Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Pacifica - Better to keep our police force


Pacifica Tribune/Letters-to-the-editor, 5/2/12. "Outsourcing police" by Jack Burgett

"Editor:  To outsource public safety is a travesty no, it is lunacy. The people in our community deserve better. The Pacifica Police Department has provided excellent policing and protection for our law abiding citizens.

Police vs. Sheriff - better for our community, find the money
We (Pacificans) will only get what we can afford to pay for from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. Why not keep and pay for what we have? Just because other cities are doing it does not mean we (the Council) have to follow like sheep. There must be other viable solutions.

Don't expect help from midnight to 8 a.m. The response time for any emergency will be slow because of fewer police (deputies) on the street at that time. I'm concerned that by outsourcing, we have created a situation that can never be repaired. It will still cost us (Pacificans) money to receive adequate coverage at an acceptable level that we are accustomed to.

From top to bottom, the Pacifica Police Department has performed a superior, well-thought out program to enhance public safety. If we go through with the San Mateo County Sheriff's office take over, it will be a move we will regret."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lot of speculation and boogey-man stuff. Motivated by what? Any facts in the analysis? Other cities who have contracted with the Sheriff's Department have had no real problems with the service and have saved money. Easy to check on that. We need to remember it's a contract for services and can be customized to meet community needs and wants. Whether we like it or not, we do not have a lot of options. At least for police services we have a viable alternative.

Anonymous said...

It's no criticism of the Pacifica Police to be considering this option. Not at all. It's economic reality and we're going to have to choose what we keep, what we change, and what we do without. One of these days.