Dec. 17--The Maricopa City Council voted 5-0 Friday to engage the police services of the Kern County Sheriff's Department in what was characterized as a temporary measure.
The special meeting held early Friday afternoon lasted about 10 minutes, said Eric Ziegler, the city's financial and administrative consultant.
Maricopa police Chief Derek Merritt is on disability leave, one sergeant has an injured knee and another sergeant was injured in an accident Wednesday, leaving no officer with supervisory powers to oversee the volunteer reserve officers who patrol the streets of the west Kern County community.
"The Sheriff's Department will provide coverage until the walking wounded are back on duty," Ziegler quipped Friday.
The council had little choice in the matter.
"You're basically negligent if you fail to act," Ziegler said.
The police department in Maricopa was under a microscope earlier this year after local grand jury reports accused the city of using aggressive traffic enforcement tactics to raise cash.
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood told The Californian on Thursday his office has been in talks with the city to take over law enforcement duties for "a couple of months." He is preparing to offer services for the long haul, he said.
The Sheriff's Department will patrol and respond to calls for service in Maricopa with deputies based at the Taft substation.
That level of service, he said, will likely be more cost-effective than employing a full-time police force.
The volunteer reserve officers will be put on hold until further notice, Ziegler said.
Ziegler, the former city manager of Barstow, Taft and Glendora, is retired. But he began volunteering his services in Maricopa earlier this year after the city asked for his help.
There was no discussion of the cost of the Sheriff's Department services at Friday's meeting, Ziegler said. But Ziegler has made no secret about the uncertainty of Maricopa's financial outlook.
The council will meet soon to discuss the city's most recent annual audit.
"Between that and the bank balance," he said, "you get a pretty good idea if you're going down the tubes or not."
Copyright 2011 - The Bakersfield Californian
