City Finalizes Police Outsourcing Plan

San Mateo County sheriff deputies will begin serving Millbrae residents on March 4, officially ending the Millbrae Police Department’s 63-year history. 

City officials initiated outsourcing discussions with the sheriff’s office last fall after Chief Neil Telford . At the time, Chief Telford said the Millbrae Police Department was critically understaffed, with some officers working as much as 16-hour days, leading to fatigue and stress. 

The city faced two options: whether to spend an additional $400,000 to hire another chief and other police employees, or outsource services to the Sheriff’s Office and save an estimated $1.5 million a year.

The Sheriff’s Office presented an initial proposal on Oct. 11, but after over the lack of comparable policing services, the sheriff submitted a beefier and costlier plan that boosted staffing.

After months of discussions and negotiations, city council approved outsourcing the police department on Dec. 13, 2011. 

“We’re in the final week of transferring [Millbrae] employees. We’re just about done,” said Lt. Larry Schumaker of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office will absorb all current Millbrae police employees, but some officer’s salaries will be lowered. For example, the average police sergeant’s base salary will be about $104,000 a year at the Sheriff’s Office, compared to about $123,000 for a current Millbrae police sergeant.

The Millbrae Police Officer’s Association negotiated that the City of Millbrae pay the salary difference for a year for the two transferring sergeants, as well as a one-time $700 uniform allowance per employee, totaling about $50,000.

The Sheriff’s Office will also buy most of Millbrae’s police vehicles, weapons, computers and some gear for about $186,000. The bulk of the credit, $114,000, is for eight Ford Crown Victoria cruisers, one Ford F-150 truck and a parking enforcement three-wheeler.

Offsetting the credit however, is the $113,000 Millbrae will pay for new radios, as the current communication equipment is incompatible with the sheriff’s.

“We’re hoping to sell them to another police department, but we may have to donate them,” Millbrae Police Chief Mark Raffaelli said. 

The city bought the equipment with a federal grant that prevents them from reselling the equipment, but Raffaelli said the department may be able to circumvent the clause.

City Council will meet tonight in the council chambers, located at 621 Magnolia Ave to review the agreement to finalize the transfer of employees and assets.

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