County law officers take over policing of Vineyard after pact with Orem ends

VINEYARD — Not wanting to be town without police patrols, Vineyard officials scrambled to find another police force after the town's contract with Orem's public-safety department expired July 1.

They approached the Utah County Sheriff's Office last week to ask if sheriff's deputies would be willing to patrol their lands just east of Utah Lake.

"We started Tuesday of this week under a handshake and a gentleman's agreement," said Utah County Sheriff James Tracy.

After an emergency meeting June 6 that led to a verbal agreement between city officials and the county sheriff, sheriff's deputies began patrolling Vineyard Tuesday.

The contract should be ready in the next few weeks, said Dan Wright, Vineyard town clerk.

Since 1991, Vineyard has contracted with Orem for police, fire and emergency medical services, said Orem Police Capt. Ned Jackson, who is over support services.

The contract was originally scheduled to end in January, but Vineyard asked if it could extend to July, said Orem's assistant city manager Richard Manning.

As a result of the new arrangement, the county will provide police service — but not EMS services, as those boundaries are determined by the state EMS board, Tracy said.

And while county departments have brush trucks that will respond to wild land fires, they have no ability to handle structural fires, so Orem will take care of those, Manning said.

However, Vineyard is moving forward on plans to build its own public-safety building to house firefighters and a police substation. Ground has not yet been broken.

The jurisdictional switch will take a few days as officials adjust the 911 routing so the few number of calls that come from Vineyard's 150 residents must now be sent to the county dispatchers.

However, calls for emergency medical attention will still stay in Orem, Jackson said.

Utah County sheriff's deputies already monitor several areas near Vineyard, Provo and Orem — pockets of unincorporated Utah County — so a larger route through Vineyard will be no problem, Tracy said.

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