Letter to the Editor: Citizens Concerned About Outsourcing Police

With two members of the current City Council leaving office in a month and larger budget issues unresolved, many residents have questioned the rush to enter into an ‘a al carte’ contract with the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office with many crucial and potentially expensive service elements still to be negotiated. 

Businesses and residents alike are concerned that proper consideration has not been given to a vision for maintaining public safety infrastructure in Millbrae. With Millbrae in an ideal location close to both San Francisco Airport as well as the Millbrae BART station, there is a need to have adequate public safety included in long-term planning for the city. One option would be to expand the current Fire Assessment to become a Public Safety Assessment, which would make a significant contribution toward the costs for both the Police and Fire Departments within the city. 

Millbrae has an opportunity to find a new Police Chief who would like to work in small city, collaborate with the community, and bring much-needed leadership and renewed energy back to the police department. During the search for a new full-time chief, one of the two Millbrae Commanders could serve in the capacity of part-time Chief (one was previously Chief of Police for the City of South San Francisco). 

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is a fine organization. However, the loss of our local police department would forever alter the close knit community feeling that is enjoyed in Millbrae. 

Concerns expressed by the businesses and residents of Millbrae: 

Lack of long-term savings: As Sheriff’s Department pays a higher hourly rate and has more expensive benefits, ultimately there would not be long-term savings to the City of Millbrae. When additional services are needed or requested, costs would quickly rise. 

Loss of accountability and local control: The level of service that citizens and businesses currently have would be reduced under the proposal. Millbrae would be just one of many cities served by the Sheriff’s Office. In addition, the Millbrae Police Chief would report up through 3 layers of Command Staff at the Sheriff’s Office. 

Should the arrangement not work out, it would be a very expensive transition back to having an independent police department in the future. 

The communications system used by the Sheriff’s Office is not compatible with the system currently in use by Millbrae and the adjoining cities of Burlingame and San Bruno (as well as most local cities). The entire radio system and infrastructure used by the Millbrae Police Department would have to be replaced. 

The assets would be transferred: All critical assets of the Police Department, such as vehicles, computers, electronic equipment, firearms, ammunition, safety supplies and communications equipment would all be transferred to the Sheriff’s Office (and valued at ‘fair market value’ – which would be a loss for the city). This would include the unique Millbrae Police Mobile Communications Van, which is staffed by volunteers and is able to communicate with adjacent cities as well as San Francisco Airport, BART and other agencies. 

Staffing for special events would be more expensive. Large events such as the Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, the Lunar New Year Celebration & Parade and the more than 30 events in the city would be provided by the Sheriff’s Office staff or deputies on an overtime basis. 

The Police Volunteer Program would cease to exist in its present form. Currently the city has more than 35 Police Volunteers that help with community events and emergencies as well as residential and business patrols. Volunteers would be invited to join the Sheriff’s Reserves. Explorers would be invited to join the Sheriff’s Explorers – located in Redwood City – 18 miles south. 

With Millbrae more than 18 miles away from the Sheriff’s Office, it is clear that Millbrae would be left without adequate police resources in the event of a large scale public emergency or natural disaster (such as an earthquake). San Carlos and Half Moon Bay have chosen to utilize the SMC Sheriff’s Office for public safety, both of those cities have existing Sheriff’s stations in very close proximity to their cities (less than 1 mi). 

Millbrae Police Department History 

Millbrae dates back to the 1860s and has had a Police Department since 1941 as the Millbrae Police District and then as the Millbrae Police Department after the city was incorporated in 1948. 

The Millbrae Police Department has a long history of community involvement and has a cadre of more than 35 Police Volunteers. Radio specialist volunteers man the one-of-a-kind Mobile Communications Van that serves as a command post for community events as well as disaster response. The van was donated by the community and designed by retired Millbrae Sergeant Ronald Caine, who is still serving as a reserve officer and is coordinating the Communications van after 50 years of service with Millbrae Police Department. 

When the department suffered the death of Officer David Chetcuti in the line of duty in 1998, the loss of the Millbrae resident and popular officer was deeply felt in the community. The procession in his honor was several miles long, stretching from Millbrae north to the Holy Cross Cemetary in Colma. In Millbrae the Chetcuti Room was named in his honor. His son David Chetcuti Jr. currently serves as a Crime Analyst with the Millbrae Police Department – a position that would be eliminated should the city choose to have services provided by the Sheriff’s Office.

Louise Velazquez