Don't quit on unified policing

Some Salt Lake County mayors have decided to shelve, at least temporarily, the novel idea of forming a Unified Police Department that would consolidate law enforcement and make it more efficient.

Sheriff Aaron Kennard, who had been a driving force behind the effort, now says it may not be necessary because the mayors are beginning to understand that the current system, under which a few cities contract with the sheriff for services and a system of precincts allows some local control, works fine.

No doubt there are many other factors behind this change of heart, including a price tag that would have cost some cities millions. However, the decision to shelve the plan is unfortunate, because it makes a valleywide police agency — the best prescription for efficient law enforcement in the county — that much harder to achieve.

Earlier, Kennard was touting the unified department as a first step toward that end. The start was to be a modest one. Only Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Riverton, Herriman and the unincorporated county were to be a part of it. But his hope was that eventually the concept would be so successful that the big players — Sandy, West Valley City and Salt Lake City — would want to join, as well.

"I think common sense will prevail," Kennard said back in January.

The need is obvious. Kennard used the example of a double homicide that occurred a few years ago in Bluffdale. The city at that time contracted with the county for only one deputy, and the county ended up spending about $250,000 extra to handle the case. In a system that truly pools resources, costs would be better distributed. Bluffdale would be part of a large agency with large resources.

Now, all the talk about how the current model is working well seems to indicate that common sense may be headed in a different direction. We hope not.

Under the unified department plan, the cities and the sheriff would share equal power on a governing board. Together, they would hire a new chief. The new department, not the sheriff's office or the individual cities, would hire and control the officers and detectives.

Costs and other factors can indeed create obstacles, but the parties involved need to continue working hard on the unified department idea. It could one day be the answer to duplication and inefficiencies countywide.