LAGUNA NIGUEL : Panel to Endorse Pact With Sheriff

To serve a ballooning population that now has “minimal” police protection, a public safety committee will recommend to the City Council today that Laguna Niguel contract with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Councilman James F. Krembas said.

Since 1977, the population of Laguna Niguel has swelled from 9,000 to 45,000 with little change in police protection, Krembas said.

“Over the course of the past several years, it’s been noted that our population has been increasing rather dramatically, but the additional protection has not been added,” he said. “The services have been pretty minimal.”

The proposed $3.3-million contract calls for an increase in patrol and parking officers and a community relations officer. That would increase by about 15% the amount of time officers would be able to cruise city streets, he said. The higher visibility could be a factor in decreasing crime, he said.

Additional police protection was a key issue for some who favored incorporation, especially senior citizens concerned about residential burglaries and increased traffic speed on the city’s major roads, Krembas said.