Crime & Safety
Poll: Should Millbrae Outsource its Police Force?
Proposal from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office could save the city $400,000 a year, but that's with one less officer on patrol.
Residents will soon be invited to sound off at townhall meetings about the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office's for the city of Millbrae.
On Oct. 11 Sheriff Greg Munks presented a minimum staffing scenario that would include two Millbrae-based deputies patrolling the city, compared to three officers now.
The two deputies would patrol the city 24 hours a day, and a sergeant would supervise Millbrae 12 hours a day. Millbrae would share a sergeant with sheriff’s patrol for the other half of the day. A sheriff's lieutenant would act as the city's full-time police chief.
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The proposal would cost $4.1 million annually, and Munks said he wouldn’t charge for additional resources brought in to respond to major crimes.
The Sheriff’s Office already provides contract police services to county jurisdictions, including San Carlos and Half Moon Bay, but residents and officers were reticent to embrace the outsourcing plan.
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Many residents said they didn't want fewer officers on the street, especially for little financial gain.
The sheriff's proposal would save the city $400,000 (or more) a year, according to the city staff report, but the total full-time police employees would be reduced from about 30 to just over 16.
After intense questioning from the City Council, it became clear that the sheriff's proposal didn't match up with the city's police budget since overtime costs, vacation coverage and worker's compensation expenses were not reflected in the city's current personnel budget of about $4.2 million. The council asked city staff to come up with a closer apples-to-apples comparison.
The city is under pressure to make a decision on future of the police department. Chief Neil Telford is scheduled on Nov. 1 to return to acting as San Bruno's chief full-time.
If outsourcing isn't the chosen course, then the city may have to find an additional $410,000 in its budget to hire a full-time chief and command staff.
So where do you stand on the issue?
Do you think the city should keep its homegrown police force no matter what projections the sheriff or city come up with?
Or do you think Millbrae should follow the lead of San Carlos, save some money and purchase an insurance policy from the sheriff to cover crime in the city?
Please respond to Patch's reader poll.
