Northpinellas: Shopping around for police services

Prompted by a resident who suggested that the city could save money by dumping its annual contract with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Safety Harbor city commissioners want to know what Clearwater can do for them, Mayor Pam Corbino confirmed Thursday.

"We said, "Well, let's look into it and just see what price they would give us for the same amount of service,"' she said. "It just will give us a basis for knowing if we could get a better deal."

Last month, Clearwater Police Chief Sid Klein met privately with Safety Harbor City Manager Wayne Logan Jr. to discuss a potential offer. Klein said he has reviewed Safety Harbor's $709,859.25 annual contract with the Sheriff's Office and is drafting a proposal of his own.

Word of the move drew criticism Thursday from Sheriff Everett Rice, who called it "backwards."

Testing the market is one thing, he said, but law enforcement duties shouldn't be parceled out based on cost.

"The sheriff has a political and a legal responsibility to the people of Safety Harbor," he said. "The city of Clearwater has none."

Rice also questioned Clearwater's motivation for branching outside the city limits.

"Nobody in the city of Clearwater has any accountability at all to the people of Safety Harbor," he said. "The only reason that the city of Clearwater would be doing that is to gain a profit."

Officials in both cities were quick to point out that the talks are preliminary and may not lead anywhere.

Safety Harbor commissioners said they are happy with the law enforcement service from the county and merely want to be sure they are getting the best price.

Klein, meanwhile, said he is not seeking new turf and was simply responding to a request for information.

Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst said he's flattered that Safety Harbor contacted Clearwater but added that he's not interested in competing with the Sheriff's Office.

But Clearwater City Commissioner Frank Hibbard said the idea is worth exploring, especially as a possible revenue source. He said the Clearwater police substation near Safety Harbor at State Road 580 and McMullen-Booth Road is a natural fit.

"I would be willing to at least consider it, as long as it doesn't deteriorate the quality of service for our citizens," Hibbard said.

Money will probably be a factor, according to Klein.

From the outset, he said, he warned Logan that Clearwater's price tag will be higher than the county's for performing the same services.

"That is clear to me right up front," he said, noting that Clearwater will not pick up the tab for any added costs for insurance and liability. "Nevertheless, he has asked me to go ahead and cost out a proposal."

Because Clearwater contracts with the Sheriff's Office for services such as forensics, the city would have to pass those costs on to Safety Harbor, Klein said.

Rice said Clearwater has asked the Sheriff's Office to waive roughly $500,000 in annual charges for those services.

"I suspect that maybe they've got revenue issues," he said.

Instead of taking on more responsibility, Rice suggested that Clearwater allow him to take over policing duties in the city. He estimated that such a merger could save the city 40 percent of its law enforcement budget.

Safety Harbor's existing county contract provides the city of roughly 17,000 with 24-hour coverage from six deputies who work in pairs in three eight-hour shifts. Another deputy works a swing shift, and there are also two full-time community police officers.

Other services, such as crime scene processing and forensics, are included at no extra charge to Safety Harbor.

"I don't think Clearwater could touch the sheriff's proposal, which I think is a great deal for the city of Safety Harbor," said Klein.

Klein said his proposal will be for a community policing unit, made up of a sergeant, a corporal and a team of six officers.

The only benefit for Clearwater, he said, would be additional staff on the east side of the city.

Safety Harbor Commissioner Neil Brickfield said he isn't ready to make the change.

"We get what I think is a pretty good coverage and good value for what we spend," he said, adding that crime in Safety Harbor was down 12 percent last year.

"The Sheriff's Office right now is almost seamless for us. They're in the schools and they do the community policing," he said. "It would take a stick of dynamite to get me to want to change."

-- Staff writer Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com.

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