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Health & Fitness

Memorial Park and Police Consolidation

Read about the Memorial Park Dual-Use Facility meeting and Police consolidation

Memorial Park Dual Use Facility Community Meeting

Please join us on Monday, December 3, at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers to hear more about the possibility of using Memorial Park as both a park and a flood water detention facility.

This is the second in a series of meetings that is intended to provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about how detention basins work, ask questions, and express concerns.  In addition, we will present several drawings that show possible configurations for the proposed dual use facility. Town staff, in conjunction with County Flood Zone 9 staff and Stetson Engineers, is working to prepare a grant application for possible funding for this project. 

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At this point in time, this project is very conceptual and we do want to hear your comments and concerns! If you have any questions, please call Gerhard Epke at 258-4653.

 

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Police Consolidation Update Summary

Over the past three years the San Anselmo Police Department and the Twin Cities Police Authority have been collaboratively working together toward Police Consolidation through the sharing of services.  This sharing of services has allowed each agency to increase the resources available to them while reducing redundancies. 

This public process has encompassed eighteen public meetings, two State of the City/Town addresses, two joint Chamber of Commerce meetings, and the San Anselmo Strategic Planning meeting.  Our sharing of services model was reported by the Marin County Civil Grand Jury as a model for other communities to follow.  In addition, the process has been publicized on the websites of all three towns/city, appeared numerous times in individual newsletters and has been offered to our citizens via a printed brochure.

Throughout this process, we have maintained a fully operational 24/7 police station in San Anselmo, and will continue to do so once the consolidation is complete.  A full complement of police officers is assigned to San Anselmo and conducts police operations out of the San Anselmo Police facility.  Five fully equipped police cars are assigned to the San Anselmo Police Station along with three police motorcycles.  These vehicles don’t traverse back and forth between San Anselmo and Larkspur at the change of every shift.  If you spot a San Anselmo or Twin Cities police car in another jurisdiction, it is conducting police business in that area.

The total number of police personnel employed by the two agencies prior to the sharing of services was 70.  Today, three years after the sharing of services began, the total number of police employees is 58.  This represents a reduction of 12 full-time paid and benefitted employees.  This was accomplished by reducing the number of redundant positions between the two organizations and better utilizing personnel to address policing issues that are important to all three communities.

Other benefits of shared police services are as follows:

  • Increased the patrol forces in San Anselmo, Larkspur and Corte Madera by two police officers to improve visibility and deter crime. 
  • Increased our Detective Unit to five full-time investigators.
  • Added a Directed Patrol Unit made up of two Patrol Officers and one Corporal to address specific crime problems that might arise.
  • Consolidated dispatch from two communications centers into one.
  • Consolidated our reserve police officers, doubling our size and capabilities.
  • Consolidated our traffic unit, which qualified us for $72,000 in State grant funds.
  • Reduced overtime costs.
  • Reduced the cost associated with the redundant purchase of new and replacement equipment.

The fiscal benefit to San Anselmo has been significant.  The San Anselmo Police Department budget for fiscal year 2012/2013 without the sharing of services would have been $4,673,434.  With consolidation it is estimated to be $3,770,440, an annual savings of over $900,000.  This brings the cost of policing in San Anselmo back to what it was in fiscal year 2006/2007.  

In addition, the cost of policing in San Anselmo prior to the sharing of services was $375 per resident per year.  With the consolidation of police services, the cost per resident is now $283 per year.

The Twin Cities and San Anselmo Police Departments, when faced with the objective of maintaining services with fewer resources, teamed together and formed a partnership that transformed our departments into a much leaner single organization.

Now we are taking the next step toward a consolidated police organization that has the resources to address any situation, provide the policing services our communities have come to expect, and bear the responsibility of improving the quality of life for all those who live, work or visit San Anselmo, Larkspur or Corte Madera. 

San Anselmo News, published weekly on Fridays, is available at the San Anselmo Town Hall, Library, on the Public Notice Bulletin Board. It is also available on the Town’s website, www.townofsananselmo.org, and by email subscription.

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