Cottonwood Heights is deciding on police force

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — The City Council will decide at its public meeting tonight whether to create its own police department or to continue contracting with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services.

The council has been mulling the decision since July 2007 when its top cop, Sheriff's Lt. Robbie Russo, was put on administrative leave for disciplinary reasons, said Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore Jr. The city played no role in the decision, and Russo was later reassigned to a different precinct.

City officials have also been concerned about a perceived failure on the part of the Sheriff's Office to fulfill its contractual duties to the city, Cullimore said. The problems started when the city incorporated in 2003 but increased when Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder was elected, Cullimore said.

But Cullimore and the City Council have wanted control of their own department since its incorporation three years ago, according to Winder.

The creation of a CHPD — Cottonwood Heights Police Department — could mean the city's spending up to $3.1 million more for public safety services in exchange for more detectives, more patrol officers, a chance for federal grants and more local control.

It would also mean a loss of some services currently available through the Sheriff's Office such as specialized detectives, SWAT teams, canine units and the possibility of officers from nearby cities occasionally pitching in for non-emergency patrols.

The city plans to access services such as SWAT teams by joining inter-local agreements with cities such as Sandy and Draper, Cullimore said. Winder said Monday that plan may be seriously flawed.

Cooperation between city departments only exists in times of emergencies, agreed Sheriff's Lt. Paul Jaroscak. Shared services are unavailable for day-to-day calls, and surrounding municipalities don't have the resources or willingness to pitch in regularly.

Cottonwood Heights would be choosing to sacrifice public safety for a chance to control its own officers if it chooses to opt out of contracting with the Sheriff's Office, Winder said. For a small portion of its start-up costs and increased ongoing costs accrued in running its own force, the city could afford to pay the sheriff for several more deputies.

Cullimore said one of the most important functions of local government is public safety. That role is neutered anytime a city decides to contract its law enforcement services, he said. A police chief and department would be directly accountable to city government.