Needs Assessment for Strategic Plan

Sheriff® January/February 2013 H 13

MOVING FORWARD IN 2013

November 2012 Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick does not use the word

“contract” when he talks about the Snohomish, Washington police department that he took over last November. To this semi-rural city of 9,000 residents, set against the backdrop of the majestic North Cascade Mountain Range, losing its over- 100-year-old police force to the Sheriff seemed like anything but what a partner might do. But like many small towns across America, the city’s leaders had little choice in 2010 but to look straight into the face of an inevitable budget crisis. A fiscal meltdown would force them to either lay off cops or parks workers, further reduce services, or find a new way to operate.

“The business opportunity and choice was quite clear,” said Snohomish City Mayor Karen Guzak. “If we merged our department into the Sheriff’s Office, we could avoid layoffs, improve police services, and use the projected savings of nearly $2 million dollars in the next five years to keep people working, our parks open, and other services operating.” Guzak points

Police Partnerships: The Sheriffs’ Future? One City’s Road to Better Law Enforcement By M. Scott Sotebeer, PhD, Civilian Chief of Staff, King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington

out, however, that the public’s deep emotional attachment to its police department was a major obstacle to overcome. “The oppo- sition had emotion on its side while we were trying to fight fear with fact. It is extremely difficult to be rational when everyone around you is doing anything but,” commented the mayor.

Anticipated savings from the merger could protect essential quality-of-life services provided by this small city. And the new partnership would help preserve the community’s standards and expectations of how a small municipal police department should serve. “We had to get beyond the emotional barriers and get people to address the pros and cons in a rational, fact-based manner,” noted the mayor. Now a year after the consolidation, Guzak observes that the city has access to specialized regional police resources, services, and expertise from the Sheriff’s Office that it never could have afforded on its own.

Sheriff Lovick, a veteran state patrol trooper and recognized statesman from his service as a Washington State legislator, first

14 H Sheriff® January/February 2013

MOVING FORWARD IN 2013

crafted a solid business case for the partnership. It made sense on paper, but he also had to convince an extremely skeptical public, council, and city police force that the future could and would be better with the Sheriff’s Office operating the police department. Drawing on collaborative contracting practices in neighboring King County, Lovick promised to preserve the uniforms, cars, and city police department identity. “Local control and local identity are what matters. People struggle to tell you what it means—but it is the anchor of a very personal attachment to their department. It is a piece of the city’s history, and you have to address that,” said Lovick. Like other consoli- dation or merger efforts, raw emotion, rumors, myths, and political pressures were powerful forces throughout the process. These widely recognized forces can directly impact critical deci- sion-making or even derail a consolidation effort.

Sheriff Lovick also promised to offer city police officers a job as Snohomish County deputies and the option to remain on the city’s force as long as they could meet the Sheriff’s Office core requirements. “I talked to the officers first—and they approved this partnership unanimously. Then I went to the public—knowing that you can get grassroots buy-in if you go to where people pay, play, or pray,” said Lovick of his walking community education campaign through the aisles of Costco, on the fields of youth soccer events, and outside of his and other churches.

Like all major change initiatives, not everything is a win. Several city officers and the sitting police chief did not pass the Sheriff’s Office testing. “We did not anticipate the indi-

vidual failures. This was uncomfortable and the most regret- table aspect of this change,” said City Manager Larry Bauman. Mayor Guzak and Councilmember Tom Hamilton, who was also an original sponsor of the initiative, echoed his sentiment. “There was real bitterness out there and genuine discomfort about seeing several of our officers and a very popular chief go,” commented Hamilton. “But it was a fair process. Everyone had the same opportunity.”

Key provisions of the contract partnership included devel- oping a strategic plan for policing the city and being able to select a new chief from qualified Snohomish City and Sheriff’s Office candidates. John Flood, a veteran Snohomish County lieutenant, was ultimately selected as the city’s new chief from a solid applicant pool after a thorough interview process.

Flood clearly understands the benefits associated with picking a chief in public. He notes that the appeal of this new relationship with the Sheriff is that the city can request a new chief should he fail to perform or meet expectations. “The city does not have to conduct an expensive search for a chief if I am not a good fit. Officers can be moved for the same reason. This translates into additional savings for the city over time,” said Flood.

He also highlighted an additional benefit of this arrangement for the city. It avoids the hefty liability insurance cost associated with the contract, noting that the agreement to partner with the Sheriff’s Office means that the city does not have to worry about a fatal use of force decision in a life or death situation. “This is what we do,” said Flood.

Sheriff® January/February 2013 H 15

MOVING FORWARD IN 2013

i n v e n t o r y a v a i l a b l e n o w

toll Free (888) 582-1406 · www.meridiansv.com visit us online to view additional inventory

1999 Monaco/Beaver (Navistar) Patriot 12k Miles · 38-Foot · Cat 3126/Allison

Seats 13 · Cellular Comms · DSS TV NEC PBX · Galley · Lav · LOW Miles

$159,000

1999 Blue Bird · 40-Foot Cummins/Allison · 7500 Miles Seats 18 · Conference Room

Lavatory · Galley · Cellular Comms DSS TV · NEC PBX · $94,500

2001 Winnebago/Ford · 30-Foot V10/Auto · 4000 Miles · Seats 11

Conference Room · lavatory · Galley Cellular Comms · DSS TV · NEC PBX

$69,000

TAX FREE MUNICIPAL FINANCING AVAILABLE

Framing the issue of public sentiment, Councilman Hamilton explained, “We do have control and a great police department that the citizens still view as their own. We did our homework, had the uncomfortable public conversations and debates, and, in the end, stood shoulder to shoulder as a community to make a permanent change. I am proud of this city,” he concluded.

All involved acknowledge that the two-year effort required considerable political patience. But in the end, everyone agrees that the city’s payoff has been improved service, satisfied employees, and a pleasantly surprised and supportive commu- nity. City Manager Bauman emphasized that the annual savings of $350,000 from the contract partnership will actually double over five years. This figure does not take into account the added financial bonus of reducing yet-to-be-determined insurance costs in the risk pool.

While not a perfect process or science, Lovick believes a true partnership attitude and approach can work for fellow sheriffs and law enforcement in general just about anywhere. “I am still amazed at the number of people who come up to me after a year and ask me when the Sheriff is going to take over,” he quipped. “It has been a seamless transition. I could not be more proud of

my deputies, the citizens, and the leadership of the city in going all-in to make this work. I believe this is where law enforcement is headed.”

For other jurisdictions contemplating a similar merger, Lovick and the mayor offer wise counsel. They recommend understanding and quantifying the financial impacts, deter- mining the coverage and service levels needed from the Sheriff or partner agency, and addressing community concerns and the local control issue directly. J

M. Scott Sotebeer is the civilian Chief of Staff for the King County Sheriff’s Office in Washington State and founder of USA Strategics, a management consulting firm dedicated to public sector consolidation education and implementation. He has a PhD in Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in leadership and organiza- tional change and an MBA.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.