Quick: Why do we have two big police departments servicing the same area? Stumped? There’s only one answer: Because that’s how we’ve always done it. And in this brutal new economic world (just ask California — or Greece — how tough it’s become), doing the same thing isn’t good enough any more.
The Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department do serve different areas, but they perform the same function pretty much out of the same headquarters. When public safety can make up 70 percent of a local government’s budget, this redundancy is hard to ignore.
Right now, the conditions may be perfect to start looking into a combined Spokane Metro Police Department. Why now? We’re a little desperate, as budget problems are leading to more and more cuts to public safety. And on the City of Spokane’s side, we unfortunately have a department mired in an ongoing public relations problem with its citizens — along with a chief being actively recruited to leave for a bigger post. I love the SPD and the crucial work they do for us all, but if there were ever a time the community needed to turn the page, this might be it.
This doesn’t mean the Sheriff’s Office would take over — no, there would be lots of details to work out. I can’t believe I’m saying this, as blue-ribbon commissions are where so many good ideas go to die, but we need a dynamic study committee to make a recommendation.
All of us deserve to see what they would ind — even if it’s just to combine certain functions. I am skeptical that a monolithic department would automatically be better. Then again, there is evidence that the approach works, as more and more municipalities are merging or studying it. Already places like Indianapolis, Nashville and Louisville have combined their police departments, often as part of a greater city-county merger.
In Louisville, after combining several functions throughout the 1990s, the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police merged in 2003. Today, Louisville Metro Police serves about 700,000 residents; after the merger, they cut duplication and got more cops on the streets, with about 1,250 police officers out of a total staff of about 1,500.
This won’t be easy — there’s a chasm of political turf separating all our local competing parties. But this is no time to just keep doing what we’ve always done.
Ted S. McGregor Jr. is the Editor and Publisher of The Inlander.
Good idea, but will never happen. The Spokane area is still to conservative and while they love to cheer for small government they love large and lots of police coverage - even if they patrol the same areas in effect wasting our tax payer dollars.
May 28, 2010 | Reply to this commentTed McGregoe is exactly right. Combining the police forces would be a cost effective, more efficient use of taxpayer dollars....and men and materials. In a region where tax dollars are never enough to provide sufficiently effective and efficient services this would be a noteworthy way to reduce that problem.
It can only happen with a strong citizen effort, and even stronger political team behind it Therein lies a huge problem. Our citizens have become lazy and indifferent to our political needs. Our leaders have little courage; especially when it comes to going against the desires of groups like the Police Guild, who generally have the final say in all things regarding our police. With the police officers of the region following the will of the Guild in all things to do with their security and protection, there´s no problem with using their support, or lack of it, to direct the actions of elected officials. If your the Mayor of Spokane and want to be re-elected, you want and need Police and Sherrifs to back you. You don´t do what they say and they´ll turn their backs....all courtesy of the Guild.
I believe the Police Guild is an enemy of the people of this city and county.
So we may be stuck in a system that could change for the better, because we´re stuck with a Guld that serves it´s own before it´s citizens.
If we want to make this change, it´ll take a powerful, dedicated and united effort.
I can only hope.
David Bray
509-263-7007
May 31, 2010 | Reply to this comment