Bell Gardens Drops Plan to Contract for Sheriff’s Patrol

The City Council killed a proposal Monday night to contract with the Sheriff’s Department for police services after more than 20 residents and business owners voiced strong opposition to the plan.

“There was no action, so I guess it will not happen,” Councilman Ronald Bird said as he looked around at other council members who failed to second a motion to proceed with the second phase of a feasibility study on the proposal.

The decision drew applause from about 100 people who crowded the council chambers.

But many residents and business owners were skeptical.

‘This Is Not the End of It’

“I am sure this is not the end of it,” said Bell Gardens resident Talt Coldiron. “They are going to try to push the sheriffs down our throat like they do everything else.”

Coldiron and several other residents recently filed a petition with the city to recall Councilmen Allen Shelby and Marvin Graves. Councilmen Robert Cunningham, Roger McComas and Bird are up for reelection in November.

Many who addressed the council Monday said they did not think they would get better service from the Sheriff’s Department. Others said they were angry about what they called unfulfilled campaign promises to strengthen the police force that were made in 1983 when city officials successfully proposed bringing the Bicycle Club casino to the city.

“You made some promises to these people,” one resident told the council. “You told them they would get a better police department, not a better sheriff’s department. You haven’t lived up to that promise.”

The city had proposed eliminating the Bell Gardens Police Department, formed in 1970, and instead having deputies from the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station patrol the city. The first part of the study showed that contracting with the sheriff would save the city about $700,000 a year and increase the number of hours officers actually patrolled the streets. The first part of the study cost the city $3,000; the second and final part would have cost more than $10,000.

The failure to approve completion of the study means the issue is dead for now, city officials said.

The council “may try to resurrect this, but if they do they will have a bigger fight on their hands,” Cunningham said Tuesday. “I’m surprised they didn’t make a motion to go ahead anyway. Even if they had, I was ready to vote against it.”

City Manager Claude Booker, however, would not rule out the possibility that the city might revive the plan.

“You can draw your own conclusions,” Booker said in an interview after the meeting. “There was no action taken. But I don’t see any reason why it can’t come back.”

Bird said: “We will stay for now with the Police Department.”

Mayor Supports Plan

Shelby and McComas could not be reached for comment.

Graves said he supports the plan as way to eliminate several problems within the Police Department, including difficulties in recruiting and retaining officers. He said he could not cite specific incidents or problems with personnel.

Officer Ed Taylor, president of the 40-member Police Officers Assn., said the relationship between the city and the association “has been strained for a few years.” Despite that, he said, it has not affected the performance of the department.

After three years of working without a contract, Taylor said, the association and the city last month agreed on a one-year contract.

“We felt really good when we saw how many people were behind us,” Taylor said. “Hopefully, now our relationship with the city will get better.”