Merging Police Departments
Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati are seriously considering merging the 48 separate police departments throughout the county into a single unit. This has been done in cities such as Louisville and Indianapolis as a means of reducing costs associated with public safety. Proponents make a merger sound like a silver bullet delivering immediate cost savings.
In the short-term, this will probably not happen. There are going to be a short-term increases for the purchase of new equipment or updating existing equipment and facilities. The new equipment and modifications will be necessary to insure standardization of equipment across the new department. These costs could be offset though as redundant, senior positions are eliminated. Some facilities may be combined or closed savings operations and maintenance costs.
There is no easy, painless fix for the budget crisis. Cincinnati is looking at $51 million deficit for next year and this may increase. Merging public safety agencies - fire, police, EMS - may be the only way to continue to maintain the safety and well being of the community in the face of decreasing budgets. Old politics and civic pride may have to yield to the fiscal realities of today. If the merger is planned out objectively, there is the potential of increasing response times to 911 calls.
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