Law enforcement agencies slow to follow Riley County model

Dec. 15, 2004

Gwen Tietgen

Harris News Service

Hugoton Police Officers Rodney Kelling and Angela McAllister practice a low-risk arrest Nov. 24 at the police station in Hugoton. Voters in Hugoton voted against consolidating the city police department and the sheriff's office in Nov. 2003.

Talk of law enforcement consolidation is popular in Kansas, but taking the steps to make it happen isn't.

The Riley County Police Department remains the only consolidated department among the state's 431 law enforcement agencies.

Money is the chief issue cited by both opponents and supporters of law enforcement consolidation. Opponents see long-term savings in combining services and personnel. Opponents note the initial and sometimes costly expense of a merged law enforcement agency.

Studies show consolidation initially costs money, partly because salaries and benefits increase for some workers in the merged department.

The issue has played out across Kansas.

Wyandotte County has consolidated city and county government, but still has an elected sheriff.

A move in Johnson County to consolidate law enforcement stopped short.

Voters in Stevens County decided last year to keep the six-member Hugoton Police Department, even though turning law enforcement over to the sheriff's office would've saved the town of 3,600 residents an estimated $425,000 a year.

"It was about as divisive as any issue I've seen around here," Hugoton Mayor Neil Gillespie said.

And last year, the Kansas Legislature passed a bill to allow voters in Cloud and Lincoln counties to consider consolidation of law enforcement, but Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed the bill.

Cloud County Commissioner Roger Nelson blamed the bill's death on opposition from the Kansas Sheriff's Association.

"I see no reason citizens in either of the two counties should've been denied the right to vote and express their opinion on whether they want unified law enforcement," Nelson said.

 

The Riley model

Riley County consolidated law enforcement in 1974 after the county attorney spent several years selling the idea to the community and citizens grew disgruntled with the elected sheriff.

The idea was "fought tooth and nail," said Al Johnson, director of the department from 1978 to 2000. It gained support from the police chief and sheriff and garnered public approval when it was learned current staff would be retained.

Lance Luftman, assistant director of the Riley County Police Department, said traditional law enforcement breeds duplication of services and personnel.

Consolidation "cuts out a lot of the overhead ... and therein lies some of the reasons people don't want to consolidate," Luftman said. "It results in some people losing their jobs."

Reno County looked at law enforcement consolidation about a decade ago. According to a 1995 study, per-capita costs were less with Riley's combined force than in Reno County.

"But it didn't convince many people in Reno that was the way to go," said Ed Flentje, director and professor of the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs at Wichita State University, who helped Reno County officials examine consolidation.

Hutchinson City Manager Joe Palacioz said money cannot be the reason for consolidation. Effectiveness should be the goal.

"It's better intelligence gathering, better work schedules because you have a bigger pool to work from and you consolidate your administrative staff," Palacioz said.

 

Cooperation vs. consolidation

Long-term savings weren't enough for Ellis County law enforcement agencies to consolidate. Hays Police Lt. Donald Johnson, a 28-year veteran, argues that duplication of services isn't an issue between his department and the Ellis County Sheriff's Office.

"We're already sharing as many things as we can," he said.

Other cities and counties also collaborate in certain areas. Garden City and Finney County law enforcement work together on gang and drug enforcement, animal control, jail operations and dispatching.

Luftman, from Riley County, is the first to admit that consolidation isn't an easy sell. But he touts its efficiency and effectiveness.

It renders turf battles moot and improves communication, he said.

"Once you get past the politics, government and past the egos, it's hard to argue against the benefits of consolidation," he said.