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Show The Salt Lake Tribune Metro Force Debated for departments it replaced. “Whena crook gets off a plane in Las Vegas and goes to the Strip, then maybe later goes downtown, he’s seeing the same police force. There’s no slipping through the cracks,” says O'Callaghan, now the executive editor of the Las Vegas Sun. “And The S.L. Valley & Continued from C-i instead of two SWAT teams and a Ruben Ortega will have a like-minded philosophy. “Let mestress, thatif it’s ever done, it'll be way out in the future,” says Anderson. “And the first step you have to dois integrate things like communications systems, so that all the law enforcement agencies can simply talk to eachother. “But when you drive down State Street and you realize you're going throughfive different police jurisdictions with five different bureaucracies, you can’t heip but wonder if a consolidation or a coordination of services wouldn't be a good idea.” There is no shortage of examples. The closest is Las Vegas, which combined its city Police Department with the Clark County Sheriff's Office 26 years ago. There have been a few chuck- holes along the way; mostrecently, a Las Vegas City Council mem- ber has pushed for deconsolida- two crime labs, which are very expensive, we only need one. For Las Vegas and Clark County, a metro force madea lotof sense.” But perhaps not for everyone. A 1997 study analyzed police consolidation in New Orleans and found nearly as many cons as pros. The Bureau of Governmental Research concluded the proposed merger could place “major strains on the operational and managerial resources of a smoothly running operation.” It also warned of “significant” cost increases with raises in salaries and pension costs as lower-paying departments are united with higher-paying ones. That could offset savings made by eliminating duplicate services and facilities. The economics could prove similarly sticky in any proposed Salt Lake Valley police merger. Nearly all parties agree that nobody need fear losing theirjobs. If anything, county police agencies tion, citing spending abuses by are understaffed. With a com- But the grumbling doesn’t appear to go muchbeyond that. And bined force of more than 1,300, valley police departments have a ratio of about1.2 officers per 1,000 residents, according to Kennard. O'Callaghan, whocrealed the Las Vegas Metro Police with his sig. nature in 1973, has no regrets. erage of2.2 per 1,000 residents. the metro force. former Nevada Gov. UTAH Mike ‘The 1,500-strong metro force, he asserts, is more effective and That's well below the nationalavHowever, there are other con- cerns. In Salt Lake City, for instance, the Police Department's Sunday, November21, 1999 afford to have our law enforce- efficient than the city and county “It’s worked in other places and it would work in this valley.” ment agencies going crosswise with each other.” Smaller-scale police consolidation already is taking place. Draper dissolved its tiny depart- C7 enforcementexecutive should s atop a consolidatedpolice department. In Las Vegas, that official is the countysheriff. Murray Mayor Daniel Snarr crime) and a gang Fire foe throughout the cou » Salt Lake City’s already are dispatche dd out of the> Sheriff Aaron Kennard en ment several years ago and contracted with the county sheriff. Thevalley's three newest munici- says the police-consolidation de. bate is not so much about whois in charge, but rather customer satisfaction. palities — Taylorsville, Herriman and Holladay-Cottonwood — also have signed on with the county, “It’s an issue ofcitizens wanting people they can identify with county combines its communica union would wanta role in any merger. as have RivertonandBluffdale. In some cases, Kennard be- live in,” Snarr says. “Every com- as lieves the only thing standing in the wayoffurther mergers is mu: nity. Whetherit be policeor fire or whatever, people want some- Commit oe Mark Shurtieff, with Kennard backing. has pushed for the merg: “We have a uniquesituation in that we're covered bya collective bargaining agreement; nowhere else in the state does that exist,” says David Greer, president of the Sait Lake City Police Association. “Naturally, we went to a metro agency, we'd expect that the new agency would recognize the union and have collective bargaining. Westandto lose without that.” And some cops on the street question whether a consolidated force would be more effective. Says Salt Lake City Police Sgt. DonBeil: “Does a metro force actually provide better service to the individualcitizens of the valley by having one giant bureaucratic organization? My opinion is no. It can't. It’s too big.” Nevertheless, a consolidated force remains an idea worth examining, says Ted Hebert, a political science professor at the University of Utah. Hebert, a locai-government specialist, acknowledges political and practical hurdles facing a merger are formidable. And “it’s never absolutely clear from studies if you really save money,” he says. “But the larger benefit is coordination. It’s such a large valley that you need that. We're gi- ant metro area now. We can't RINGIN THE HOLIDAYS nicipal egos. “There's prestige and power involved; we have to understand that,” he says. “They have control, and they don’t want to give that up. But ask the mayors of Taylorsville, Draper and Bluffdale. They still have power. They still have control over getting what they need for their cities. They also have their own police chief— me.” Kennard doesn’t expect to be around when, orif, a metro police force becomes reality. “It's at least 10 years out, and I'll be long gone by then,” he says. But he does believe an elected law in marked cars of the city they munity needs a sense of commuthingtheycan cali their own.” Kennard argues that he, too, can deliver personalized service, noting that sheriff's cars that pa- trol cities such as Taylorsville same place Valley Emct Communications Center (V Police departments will reap many of the same benefits if the tions with the Utah Communic: tors ey Network (UCAN), Lake County Still, Kennard believes a cor solidated forceis the best way to fight crime. He will continue to lobby for the concept. and be patient. and Draper are marked accordingly, and deputies are assigned to those specific areas. “It also took a lot of time for them to makeit happen in Las Vegas theyfought over things believes that with cooperation in says Kennard. “There was i lot In Sandy, Police Chief Dawson areas such as communications, the county’s law enforcement agencies canachieve the primary benefits of a metro police force without the drawbacks. Valley police departments currently share the county jail, a narcotics task force, a major crimes task like the color of the uniforms, animosity. But they worked past that and ultimately did what was best for the citizens. working for them.” And it's Tribune reporter Gree Burton contributedtv this story. Something new in Assisted Living, and the style and serviceis unmistakably Marriott. S) a Galeoy. Marriott proudly announces a new Assisted Living community coming soon,Brighton Gardens of Salt Lake City. Marriott’s Brighton Gardens in Salt Lake City offers levels of care, so residents can get just the amountofassistance they need, plus the independence they want There's even a separate Alzheimer’s Center on site for those with memory disorders. Nursing Care is also available, shouldit ever be needed. With over 135 seniorliving communities, we know how to take good care of people andit showsin every detail. 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