The City Council has an agenda item to approve a contract to have a consultant assess the impact of a B'game - San Mateo merger of part or all of the two respective police departments. The Mercury Times piece is here and notes
A study by both police departments in October concluded the cities could save $2.2 million by combining forces.
The consultants will interview employee unions and management and compare the salaries and benefits of staffers in each department, as well as budgets.
You can follow our previous discussion on this topic here. One of the toughest parts of any decision to do a full merger is what happens to the station in B'game. The most likely full-merger scenario would have this be "our station" down by Whole Foods and Hillsdale Blvd.
The Burlingame Police Station looks long overdue for replacement.
When we drive by we see that what appears to be "important equipment" is stored outside under a tent.
A merger may help save money when the Chief of Police-Burlingame, requests a new station.
I am sure only the day to day management will move to a "central location."
That is what this merger is all about.
Posted by: Biscuit | August 17, 2010 at 05:17 PM
This may aleady be in the works for B'game:
Grand jury report: Police dispatch needs consolidation
July 18, 2012, 05:00 AM By Bill Silverfarb Daily Journal staff
Small cities in San Mateo County that operate their own police dispatch services should consider consolidating with larger cities or the county to save taxpayer money, according to a report released by the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury yesterday.
The report calls on local elected officials to drive the movement toward consolidation but some officials in the smaller cities the grand jury points to say police dispatch services are fine just the way they are.
The San Mateo Police Department’s dispatch center, meanwhile, is a state-of-the-art facility and police officials there are seeking to expand its role as a regional dispatch services provider, according to a statement from the department.
Although San Mateo Deputy Mayor David Lim called the grand jury report “a good idea to support,” he said consolidation should not be done just for cost savings.
“For me, it is not as simple as money,” Lim said.
His concern is making sure that first responders get to their calls in a timely manner.
San Mateo’s dispatch center can take on more capacity, Lim said.
Cities that have already consolidated the service spend on average $11.59 less per 911 call, according to the grand jury report.
Since 2000, the number of police dispatch centers has been reduced from 22 to 13 and the grand jury report said elected officials “should not be distracted by perceived problems and pressures to resist change.”
Consolidation is “good fiscal policy,” according to the report.
Cities that either contract with the San Mateo County Public Safety Communications Center or another larger city pay $18.45 on average per 911 call, according to the report.
Cities that operate their own dispatch service pay $30.04 on average per 911 call, according to the report.
The city of Millbrae, which now contracts with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for police services and the county’s communications center for dispatch, pays the least per 911 call at $11, according to the report.
On the flip side, the average cost per 911 call in Hillsborough, which has its own dispatch center and four dispatchers, is $51, according to the report.
Posted by: Joe | July 18, 2012 at 04:51 PM