Law Enforcement Services

By Scott A. Mann

I am currently the only candidate endorsed by the Coalition of California Law Enforcement Associations and the Riverside Sheriffs' Association. These endorsements represent over 85,000 men and women in law enforcement across the state and the County of Riverside and serves to confirm my commitment to public safety and law enforcement concerns in the Proposed City of Menifee.

• General and legislative functions
• Land use planning, regulation and control over land use development
• LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES
• Animal control
• Maintenance of public roads and other public infrastructure owned by the city

• Fire protection & suppression
• Libraries
• Parks & recreations services
• Street lighting
• Median maintenance
• Domestic water
• Wastewater treatment & disposal
• Solid waste management
• Flood control
• Social services

My position on LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES is to contract with the County of Riverside. This will enable our new city to provide a "Service Level" of law enforcement based upon the needs of our communities. We will be able to set our own law enforcement priorities within the new city boundaries based upon the "Service Level" that we choose. With this option, we will still be able to place "Menifee Police Department" on our squad cars and our contracted officers will wear a "Menifee Police Department" badge and insignia on their uniforms.

Other candidates have talked about "improving response times" and "building a new police sub-station". While these are nice to talk about they are somewhat naive comments and one must have an understanding of how law enforcement works in the county before making these types of claims.

When we become a city and when we contract with the county for LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES, we will need to leverage the existing command and control structure that law enforcement currently has in place. For example, it is quite likely that the current Lieutenant assigned to the Perris Sub-Station will be our "Chief of Police". He is currently dual-hatted in this role now as "Chief of Police" for the cities of Canyon Lake and Perris.

It must be understood by all citizens that building up to our selected "Service Level" will take between 9 months to a year from the incorporation date. Why is this? Because of the County's recruiting, training and orientation pipeline. The County does not have deputies that can be pulled off the shelf and placed in the field overnight. Ramping up to our selected "Service Level" is a process which has set criteria within the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. It must be noted that the costs associated with the "Service Level" that we select are paid back to the County by our new city. The County makes no revenue in excess of expenditures for contracted law enforcement with municipalities.

One thing that can be done immediately, is to buy add-on services such as "Community Service Officers" or CSOs. These CSOs can be placed in the field quicker and have very limited police powers. Typically, these CSOs are utilized for traffic enforcement, limited code enforcement, minor accident investigations and prisoner (or detainee) transportation to the County Jail or Southwest Detention Center. I am in favor of immediately adding these CSOs to our "Service Level".

With respect to a Police Sub-Station...this is, frankly, not necessary, unrealistic and would be an added fiscal expense that we could not afford as a new city. The current Perris Sub-Station is geographically, operationally and tactically situated to provide command an control functions across a wide area. A sub-station in the Menifee area at this time in the new City's life would be fiscally imprudent and not needed operationally. However, what we will need for our new officers are "store fronts"... locations where our officers can go to write their reports, share intelligence, turnover shifts, etc. This is more operationally practical for our new city. Over time and as our community grows and expands, we may need to entertain the idea of a new Police Station but, not now.

If you would like to comment on this Position Paper, please e-mail me at MannforMenifee@mchsi.com.