Police Merger Awaits Study Results

A city consultant is studying the proposed merger of Burlingame and San Mateo police departments, admidst skepticism of the controversial plan.

On Aug. 16, the city council approved a contract with Citygate Associates, LLC of Folsom, Calif., to examine the logistics and cost savings of the long-discussed merger.

The study will evaluate scenarios ranging from sharing specialized police units, including investigations and dispatch, to merging both agencies completely, said Interim Police Chief Ed Wood.

"This time, I think we are going to dig deep enough and determine what is out there," he said.

In 2002, Burlingame studied merging police operations with Millbrae, but labor groups had issues with the proposed merger, and the idea was rejected. Two years ago, with the city in a financial quagmire, the merger issue resurfaced with regional talks on shared dispatch services, said City Manager Jim Nantell in an email.

After facing public criticism in April, the city council put off assigning San Mateo Deputy Police Chief Mike Callagy to lead Burlingame's department and oversee the merger. Instead, the council voted to pursue the study first and retain Wood as acting chief.

City officials are awaiting results of the merger study before hiring a permanent chief, but appointing Callagy to the position is still in the cards, Wood said.

Brad Floyd, a retired commander who spent 27 years with the department, is one of the merger's most vocal opponents. 

With the ashes from the San Bruno gas fire still fresh, Floyd said he is concerned about giving up the city's sovereignty, noting a consolidated department may have trouble responding to and managing multiple disasters.

"Merging services to me is the idea of covering more area with less people," Floyd said. "When I call the police department I want to hear the name 'Burlingame Police.'"

By sharing services, city officials hope to find ways to avoid further cuts to the police department. "The goal is to keep the services that we provide now or increase them," Wood said.

Overall, the city cut $2.4 million from its general fund this fiscal year, including leaving two police officer positions and one dispatcher position vacant.

The department currently has 37 sworn officers, down from 50 in 2000, said Capt. Mike Matteucci.

"Service levels to the community have been cut slightly," Matteucci said, adding that traffic enforcement has been scaled back and the department no longer does bicycle patrols.

"We lost two detectives and a couple traffic positions," he said. "We don't follow up on all the cases we used to, although we still try to do the best we can."

The study's first phase will cost up to $43, 632, with Burlingame and San Mateo splitting the costs.

Wood said he expects the study to go before the city council in December. Both cities will evaluate the findings and decide which direction to go.