3. Police services contract August 2015Washington Office of the Sheriff -e
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Commitment to Excellence
William M. Hutton
Sheriff
Daniel Starry
Chief Deputy
Mayor Randall Simonson
City of Scandia
Scandia Community and Senior Center
14727 209th St. N. Scandia, Minnesota 55073
August 18, 2015
Dear Mayor Simonson,
I have been made aware that the police services contract between the City of Scandia and the
Washington County Sheriff's Office was recently discussed by the council. And, some members of
the council again have questioned the worthiness and need for such a budgetary expense.
As you know, this same question was presented at a council workshop I attended earlier this year. I
would like to highlight some of the discussion points I presented at the workshop should the council
decide to terminate the contract:
• No obvious deputy presence (traffic enforcement, parks/landing patrol, etc.)
• Deputies will not respond or there will be a significant delay in response to routine calls for
service (thefts, criminal damage to property, disorderly, etc.)
• Deputies will not enforce or assist with ordinance violations (quality of life issues)
• Deputies will not respond to medical calls unless requested by EMS personnel
• Response times greatly impacted
This is just a sampling of the consequences of such a decision. Please do not misinterpret this as the
Sheriff reacting to a decision that I disagree with. It is the reality of the nature of the work. The
county is not in a position to hire additional personnel to cover police services for the City of Scandia.
The City of Scandia has a population of 4000 citizens paying approximately $28 per capita for these
services. Other cities of similar size throughout the seven county metro area either have a municipal
police department (paying more than $200 per capita) with 24/7 in city coverage or contract with
their Sheriff's office (paying $28 to $100 per capita).
The City of Scandia contracts for 2080 hours each year of "in contract" services. However, because
there is a contract in effect the city receives far more direct service than the 40 hours each week.
When the Scandia deputy is at scheduled training or vacation, all calls for service are covered by
Law Enforcement Center • 15015 62nd Street North — P.O. Box 3801, Stillwater, Minnesota 55082-3801
Phone: 651-430-7600 • Fax: 651-430-7603 • TTY: 651-430-6246
www.co.washington.mn.us
Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action
another deputy. Scandia calls for service are a priority for the north car and as needed receive
additional back-up from the area car.
Should the city elect to terminate the contract and later request to start again, an evaluation and needs
assessment will need to be performed. As stated earlier, the City of Scandia has a population of 4000
people; other similar sized metro cities operate with a much higher ratio of law enforcement officers
per 1000 residents.
The question of DARE was brought up at the same workshop and I was asked if the Sheriff's Office
would contract for this service. There are many variables to that decision; ranging from scheduling
and availability of trained staff, to union contracts. Thus I do not have a definite answer.
Should the council not include the police services contract in the 2016 budget or place the decision to
terminate the contract on their agenda, please let me know. It is my responsibility, as your Sheriff, to
inform the citizens of Scandia of such a significant safety decision that will have an adverse effect on
all.
Respectfully,
William M. Hutton
Sheriff