SAN CLEMENTE : Police Officers Meet on Department’s Fate

San Clemente police officials held the first of three meetings with sheriff’s officials Tuesday about the possible fate of the Police Department, but some officers said they left the talks with many unanswered questions.

“It really, unfortunately, wasn’t anything that was written in black and white,” said Officer Jeff Hollenbeck, one of three representatives of the San Clemente Peace Officers Assn. who attended the 90-minute meeting. “It was just a matter of a lot of proposed ideas, things they were looking at, things they felt would be done if and when they were to take over police services here.”

About 20 more police officers are expected to meet with representatives from the Sheriff’s Department today, with about 20 civilian employees scheduled for similar talks on Thursday.

At the request of the City Council, the Sheriff’s Department recently submitted a proposal to assume law enforcement duties from the 65-year-old police force, which includes about 70 officers and other employees.

City officials, grappling with increasingly severe budget shortfalls, are also reviewing about a dozen other long-range financial plans and cost-cutting options.

The Sheriff’s Department bid, which will not be made public until Jan. 27 when it is sent to the City Council for formal consideration, could include savings of at least $1.3 million or more from the department’s $6.3-million annual budget if the switch was made, according to city officials.

A final vote by the City Council could come as early as Feb. 17, although members of the Peace Officers Assn. have said they will seek a vote by the public on the issue.

“They’re talking of taking a major portion of the community services away and are giving the community less than three weeks to deal with it,” Hollenbeck said.

During the meeting Tuesday with about 20 department officials, including Chief Michael Sorg and other ranking officers, much of the talk centered around the hiring practices of the Sheriff’s Department. There were no details released about what savings the city might receive by contracting with the Sheriff’s Department to take over police services, Hollenbeck said.

While officers received reassurance they would be hired by the county and could continue to work in San Clemente as long as they met certain physical requirements, many unanswered questions remained about civilian police positions, Hollenbeck said.

“We all feel like a family here,” he said. “We all stick together and try to take care of each other.”

Next week, members of the association hope to organize an information drive, including mailers and flyers, to draw community support. This summer during a petition drive, off-duty officers and civilian employees collected signatures from more than 6,000 residents who want to keep their local department.

“The Peace Officers Assn. has taken a position to stand behind the community,” Hollenbeck said. “We would prefer to have this be a community decision, and not solely decided by the City Council.”