UPDATE: King City votes to reject Monterey County Sheriff’s proposal
UPDATE 3/10/2015: King City City Council voted tonight to rebuild the police department, rejecting the Monterey County Sheriff’s office plan.
News Channel 5’s Monica Jacquez reports more than 60 people showed up to tonight’s meeting supporting the King City Police Department. She said it was an emotional night for police officers who stood up in front of the council pleading for their jobs.
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The Monterey County Sheriff’s Department could take over control of the police department in King City- if the city approves their proposal. The proposal is out there but hasn’t been released to the public yet.
The last couple of months, several people told News Channel 5 they wanted their own police department in King City. One woman we spoke with Wednesday said maybe the sheriff’s proposal isn’t such a bad idea.
Arcadia Lima lives in King City and she said,”I would rather have the sheriffs in town. I’m not impressed with the King City Police. I’ve had an incident happen to me about three weeks ago where I had prowlers at my house.”
Lima said it happened in the early morning before work, she called the police but officers never came.
Business owners in King City said they’ve heard a lot of stores close early to avoid trouble at night.
The sheriff’s office took the last two months to put together a proposal and presented it to King City leaders Tuesday.
Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal said,”We can’t really move forward now until they make a decision on whether they want to try and rebuild their police force or they want to contract out with us. So we’re pretty much in limbo until we hear back from them.”
Mayor Robert Cullen said the proposal would cost the city about $3 million and is a one year contract, with the option to extend.
Staffing per shift would include two deputies and one sergeant, the same level of staffing the city has now. There would also be one part-time commander acting as the police chief.
Mayor Cullen said if the city votes for the sheriff department to take over, then current city officers could apply for a deputy position but it’s not guaranteed.
“This is affecting their lives, so it’s tough, and that’s why we’re taking this very seriously and we’re looking at all options,” said Cullen.
Lima said she just wants a decision because status quo isn’t good enough.
“I just don’t think enough is being done to keep our streets safe,” said Lima.
Mayor Cullen said the City Council will get a look at the sheriff’s proposal at next Tuesday’s council meeting. He said it’s not likely they will make a decision at that time.
