The City of Rancho Cordova has been contracting out its police services for nearly 15 years.
Its police department is comprised of contracted personnel from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.
Contracted services include patrol, traffic enforcement, investigations, and administrative services. According to the police department website, there are 55 sworn personnel and seven non-sworn staff, which work only in Rancho Cordova.
1. These contracted services date back to 2004
Rancho Cordova has been contracting with the sheriff's department for these services since 2004; about a year after they first became incorporated. This contract for services got renewed about every three years. In 2016, their current agreement was extended to five years and is set to expire in 2021
2. The services are consistent with other police departments in the region
In 2014, the city looked into renegotiating their contract with the sheriff’s department. Analysis revealed that the services and programs provided by the department were consistent with the ones provided by other internal and contractually provided public safety departments in the region.
3. Rancho Cordova believed it was paying its fair share in 2014
The 2014 analysis noted that city staff believed they were paying their fair share for the services and programs being provided by the sheriff’s department.
4. An in-house police department would require an investment by Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cordova had also found that while an in-house police department may be the most desirable, it would require a “significant financial investment in capital and personnel.” That capital would have included vehicles, facilities, computers, and radios. There was also concern about attracting experienced, sworn personnel.
An attempt to explore a contract with a neighboring district appeared to yield some potential savings, but that jurisdiction withdrew its offer.
5. Council has set a model for community-oriented policing
The city developed a service delivery model that emphasized community-oriented policing and identified a set of council goals and expectations for services.
Some of the measures include:
- connecting with different organizations and community partners to identify community concerns,
- creating partnerships with local businesses that can help identify problems
- keeping in mind “broken window theory” by not ignoring seemingly minor issues like jaywalking, panhandling, and vagrancy.
