LET'S ANALYZE CONSOLIDATING LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES COUNTY-WIDE

By Scott Miller

In these harsh economic times, we need to seriously examine the possibilities of combining and consolidating our law enforcement efforts on a regional level.

Many small police departments throughout the county struggle whenever they have to deal with a major crime, like a homicide, within their jurisdiction. King City, Greenfield and Gonzales have recently experienced homicides that over-extend their limited resources. The Sheriff should be taking the lead to coordinate a multi-agency response to assist these small departments with resources when they are overwhelmed due to no fault of their own.

As Sheriff, I'll coordinate and host a summit of local law enforcement leaders, along with elected officials, to start the process of determining how we can work together more effectively and efficiently to better serve our communities. It's not enough to send a "task force" down to South County or the Peninsula for a day or two in response to violent crime. We need to incorporate a unified response into everything we do in this county.

We have opportunities to save money and increase effectiveness with joint investigations units, combined training exercises, teams to recruit and hire new personnel, and combined purchasing power. It's time for the Monterey County Sheriff to assume the role of the county's chief law enforcement officer and lead the way.