The Port Richey City Council reviews a consultant's ideas on budget cuts in police services.
By ALEX LEARY
Published June 25, 2003
PORT RICHEY - A consultant looking for ways to streamline the Police Department urged the City Council on Tuesday night to consider eliminating its dispatch service.
The consultant acknowledged there could be shortcomings in such a move, including slower response times to calls for police and a lack of 24-hour staffing at the Police Department, echoing points made earlier by Chief Bill Downs, who has been critical of the proposed changes.
The dispatch center was an early focus of the council's lengthy discussion Tuesday night as it went over a study conducted by Matrix Consulting Group, which also suggests cutting the department's lone detective position and one patrol position.
As of 9 p.m., the council had not yet acted on the recommendations.
The reductions would trim $156,000, or 14 percent, from the current $1.1-million police budget, which supports 21 employees, including 14 sworn officers.
Dispatch services make up the bulk of the savings, $91,000. Matrix said the city could contract services from New Port Richey or the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, at an estimated cost of $29,000.
The quality of service would not be hurt, Matrix said in justifying the recommendation, adding that the workload is insufficient at this time to support a dedicated dispatch center.
During the busiest time of day, on average, you need about a third of a person, consultant Travis Miller told the council Tuesday night.
The savings could come at a cost, Miller said. Without dispatchers, the police station would no longer be staffed 24 hours per day. That would mean a person in trouble off the street would not have the option of seeking help.
Also, if a 911 call to another agency is less than a crisis, the response time could be longer, Miller said.
But Miller indicated that he did not think either issue was major.
Police Chief Bill Downs, in reacting to the recommendation, illustrated his point by saying there have been two rapes reported recently. The department's ability to respond quickly helped the investigation, he said, and in both cases the sight of a police officer consoled the victim.
Matrix, which was paid $21,500 as a consultant, took a broad look at the Police Department but did not delve into the more controversial topic: disbanding the department altogether, an option that could save $500,000 annually, according to a rough estimate in the report.
Reducing patrol from two officers on duty to one at any given time, and contracting from another agency would save $130,000 but that, too, was not fully explored by Matrix. The report said cutting the number of officers would negatively affect either the safety of officers and the public or service levels in the community.
