Loading ...UPDATE: The Fullerton City Council voted not to study whether or not the Orange County Sheriff’s Department could save the City of Fullerton millions of dollars by replacing their current police department. Apparently three Council Members (Sharon Quirk-Silva, Greg Sebourn and Doug Chaffee) thought that saving money wasn’t a good idea.
“Sebourn said it could have been a source of information, but at this point there was not the political will to make the move,” according to the L.A. Times. Lame!
“The Orange County Sheriff’s Department could take over police duties for the city of Fullerton under a proposal being considered by the City Council on Tuesday,” according to NBC News.
What do you think? The City of Fullerton took a PR hit when a group of their cops went nuts and killed homeless man Kelly Thomas. Several Council Members backed by the Fullerton police union were later recalled by the Fullerton voters. Isn’t it time for the Fullerton City Council to consider alternatives?
Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva told the O.C. Register: “I’m not sold on the idea. A lot of times we think we are saving, but then we realize we don’t save what we thought.”
Imagine that. Quirk-Silva doesn’t think the City of Fullerton will save money, but why not at least find out if they will? Why support the cops who embarrassed the city and killed a Fullerton resident?
And if the City of Fullerton can save money by dumping their cops, why not do so?
Fullerton should tread carefully. Costa Mesa was very ‘gung ho’ to consider handing over its Fire Department to the OC Fire Authority. But for reasons unreported, unknown and/or unclear, the city later dropped the deal like a warm dog turd.
As I wrote for the FFFF, at the most fundamental level, Fullerton would be trading one bureaucracy for another, and one run by an elected official that Fullerton can NOT discipline or fire if the shit hits the fan.
Plenty of other cities don’t have dirty cops and dirty cop management. They run their departments locally and, presumably, within an acceptable cost structure. Fullerton would lose that control, and be under the strong influence of the Sheriff’s union. Why trade one union for another? Wouldn’t it be great if no union was involved? Could THAT happen?
Only two cops have been fired as a result of the Thomas murder — it was too hard to do, but how much harder would that be if it was the Sheriff? Logically, the Sheriff would look to FPD to transfer and staff its Fullerton force and the City might not have much to say about who they choose, especially since the records of the worst cops are covered up, and the union would protect them at all costs.
The last question to ask is what happens if the Sheriff fails? Can Fullerton get its Department back? And who gets the expensive assets (communications, computers, vehicles, forensics)? Knowing cops, I’ll bet all this gear is first-class.
Fullerton needs to think long and hard before doing this (and risking its gun rights under Hutchens).