SAN CLEMENTE : Sheriff’s Proposal Faces City Analysis

The city staff will spend the next couple of weeks analyzing Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates’ offer to assume law enforcement duties now performed by the 65-year-old municipal police force.

The proposal, which has not been made public, should reach the City Council for consideration by the end of the month, said City Manager Michael W. Parness. A final vote by the council could come by Feb. 17.

Although council members had not yet seen Gates’ bid, which was solicited by the city, some believe the cost savings would exceed amounts estimated by a city-hired consultant this fall. In that study, the consultant figured that switching to the Sheriff’s Department could save the city up to $1.3 million from the current annual Police Department budget of $6.3 million in the first year and $1.76 million annually thereafter.

City officials are also reviewing a preliminary cost-cutting plan authored by Police Chief Michael L. Sorg in a bid to save his police force, as well as other long-range financial reports.

“This is the first full-blown analysis, with the hopes of resolving this issue once and for all,” Parness said. “But a lot has to happen before we have an apples-to-apples comparison.”

Though still preliminary, the sheriff’s proposal is controversial.

“Any time there is an institution in existence for 50-some years, that makes for an emotional climate,” Mayor Truman Benedict said. “I am sure that many people would rather have our own service, but at these times, it has to be a real serious undertaking.”

Gates’ office declined to comment on the proposal.

But city officials said they expect that most local officers would be hired by the county if the City Council approved a change, and that the Sheriff’s Department could continue providing most of the same community programs, such as drug and gang prevention.

“From what I have seen in terms of the finances, (the proposal) is at least as advantageous to the city as our initial estimate, and quite possibly more advantageous,” Councilman Joseph Anderson said. “I think the No. 1 thing we have to consider is the ability of the Sheriff’s Department to provide the kind of police services our community expects and is entitled to receive. From everything I’ve seen so far, they are in a position to do that.”

Council members stressed, however, that they have not made any final decisions, and the possibility of hiring the Sheriff’s Department to patrol the streets is an issue of “dollars and cents,” not one involving any dissatisfaction with the local force. At least one councilman has said he would support putting any decision to disband the Police Department to a vote of the public.

“As far as the public safety issue, the Sheriff’s Department can obviously do it,” Councilman Thomas Lorch said. “As far as the cost issue, you’ve got to take a serious look at it. If those numbers don’t change, the only other direction that I’ve indicated and advocated, was put it on the ballot. If the people want to pay for (the local department) . . . it’s their city.”

Several times in past years, city officials have discussed disbanding the city police force in favor of the Sheriff’s Department, provided services could be maintained at lower cost.

During September, the City Council, grappling with yet another budget shortfall, finally asked for a formal bid from Gates’ office for police services.