Shared law enforcement services less costly, more efficient
Local law enforcement agencies continue to talk about combining forces, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink.
By consolidating certain services, Mink said cost efficiencies could be realized and public safety improved by eliminating duplication.
At a Jan. 26 Jeffco commissioners meeting, Mink presented a letter of commitment signed by several area police chiefs.
"This is one of the first times I have ever seen law enforcement come together for a common purpose in Jefferson County," Mink said.
Although the idea has been around for years, it is still in what Mink called the "discussion" phase. The letter identified specific functions where efficiency could be improved by sharing resources.
Training recruits, SWAT teams, crime lab functions, property evidence space, towing storage and radio communications centers were areas listed for consideration.
Mink said the police chiefs in Jeffco have been directing their individual department managers to come up with ideas on specifics and how to best implement consolidation.
"Lab directors are talking, SWAT team leaders are talking, training academy directors are talking. They will look at how we can be more efficient. It's putting the onus on the directors of these departments to give us what they want included. It's an efficient way to do business," Mink said.
Chief of police at The Colorado School of Mines, Keith Turney, said the concept was not a panacea for every function, but where it could be worked out, savings could occur.
"Instead of everybody replicating certain types of training or service, if we all specialized in a particular area and could help each other out, it would save dollars for each of the entities involved. There are a lot of working parts that need to be ironed out, but I think it's especially important to the smaller agencies that are put in a tight place when trying to keep up with all the specialized functions," Turney said.
Jeffco Sheriff's Office public information director Jacki Kelley cited an example of an existing collaborative effort - the recently formed Metro Area Auto Theft Task Force. Agencies also share the use of the Jeffco firing range for training and practice purposes.
Turney said examples like this are helpful to smaller agencies that might have to otherwise rent space for training or firing range practice.
Edgewater Police Chief Dan Keough said, "We have a great relationship between departments. Anytime you have shared services, if it will work logistically, it's an automatic benefit for the taxpayers."
Mink said there would be no impact on staffing and that similar efforts were occurring elsewhere in the country.
Keough said, "We are a member of the Jefferson County SWAT team. We have the need for a SWAT team on occasion, but we aren't big enough to field our own team. So, we make a contribution to staffing and equipment. That's an example of how departments can collaborate," Keogh said.
"It's a strategic plan for us. It's going to take a lot of discussion, commitment and resources to get some of these things done," Sheriff Mink said.