By Lou Ponsi
The Orange County Register
FULLERTON, Calif. — Hundreds of supporters of the Police Department — dozens wearing T-shirts with the phrase “We love the Fullerton Police” on the front — showed up at the City Council meeting Tuesday with hopes of swaying the council against seeking a proposal to outsource police services.
The overflow crowd, which spilled into the lobby, listened as nearly every commenter at the podium spoke out against the council reaching out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for a “preliminary analysis” and a cost estimate for that agency to take over police services from the city’s century-old department.
“I think this is a big item for the residents and businesses in Fullerton, and they want to support the Fullerton department,” said Cpl. Barry Coffman, president of the Fullerton Police Officers’ Association, on the turnout of supporters.
“As a member of the community, I’m here as a strong supporter of the Fullerton Police Department,” said Stewart Shanfield, a 26-year resident.
“What I’ve been so touched by is that you are involved in the community. ... I think outsourcing would be a terrible mistake.”
The issue of outsourcing police services was raised by some council members as a cost-saving measure.
“Nobody from the City Council has approached the chief to discuss how the department is run,” Coffman said. “If it’s about cost, we would expect someone (from the council) to approach us.”
Once the Sheriff’s Department receives the city’s request, the analysis would be performed within a “few months,” said Cmdr. Don Barnes, who oversees field operations and investigative services in that agency.
The preliminary analysis would be performed at no cost and include a cost estimate after factoring in calls for service, current staffing levels, crime statistics and a community profile, Barnes said.
“We typically ask for data going back two years,” Barnes told The Orange County Register before Tuesday’s meeting. “After getting the data, we use the information as an indicator to give (the city) the optimum level of service that they would expect.”
With the city’s population at just under 140,000, the Police Department employs 144 sworn officers and 93 non-sworn workers and has an annual budget of about $37 million, said Capt. Dan Hughes, the acting chief.
When contracting with a city, Barnes said, the Sheriff’s Department typically gives that city’s police employees the opportunity to apply for a job with the new agency.
The Sheriff’s Department currently provides services to 12 cities and will soon be adding Brea.
The police officers association has a contract in place through 2014 with an option for a one-year extension. Coffman said the association has no intention of breaking the contract.
The Fullerton department came under attack after the death of Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill transient who died July 10, 2011, five days after he was involved in a physical altercation with police at the Fullerton Transportation Center. Two officers face criminal charges stemming from the confrontation.
Copyright 2012 Orange County Register