Council to Discuss Police Consolidation

With the recent news that  with San Bruno’s police chief, San Bruno is scrambling to figure out how to keep its own police department afloat.

The City Council will be discussing the future of the city’s  at  after a consolidation study produced lackluster results.

The study was launched in March 2010 when both cities agreed to share Police Chief Neil Telford in hopes that police services wouldn’t be compromised and both cities could save money.

But with turnover in personnel and budget cuts—Millbrae’s department has shrunk from 38 workers to 29 over the last 10 years, according to the San Mateo County Times, while San Bruno’s department has lost seven officers over the last eight years along with two commanders because of retirement —the reduction has begun to take its toll.

“The reduction of Police Department personnel over the past 10 years in both San Bruno and Millbrae has reduced the amount of savings that would have been recognized,” a staff report stated.

An analysis by consultants Municipal Resource Group showed that the shared services model was not producing significant benefits and proposed alternatives, but San Bruno officials decided to end the agreement.

The council will spend part of the meeting discussing how the Police Department could possibly pursue further consolidation.

In other action, the council will be voting on approving two contracts related to the infrastructure project in the Crestmoor neighborhood so that sewer and water lines could be improved to allow for homes to be rebuilt.