Oakley Mayor Randy Pope is wasting little time in moving forward with his top priority in 2014 as the Oakley City Council will host a discussion on long-term police services to see whether or not it is feasible at this time to break away from the sheriff’s office and form its own independent police department.
Here is what Mayor Pope said at the December 11 Council Meeting which got this conversation started.
A lot of people don’t know but our police services are provided by the Sheriff’s office under contract and they have provided exemplary services and this is by no means anything negative against them but I believe it’s time for the city of Oakley to take the next step and set in motion the steps needed to have our own police department.
Since 2000, the City has formally contracted with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. Currently, there are 28 sworn personnel and a budget of $8.29 million.
According to the staff report, the issue of discussion is not the level of service, but rather the cost of service. Here is a look at the cost per deputy—since 2008, the cumulative increase is 22.79%.
- 2008/09 – $182,383
- 2008/10 – $185,120 (1.50% increase)
- 2010/11 – $192,072 (3.75% increase)
- 2011/12 – $198,462 (3.33% increase)
- 2012/13 – $214,062 (7.86% increase)
- 2013/14 – $223,953 (4.62% increase)
The staff report states the city will also pay the county:
- $255,000 for Communication/Dispatch
- $135,000 for Forensics
- $26,000 as a Property Services Fee
- $51,800 Per Officer Liability Insurance Charge ($1,850)
- $42,000 per officer Service and Supply Charge ($1,500)
Also included in the staff report is a survey of Law Enforcement and a cost “per resident”. We have tweaked the order to highlight the highest cost per 1,000 residents to the lowest on those they surveyed.
- Richmond – $597.88
- San Pablo – $481.64
- El Cerrito – $412.94
- Kensington – $420.95
- Pinole – $353.53
- Concord – $340.71
- Brentwood – $328.30
- Walnut Creek – $299.91
- Pittsburg – $299.64
- Pleasant Hill – $298.64
- Martinez – $274.52
- Antioch – $248.61
- Orinda – $238.65
- San Ramon – $224.53
- Oakley – $218.03
- Office of Sheriff – $213.45
- Hercules – $199.12
- Danville – $191.45
- Lafayette – $185.07
- Clayton – $170.45
- Moraga – $142.07
With many factors to consider in the future of the police services, staff is suggesting that if the council chooses to move forward with the possibility of moving away from the Sheriff’s Office that a subcommittee be formed and proceed with deeper analysis. They would then bring a more formal and detailed analysis to the council at a later date in regards to long-term police services. They are also recommending that multiple work sessions be included in the process to allow the community to weigh in.
For a look at the full staff report, click here.
11 comments
Don’t see what the current problem is with Oakley. They are ranked 15th in the cost per officer. Oakley should move onto the next topic.
How about the community has a say DURING the process and put residents on the subcommittee. The council has proven to have made many errors of the past year. Pope wants civic engagement, where here is his chance to appoint people from the community to be included in the discussion of OUR police services.
Oakley has some of the lowest crime rates in all of Contra Costa County. Why make a change unless this is about ones ego? Oakley has a solid reputation of no nonsense and should keep it that way. The extra staffing when needed allows Oakley to have bodies whereas Brentwood and Antioch have to find another way. This should not be a quick decision because it may burden the taxpayers of Oakley more than this current council could imagine.
I like the idea, maybe that way we can find a long-term police chief. We can also have officers who will stay with the dept. for many many many years instead of good officers rotating to other positions within the sheriffs office. Nice work to Mr. Pope in bringing this much needed topic to a discussion. I like the idea he moved fast on it.
About time Oakley. It’s time to hire our own officers. If we want to be a real city, we need to have our OWN police force. I do like the idea of including residents on the subcommmittee and this should not be a quick decision.
If we can afford it, sure why not?
If Mr. Pope really wants an open discussion of this issue, he has to open it to the residents and LISTEN to what they say. It has too be a true discussion about the costs and service not beat up a cop discussion.
Based on the information provided here, Oakley is getting a pretty good cost per resident on police services.Clayton, Moraga, and the lower cost towns have lower crime rates and less service demands. Maybe all the East County communities should joint venture into a regional communications and dispatch center for cost savings. Pooling a regional communications center with all emergency services would also make it easier for communication across agency lines.
It’s already done Johnny. It’s called the CCCounty Sheriffs department.
Do not change. This is a Pope/Montgomery power play.
Brentwood shares dispatch with Antioch, someone might want to check that out for the “staff” report.
One thing this article does not cover is the potential of millions of dollars in liability, attorney fees, and retirement funds. Right now the Sheriff’s office takes that burden off the back of Oakley. All of which would be paid for by Oakley if they switch.
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