Wednesday, October 30, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Law enforcement services for Sisters
By Rick Coufal
Guest Columnist
Should the City of
Sisters continue with its
law enforcement contract
or reconstitute the City of
Sisters Police Department?
What needs to be
weighed is a cost analysis.
I have 23 years of experi-
ence in law enforcement
with Multnomah County
Sheriff9s Department and
30 years9 experience in
the U.S. Army. I have pre-
pared budgets for both law
enforcement and various
units in the Army.
Laurie Kimmell wrote
a guest column for the
October 2 edition of The
Nugget. I agree with Ms.
Kimmell in her basic assess-
ment of the cost to estab-
lish a police department,
except that her numbers
for the department (chief
of police, additional sworn
personnel, non-sworn sup-
port staff, equipment and of
course building a facility) is
well underrepresented. The
cost would be more like
$6 to 7 million as start-up
costs. The city would have
to lure at least a dozen sea-
soned, certified, officers/
deputies from other depart-
ments within the state to be
the core for the new police
department.
Per-hour salaries and
benefits would have to be
equal or better than all local
departments to entice qual-
ity officers to transfer from
their departments. It should
cost approximately $4 mil-
lion dollars per year for
salaries, benefits, PERS and
additional equipment and
training as well as paying
for a law enforcement bond
which would have to be cre-
ated to establish the depart-
ment. There might be grants
available from the Oregon
Legislature or through the
Federal Department of
Justice to help reduce the
start-up costs. A grant writer
would have to be hired to
start writing a grant. There
are not any guarantees of
receiving a grant.
All of this would require
raising taxes!
We need to evalu-
ate the startup cost versus
the contractual cost with
Deschutes County Sheriff9s
Office (DCSO). DCSO
operates four law enforce-
ment patrol teams working
24/7 throughout Deschutes
C o u n t y. ( T h e s c h o o l
resource officers are sepa-
rate from the teams.) Each
team is made up of a super-
visor (sergeant) and 10 dep-
uties with a minimum staff-
ing of two supervisors and
seven deputies to patrol the
entire county (including the
City of Sisters). This man-
ning allows them to have
deputies on vacation, sick
leave, in-service training,
external training, and court
time. On average each team
operates with two supervi-
sors and seven deputies for
the entire county.
This is the reason that we
sometimes have a delay in
response time, waiting for
deputies to respond to the
call, and a cover officer for
serious calls.
If Sisters created their
own police department,
they would have the same
issues for their sworn and
non-sworn employees. The
department would have to
have enough staffing (three
per shift, two officers and a
supervisor) to function at an
effective staffing level on a
regular basis. There are also
requirements for non-sworn
support staff 24/7.
The minimum staffing
would have to be one police
officer, a supervisor or a
second officer. There could
be enough coverage on hand
to handle most serious calls
for service. The City would
have to have a budget for
personnel, equipment, train-
ing and overtime costs. The
police vehicles would have
to be equipped, maintained
with proper equipment
(radio, emergency lights,
siren, laptop computer,
other secure communica-
tions device, radar, rifle, and
a shotgun). Maintenance
of the fleet and fuel would
have to be factored into the
costs. Individual deputy
equipment is another cost to
be factored into the budget.
The city of Sisters does
not have a police station.
A police station would
require a lobby, offices,
equipment rooms, interview
rooms, locker rooms, train-
ing room(s), armory, and
at least two holding cells.
All of this would require
a detailed plan and a new
tax levy (bond), The cost
to build a police dtation for
the city of Sisters should
cost approximately $2.5
million depending on land
costs.
Additionally, the city
would have to contract with
Deschutes County for 911
services, detective, crime-
scene technicians, evidence
technician, hostage nego-
tiator, and evidence storage
and SERT team. These cur-
rent services would no lon-
ger be included with a sepa-
rate department. Currently,
the School Resource Officer
is provided by the sher-
iff9s department. Does the
City want their own offi-
cer in lieu of the sheriff9s
deputy (another trained
officer)?
Are the citizens willing
to pay to start up a fully
staffed, newly built com-
plex for a properly equipped
local police department?
A public safety levy would
have to be voted in. Some
citizens have said, <let9s use
the existing sheriff9s depart-
ment satellite building in the
city.= The county bought the
building, is using it as a sat-
ellite office, and does have
tenants renting the remain-
der of the spaces.
The best use of city
resources would be to
develop a one-, five- and
10-year law enforcement
plan to include staffing,
duty requirements, and pro-
jected costs. The city needs
to negotiate a more robust
contract with DSCO to
cover all of Sisters9 needs
in accordance with the law
enforcement plan. Hire a
law enforcement consultant/
liaison to assist with these
requirements.
A law enforcement con-
sultant/liaison would work
issues between the City
Council, local citizens,
and Sheriff Shane Nelson.
Better communication
would occur and would
be a solution to current
community concerns. The
liaison should be a sworn
officer ready to assist with
enforcement duties, as
needed. This liaison could
develop the 1-5-10 year law
enforcement plan, advise
the city council, oversee
law enforcement grants,
and develop a precise plan
for the next contract with
Deschutes County. The pro-
posed cost of a new contract
to replace the existing one
is approximately $800,000
or more at current levels. It
would increase depending
on negotiated requirements;
this would be the best use of
our tax dollar.
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23
FALL RECIPES
Roasted Delicata Squash, Kale, and
Farr o Salad with Cranberr y Dressing
Cou rtesy Seed To Table
Prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 40 minutes; serves: 4
SALAD
1 cup farro
2 medium-sized delicata
squash, seeded and cut into
1/3-inch-thick slices
Olive oil
1 bunch kale, tough stems
removed, cut into bite-size
pieces
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries
CRANBERRY DRESSING
1/4 cup fresh or frozen
cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls. minced shallot
1 Tbls. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 400º F.
In a large saucepan combine 1 cup of farro with 3 cups
of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and
cook until the liquid is absorbed and the farro is tender,
about 30-35 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid if the farro
is tender and not all the liquid has cooked off.
Place the sliced squash on a rimmed baking sheet and
toss with a little olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven until
tender and lightly golden, about 25 minutes. Toss halfway
through cooking.
In a large bowl toss the kale with a little olive oil. Use
your hands to lightly massage the leaves until they become
tender and bright green.
In a small dry skillet toast the walnuts over medium heat
until golden brown and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Shake
the pan often to avoid burning the nuts.
Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients in
a food processor or blender and blending until smooth and
creamy. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
Add the cooked farro to the bowl with the massaged
kale. Toss well and then add the squash, walnuts, bleu
cheese crumbles and cranberries. Divide between bowls
and drizzle with the dressing.
Notes:
• Use this recipe as a guide.
• Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.
• Save extra dressing in the fridge for up to one week.
Recipe by Andrea Bemis, Dishing Up The Dirt (www.
dishingupthedirt.com/).
The Fall Tini
Cou rtesy Chop s Bistr o
1.5 oz. Wild Roots Apple
Cinnamon Vodka
1.5 oz. Baileys Irish Cream
2 oz. heavy cream
Caramel drizzle and
caramel apple for garnish
Combine in a shaker, blend
and pour into a cocktail glass
decorated with rings of caramel.
Coat rim of glass with caramel and dip in sugar and
spice. Garnish with a slice of caramel apple.
Last week’s Pumpkin Chai Crumb Cake recipe was provided by Suttle Tea.