Half Moon Bay shuts down police department
April 2, 2011
Half Moon Bay has closed down its 12-member police department and will begin outsourcing the work to neighboring towns or the county sheriff. [San Francisco Chronicle]
Officials say that the coastal town of 13,000 had little choice given dire budget conditions. The $3.5 million police budget is 40 percent of the town’s general-fund spending
The decision by Half Moon Bay comes six months after the city of San Carlos dissolved its police department, also in favor of the sheriff.
“We’re not alone in this, and this is definitely happening throughout the state, if not the country,” said Councilwoman Marina Fraser. “People are looking to regionalize and outsource so many different services.”
Last November, Half Moon Bay voters rejected a sales-tax measure that would have helped to fund the police department.
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