Topic has come up in Morgan Hill, other regional cities
Local officials on the Hollister City Council and San Benito
County Board of Supervisors say they are open to examining the idea
of merging the police department and sheriff’s office as a way to
save money.
Topic has come up in Morgan Hill, other regional cities
Local officials on the Hollister City Council and San Benito County Board of Supervisors say they are open to examining the idea of merging the police department and sheriff’s office as a way to save money.
The law enforcement merger issue has been broached in other area communities, including Morgan Hill where the police officers union has supported such a contractual partnership.
County supervisors recently also shelved long-held plans to build a new sheriff’s office because the cost would be too high. Instead, they are looking into leasing options for a replacement to the antiquated downtown administration building.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho was relatively adamant among local officials interviewed by the Pinnacle in favor of seriously looking into a law enforcement merger. He said it especially makes sense to look at “some sort of joint arrangement” with a central administration building.
“It makes a lot of sense to me,” Botelho said. “My understanding is there is future capacity at the Hollister administration office.”
Botelho also said, however, that the city would not “quite have as much control with law enforcement.”
But he called it a “great way to save resources” and he noted how “it worked” for the City of San Juan Bautista, which contracts with the sheriff’s office for law enforcement.
“There hasn’t been, to date, a whole lot of focus (on the issue) from the elected officials,” he said. “I like the idea of consolidation and partnerships.”
There has been some talk among officials, though. The intergovernmental committee broached the topic at a recent meeting, but Police Chief Jeff Miller had not been in attendance so the panel asked that staff members bring back more information about it, said Supervisor Pat Loe.
Supervisor Reb Monaco, meanwhile, said the topic has come up at various levels for about the past year and a half.
Monaco said he believes the only way such a merger could work is through a contractual agreement between the city and county.
“This has not been discussed out in the open,” Monaco said. “Certainly, I’m not opposed to having that happen, if and when it’s necessary.”
Rising costs, a down economy and severely declining revenue streams are at the heart of debates over where local officials can cut costs in the short and long term during rough financial times.
Hollister has had a more difficult go than the county, while the city, despite the 1 percent sales tax approved by voters as Measure T more than two years ago, has almost no general fund reserve left and it operates a deficit that would bankrupt the savings account within three years, according to city estimates.
Loe pointed out how such talks would have to be initiated by Hollister officials.
“The city needs to understand what the responsibility is of the sheriff,” she said. “It would be different from having a chief of police.”
She mentioned how under such a scenario, many factors would have to be weighed, such as progress with the joint gang coordinator office, against any potential cost savings. She said she is not leaning one way or another.
“I need to have all the facts and the information,” Loe said.
On the city side, Councilman Ray Friend said if such merger talks progressed, it would “probably” require an outside analyst to make sure any examination comes with objectivity.
“Obviously, it’s going to involve jobs and people’s lives and stuff, so it probably has to be an independent person at some time,” he said.
Friend recalled how when he served on the civil grand jury about a decade ago, the law enforcement merger idea came up and the determination was made it was unfeasible because sheriff’s deputies and police officers have followed different protocol and training.
Fellow Councilman Doug Emerson said he thinks the idea “warrants investigation” but that he could not say “at this time whether it’s feasible or not.”
Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia said it “would behoove us to look at it.”
“I would look at it seriously to see if it would be possible at all,” she said.
Aside from the grand jury’s look, the city council in recent decades also has examined the idea. Sheriff Curtis Hill noted how in the early 1990s, city leaders broached the topic and asked the acting police chief at the time to study it. The interim chief reported back that it would end up costing the city more money to contract with the sheriff, Hill said.
Aside from costs, another major factor is the authority over law enforcement policies. Hill pointed to what he called the standard in city governments’ administration of having three “legs” – the city manager, the city attorney and the police chief.
“And cities just don’t like taking out one of the legs of that stool,” said Hill, who is retiring at year’s end. “They lose a certain amount of authority and power.”
Fast-forward about 20 years, though, and Hill pointed out how cities throughout the region – “up and down the peninsula” – are talking about the law enforcement merger issue.
“If the city council and the city manager, if they as a body in open, transparent discussion, decide they’re going to approach the county to start that dialogue, then I will come and sit at the table with the other county folks.”
Hill noted how other areas of law enforcement have been consolidated in the past, such as the formation of the United Narcotics Enforcement Team – comprised of regional agencies – formed in the 1970s and has saved taxpayers a lot of money.
“Why have three different narcotics units when you can have one covering the whole area?” he said.
Chief Miller did not respond to a request for an interview over the topic.
