contract called for sharing the costs of his compensation. Last year, the cities jointly commissioned Municipal Resource Group, LLC to study further options for sharing police services. 

According to the analysis, a shared service model was not viable due to limited or non-existent fiscal savings, Telford wrote in a staff report. Cost is one of the issues with keeping its own department. Over the last 10 years, the department has gone from 38.5 full-time equivalent employees to 29.75, Telford wrote. The reduction includes six less police officers and two fewer police lieutenants.

Should the city want to maintain its own department, Telford suggested increasing staffing levels by 2.25 full-time equivalent employees — a cost of $410,000 annually. Meeting that will require cuts to other city departments. 

Submitted by Jim Alex

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