Monday, May 14, 2012
Pacifica - City council considers outsourcing police
Item 10, city council meeting, 5/14/12. Outsourcing police is one considered solution to bridge the city's $700,000 annual budget deficit this year or next.
The San Mateo Daily Journal/Brendan Bartholomew, 5/14/12. "Pacifica considers outsourcing police."
.... When Pacifica’s Financing City Services Task Force floated the idea in December, it was one of several submitted for consideration. Others include a $118 per year parcel tax, a half-cent sales tax increase, or cuts to funding for after-school programs and the Pacifica Resource Center, which provides social services and nutritional assistance to seniors, children and low-income residents.
.... Mayor DeJarnatt said there are still many unanswered questions when it comes to the proposal and the possibility of assimilating current officers into the Sheriff’s Office. .....There is not yet a time frame for when the city will make a decision, and it is expecting a similar proposal from the South San Francisco Police Department, said Pacifica City Manager Stephen Rhodes. Read Article.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
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24 comments:
They better not. I will vote against all of them.
Outsourcing the police is financially the right thing to do, makes operational sense, and is probably inevitable. Even the police officers(other than the very comfy top tier)see the value. That pretty much guarantees that Pacifica leaders will find a way to screw it up and make the eventual transition as awkward and ass-backwards as possible. Claiming the geography is too difficult for new officers to learn is ridiculous. Better we should cut services to seniors and kids, right?
Pacifica, always our own worst enemy and the joke of the county.
worst thing to cut is pd. you are wishing for your ruin. we need protection.
Police, Fire, Road Infrastructure and teachers should be the last things to ever cut. These are service we need, we need to keep everyone civilized. Ban and close out state depts of education, environment (EPA), all agencies that take away our civil liberties, not services that keep us safe and educated. How backward have we become?
THe city council has spent the reserves. They spent on a payroll that couldn't be made. Get rid of all of those running for re-election this November.
Anonymous 911, 927, get rid of the Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, and Council Member Mary Ann Nihart running for city council in the Fall. Twisted comment. "Taking away our civil liberties" do you even know what you're talking about?
If Council votes to outsource the Police Dept., they are taking the easy way out and looking for a short term financial boost in our General Fund. The Burlingame Police Cheif decided against it because of the short term windfall and the costs would fall on the homeowners/taxpayers a few years down the road.
It's time to roll up their own sleeves, work on bringing in TOT and Sales Tax and get to work instead of pretending to know how to manage our public safety which they know nothing about.
"Ban and close out state depts of education, environment (EPA), all agencies that take away our civil liberties, not services that keep us safe and educated." Anonymous 9:11pm.
These are the core research, oversight organizations you want to get rid in the name of protecting our civil liberties?
Department of Education mission statements: 1) US Department of Education, equal access to education, student achievement, Federal aid to schools, research, grants, loans. And, 2) CA Department of Education, world class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood.
Then, there is the US Environmental Protection Agency,
you know clean air, clean water, ecosystem management.
How is it that these agencies are not protecting our civil liberties?
Contracting with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Dept for police services is a step up in law enforcement. It's certainly not the end of law and order and civilization in Pacifica. Better working conditions, resources, training and opportunity for the officers means they may stick around a while. And, it's not the easy way out for council..it's probably the only way out of this mess in the time left before we become another failed city. Development, sales tax growth, etc. are long term goals and yeah we need new blood on council to make it happen..3 new ones this November!
Let's see, rumor has it the city could save, yes, save upwards of 2.5 million dollars a year, all officers would be offered a position, and our level of service would be maintained at the current level. 2.5 million! I hope everyone realizes what that means to this city. That's 10% of our current budget. Maybe we could hire an economic development person. What a concept!
We wouldn't be having this discussion every year on how broke we are. We wouldn't be talking of cutting vital senior services or turning away those most in need from our resource center. Maybe be a real, viable city again. No more "Our Ecology is our Economy" bologna. In all honesty, other than getting a ticket, how many of you have relied on police services in the last 5 years? Those that did, nothing will change except the color of the uniforms.
"...rumor has it the city could save, yes, save upwards of 2.5 million dollars a year.. have relied on police services in the last 5 years? Those that did, nothing will change except the color of the uniforms."
Sure, "rumor has it" no change if no police are needed (?). Then why have a Sheriff's Department? What happens if police are needed. even 1x saving your life? What is it that we as a city and police employees don't get for $2.5 million. That's a lot of money as you have pointed-out.
Agreed the city does need to hire a full time economic development specialist that is taken serious with follow-up action by city council. And the city Resource Center does need to be supported by the city and all of us.
anon@11:11 Separation anxiety? Maybe they can station a sheriff's cruiser in front of your house to save you from that vague, unnamed threat. Meanwhile, Pacifica can continue as a city, create a financial reserve, enjoy protection by a well-led, well-trained, well-equipped stable sheriff's department that will include a lot of familiar and happy faces. Bigger labor pool means no more budget-killing OT. Participating cities share the centralized cost of overhead, equipment, admin and that means big savings compared to going it alone.
Contracting police services with the sheriff's dept is the smart thing to do here. This being Pacifica, that's the only danger. When have we ever been smart enough to do the smart thing for this city?
Make that a FT Economic Development Director and a revamped Planning and Development Commission. Should be hired now. Re-allocate some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars being poured into the money-pit on Beach Blvd. to cover the salary. It would be an infinitely smarter use of public funds.
It's a no brainer. The officers will be right here in Pacifica and they'll respond as quickly as the current group. In fact the current group can be included in the transition. Don't screw this up City Council. Save the money and save this town. Sign the contract.
In all honesty, other than getting a ticket, how many of you have relied on police services in the last 5 years? Those that did, nothing will change except the color of the uniforms.
I have relied on the Pacifica Police Department a few times and each time I was glad we had a local force. They arrived in under five minutes and had the situation under control immediately. Later I could ask one of the officers about the partular trouble-maker and they were able to recount their history.
If we're going to outsource everything to the point that we have no local control over any of our services, why bother remaining incorporated as a City? What would be the use and what would we as a City preside over at that point?
Even if we save 2.5 million it won't save us.
We have a 20+ million obligation to Calpers for unsustainable union pensions. We have too many union contracts paying way too much $ in wages and benefits. We spend money like water. And we have people in power who are against all development.
If we don't change these things we will still be headed for bankruptcy no matter what we cut or who we tax.
Remember the $1.5 million we were to save if the police dept. was converted to the county? That was totally bogus, nothing to back it up. A rumor about $2.5 million in savings seems even more far-fetched, given that our city manager can't seem to find the phone to call the county and get an estimate rolling.
Get rid of the incumbents this November and hopefully a new council majority will get rid of this incompetent we have as a city manager.
Fogel, you make a good point!
WahWahWah, I want my fuzzy and I will accept no substitutes no matter how qualified, able and affordable. I just won't!
We are doomed.
"If we're going to outsource everything to the point that we have no local control over any of our services, why bother remaining incorporated as a City?"
Chris Fogel,
Contracting for service doesn't mean you loose control, far from it.
And "why bother remaining incorporated as a City?"
How about so Pacifica calls the shots. Do you want the county to govern us from Redwood City? Do you think we would have a greater influence on matters if that was the case? Of course we wouldn’t.
The goal of the city is not to employ as many people as possible. The city's job is to provide us with services. It doesn't matter if the services come from city employees or contracted companies.
Anonymous 6:28- At Monday night’s city council meeting the city manager gave an update on the Sheriff. The city has a proposal from the Sheriff and now also has a bid from South San Francisco PD and is hiring a consultant to evaluate the details. Hopefully this is moving along and the city will report the findings in the next couple of months. I want to see details!!
Anon@1212 You want to see details?
I want to see a decision made without yet another high-priced freaking consultant on the payroll. When does the waste of public funds stop? Is Council and their high-priced manager intellectually incapable of a decision or just politically sensitive to the fall out?
I have also relied on the police dept many times. I find them extremely competent.
No criticism of the local police but contracting with the sheriff's department may be the only way to put this town back on its feet financially. We're lucky to have this alternative available. Or, we can vote for more taxes or we can start the serious cuts to services. Maybe both, and still end up broke.
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