LAGUNA NIGUEL : City to Join Study on Police Services

The city of Laguna Niguel has agreed to join five other south Orange County cities in a $69,000 study to find whether there are less expensive ways to provide police services for the area.

Currently, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department serves Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and Lake Forest. All six cities are expected to take part in the study, which will analyze the sheriff service while considering other ways to police the area, Laguna Niguel City Manager Tim Casey said.

Other options include creating either individual city police departments or a regional police department to serve the entire area, he said.

Laguna Niguel City Council unanimously agreed this week to pay $12,470 to take part in the study. The city was motivated simply by a desire to save money, Casey said.

“We’re very satisfied with the level of service we’ve received over the past 18 months,” Casey said. “The issue really is one of the unpredictable nature of future costs and whether the study can identify other feasible and affordable alternatives. . . .”

Currently, Laguna Niguel pays $3.4 million a year to the county for Sheriff’s Department services, an amount Casey said is reasonable. However, if the city has a better option, or could contract with the county for less money, city officials would like to know, he said.