Bell Gardens : Advisory Ballot Measure on Police Switch in the Works
City officials are preparing a ballot measure asking voters whether they favor switching law enforcement service from the Bell Gardens Police Department to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The advisory measure, which would be on the April, 1992, ballot, will list the pros and cons of switching service.
City staff members are working on an in-depth comparison of service levels between the city police force and the Sheriff’s Department. The City Council this week approved the study in response to recent survey results that reveal most Bell Gardens residents would favor such a switch.
About 59% of the 909 residents who responded to the written survey said yes to a switch when informed that the city could save $2 million by doing so. City Manager Claude Booker said 3,680 surveys were sent out to registered voters.
In the survey, residents also were asked how the city should spend the $2 million in savings. The top answers were more police patrol, more gang suppression and more drug enforcement.
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