Essay Instructions: Introduction:
In 1997, Dr. John T. Krimmel published an article titled “The Northern York County Police Consolidation Experience: An Analysis of the Consolidation of Police Services in Eight Pennsylvania Rural Communities.” His study reviewed the experiences of the Northern York Regional Police Department in York County and similar police departments in Lancaster County, both of which are rural counties in Pennsylvania. The article also contained a review summarizing several police department consolidations across the United States.
Dr. Krimmel's study identifies several advantages and disadvantages of consolidation.
Tasks:
Read the following article. The article contains the information you will need to complete this assignment:
"The Northern York County Police consolidation experience An analysis of the consolidation of police services in eight Pennsylvania rural communities." Krimmel, John T. Policing. Bradford: 1997. Vol. 20, Iss. 3; p. 497
On the basis of your reading and research, answer the following questions:
What are the pros and cons of consolidating police agencies?
Who will be in charge of the merged departments?
Identify examples of problems dealing with educational levels, pay scale, and seniority.
Which hiring standards related to the different departments in the merged cell are affected?
Polygraph and psychological exams are not required for some police agencies. Will all the agencies be required to take the exams after the merger?
How will you evaluate the merged police departments on the following criteria:
Efficiency
Fair play
Accountability
Cost effectiveness
Introduction
Across the nation, municipalities are struggling financially. In Pennsylvania, for example, the state sets taxation caps and regulates real estate tax limits. The only remaining revenue generating option for Pennsylvania communities seems to be an earned income tax, which is, in many instances, politically dangerous. A portion of this economic struggle may be eased, somewhat, if municipalities consider regionalizing their departments or consolidating police services.
In addition to the tax savings objectives there are several other reasons why jurisdictions consider consolidating police services. Consolidation may result in a more effective delivery of police service by eliminating duplication of efforts between police departments. Smaller departments may find consolidation increases their efficiency by providing resources previously unavailable to them. Municipalities, for example, may be able to take advantage of centralized record keeping systems, crime laboratories, or other specialized services not readily available to smaller police departments.
Consolidation may yield better trained personnel and a lower personnel turnover rate due to increased opportunities created in a larger "merged" department. Finally, consolidating police services presents the opportunity for innovation. It may alter the structure of existing police departments and improve the quality and delivery of police services.
The logic for consolidating municipal police departments is simple. For example, in smaller, "low-crime" towns with total populations of 25,000 and a total area of nine square miles, why support the costs of five police stations and five police chiefs? (A scenario suggested as commonplace in Pennsylvania and New Jersey by a New York Times reporter, September 17, 1995.) In addition to providing municipalities the opportunity for innovation and improving service, opportunities for better quality of proactive policing will emerge. Specialization of investigative techniques will result when officers have more access to more training and options to ply their skills in larger, more flexible and diverse departments. These skills can include arson investigation, investigating hate crimes, developing juvenile units, better burglary investigations, career criminal apprehension programs, and the like. Improved services will result as costs for equipment are reduced, communications systems are streamlined, and centralized record keeping is improved. Hiring can become more efficient and purchases done in bulk. Specific crime control strategies (e.g. hot spots) can be more vigorously employed while at the same time the bonds between police and prosecutors can be strengthened. If the interagency bonds are improved, theoretically, better networking will result and municipalities will participate in the development of community relations programs which hopefully will become critical to the department as the planning process improves. Furthermore, the better the inter-agency cooperation, the more likely the community will be to share other services such as fire and rescue operations, resulting in further efficiency of municipal service.
On the other hand, there may be reasons why a municipality would not desire consolidation. There may be a history of strong community autonomy. Community members and police officers may value their unique characteristics and identities. Perhaps nobody in the community wants change. Residents may wish to retain direct control over police supervision in one form or another and maintain the character of the police department. Citizens may not care to risk the chance that police will no longer provide service to the community in the manner that they have always done. Generally, community members feel that police should provide more services than arresting people. A suburban Pennsylvania police chief, for example, was quoted in the local newspaper regarding police consolidation "someone always loses when departments consolidate" (Pilla, 1995). Citizens may distrust big government. They may fear that political monopolizing will take place after the consolidation and drive taxes even higher.
It is, in fact, the fear of losing local control that most often derails attempts to eliminate or regionalize police departments. Police officers feel that their jobs are threatened and elected officials do not want to lose jurisdiction over what is probably the biggest service they control (Orndorf, 1995). Police officers will understandably be concerned about their retirement systems, job security and benefit packages.
Crawford and Jones (1995) studied negative aspects of agency consolidation and concluded that current multi-agency forums brought together to combat crime resemble neo-corporatist administrative arrangements and discretion becomes invisible and remains unaccountable. Thus, unregulated power differentials between agencies may result in some loss of control and can become a factor in a police agency consolidation.
Sampson et al. (1988) caution that conflict may arise in those multi-agency projects were one agency is more powerful than the other(s). State agencies, for example, tend to dominate the agenda. Police are often very enthusiastic about multi-agency approaches to crime problems but the larger agencies tend to prefer to set the agendas and dominate forums. Sampson et al. conclude that they would not advocate an overblown, all-encompassing, multi-agency approach as a panacea to all problems in all localities, but rather a more narrowly focussed approach, with specific forms of inter-agency relationships, on specific themes and problems. In short, where the problem calls for a directed police response, a multi-agency approach may overcome inter-agency conflict.
DeRoche (1994) in her study of regionalized health care systems found that "expansionist approaches that seek to derive the local system from some larger system will not adequately comprehend the local system." Regional health care strategies have emerged as a cost saving strategy and this trend to regionalize continues. Where cultural analysis of regionalizing is, for the most part, absent DeRoche concludes that workers feel less estranged from work that allows them some latitude in problem solving and decision making. Police officers should be permitted these kinds of latitude despite the regionalized strategy. They will feel less estranged.
Some police experts argue that no real savings will be seen in the long run. "Personnel cuts will be made from the bottom of the roster and not really show savings" (Fisher, 1995). Those fearful of consolidation have sincere reasons for their trepidation. However, the literature suggests positive outcomes overall.
Literature review
Kenney et al. (1982) studied a five-municipality consolidation project in California. They found police consolidation of small departments to present an opportunity for innovation, that is, "alter the structure of police departments and thus improve the quality and delivery of police services" (Kenney et al., 1982, p. 466). This California consolidation project offered the police departments involved the chance to shift their priorities to a proactive crime prevention priority, a strategy based on crime suppression. Their strategy included the development of improved community relations along with the use of community service officers. The Kenney study also recommended the use of contract personnel and employment of officers on a yearly (contractual) bases. The initial use of contract personnel allowed the police executive greater flexibility in filling positions and provided for greater accountability. The study concluded that consolidating police services provides alternative staffing methods, creative financing, and more control over effective police services.
Richard Rubin (1984) in his study of municipal consolidations demonstrated that the rising costs of maintaining and manning two separate public safety departments is the major reason city officials seek alternatives to the standard organization. He postulates that consolidation can be successful if, at the same time, the cities can cut costs and maintain the quality of their protection. Rubin's research located a number of cities including Sunnyvale, California; Clifton, New Jersey; Flagstaff, Arizona; El Dorado, Kansas and Glencoe, Illinois where police consolidated services on some level. The benefits of these consolidations included lower insurance costs along with increased police protection. Accordingly, better management practices led to improved police performance.
In Crank's (1990) assessment of consolidated police departments he found lower insurance rates, a higher quality of police training, and a resulting need for higher quality police personnel and increased salaries for police officers. The police departments that offered more training opportunities and higher salaries eventually demanded a better qualified recruit.
McAninch and Sanders (1988) employed a survey to measure the attitudes of police officers toward consolidation and how consolidation would affect their personal benefits. Also measured was the officers' perceptions of how much of an impact such consolidations would have on police professionalism. The study found that police were more likely to support consolidation if enhanced professionalism was perceived to be in the future. That is, if crime control efforts were improved, departmental operational costs reduced, and initial start-up costs were kept at a minimum, then the police officers tended to support consolidation regardless of any threat to personal benefit.
Research of municipal consolidations include those efforts to combine police and fire services. Sobba (1991) introduced conceptual levels of consolidation and examined the issues and concerns that involve the consolidation. Sobba investigated the consolidation of police and fire services. Although there is not enough published research to reveal the exact number of consolidations at each level, various municipalities have selected the best level suited for them (Sobba, 1991, p. 7).
Levels of consolidation can vary from community to community. Some administrators believe that consolidation is a more productive and efficient way to manage employees. In a study in Morganton, North Carolina, for example, city officials conducted a survey to determine if the creation of a public safety department would benefit their city. It was proven that 60 percent of the calls received at the fire station were false calls and considered unproductive (Sobba, 1991, p. 7). Therefore, a consolidation of police and fire services would in fact save money. Police trained in fire detection could respond first and eliminate the need for fire equipment to respond.
Staley's research (1993) included an analysis of several different police departments that have attempted to consolidate. His objective was to identify the long-term patterns of change among consolidated organizations. It was found that the consolidated departments realized quicker emergency response time in departments where police and fire services have been combined. If a police officer was trained as a fire official, he would be able to act on arrival. When there is a fire, the police are initially called. They then contact the fire department who acts and responds as quickly as possibly. However, if these agencies were consolidated, any communication gaps between the police and the fire department would be eliminated.
Municipal consolidation has recently occurred at the national level. In 1989 the Labor Party in New Zealand passed the Local Government Amalgamation Act which called for the reduction of local governments nationwide from 290 units to 87 units thus creating regionalized governments. Local governments were reduced by 67 percent (Elsass, 1991). Planners were faced with increased costs for merging communication systems and some immediate unemployment problems as governments workers were laid off. However "there appeared to be more accountability on the part of the local government boards and managers as a result of the act" (Elsass, 1991, p. 18). For the first time, governments were forced to do long-term planning. Prior to the consolidation, local governments were not inclined to plan and they were under no pressure to conform to modern accounting systems. The regionalized approach to government eventually led to lower costs of planning, administration, public health, and more. Police and fire service were already nationalized. For the first time in ten years "the country's budget was not in deficit, but was in surplus, by 0.6 percent of the GNP" (Wellington, 1994). The growth in the country's economy is attributed to a more flexible labor market as a result of "liberalized" government. Planners are better able to keep control of spending as a result of the consolidation, studies revealed.
Despite the lack of research in the area of municipal consolidation the literature strongly predicts the benefits of consolidation to include a proactive shift to crime fighting, better overall management practices, quicker response rates, better training, lower insurance rates, better salaries leading to higher quality personnel, increased planning capacity and more accountability.
Methodology
This study was conducted in York and Lancaster Counties in rural Pennsylvania. The Northern York Regional Police Department has been a consolidated department since 1972 and currently consists of eight municipalities. The Northern York Regional Police Department is the study population (experimental group). The comparison group consists of eight similar police departments in Lancaster County, a contiguous rural geographic area. The primary objective of this study is to compare the operational costs of the consolidated department in York County to eight similar municipalities in a neighboring county. (A preferred methodology might have been to compare operational costs prior to and after the Northern York County Regional Police Department (NYCRPD) consolidation but this information was not available.)
This study was operationalized as a quasi experimental design. Quasi experiments are distinguished from true experiments primarily by the lack of random assignment to experimental and control groups (Babbie, 1995). Further, a common strategy for evaluation designs is the construction or identification of groups of nonparticipants which are to be compared in critical ways (Rossi, 1985). Thus, the value of using comparison groups depends on how similar the groups are on key variables to the treatment group (Hagen, 1995). The focus then becomes the comparison of the experimental group and the control group (or comparison group). The primary dependent variable (or outcome) is the cost of operating the police departments.
The first task in this research was to find and compare our comparison group to the experimental group. The experimental group has been defined as the eight municipalities that make up the Northern York County Regional Police Department. This study considered the NYCRPD as a whole and compared the eight "comparison" municipalities as a whole. In other words, this study treated the comparison group as a similar consolidated police department, even though they are not consolidated. They are eight separately operating police departments. This approach allowed for the comparison of group means, a calculation of the standard deviation and a student's t-test. Therefore, conclusions can be drawn as to whether or not the eight consolidated rural police departments are, in fact, more efficient to operate than the "independents."
Eight municipalities, similar to the municipalities in NYCRPD, were located (see Appendix). The comparison variables considered were population, land area and density, income tax level, the market value of the real estate, and other tax rates. Table I provides a display of the variables used to compare the regionalized group to the control group. Notice that none of the t values are significant, suggesting that the NYCRPD and the comparison municipalities are equal for purposes of this comparison.
The second group of comparison variables focussed on the operations of the municipalities. Variables such as the dollar amount of the municipality's general fund, the expenditures for the police department, the per capita expenditure for police, the number of police vehicles, the crime index and the number of incidents handled by the police were analyzed. Table II provides a display of the variables used to compare the NYCRPD to the comparison group municipalities. Again, we see no statistical differences between the two groups. There is no significant difference between the NYCRPD and the control group.
The above data show that the municipalities identified as comparison municipalities are comparable. Therefore, we can safely proceed to the next phase of this study which considers the aggregate differences between the comparison group and the NYCRPD. The aggregated data, as they appear in Table III, are population, land area, roadway miles, real estate value, police costs, per capita police costs, costs per officer, costs per incident, costs per call, number of officers per 1,000 population, the number of vehicles and the number of police officers.
Based on the information gleaned from Table III, this study concludes that the NYCRPD provides police coverage to the same geographic area and population density as the comparison municipalities, only they do so for 28 percent less total aggregate costs. In addition, the per capita cost in the NYCRPD is 25 percent less than in the comparison group. However, the cost per officer is higher (by 13 percent) in the NYCRPD. (This difference may be attributed to accounting practices by the individual municipalities. Some municipalities could not separate police costs accurately from their general operating budgets.) The officers in the NYCRPD earn higher salaries than in the comparison group. The cost per crime incident is 50 percent less in the NYCRPD. The cost per call is 70 percent less in the regionalized department. The number of officers per 1,000 population is 34 percent less in the NYCRPD and the NYCRPD patrols with 56 percent fewer vehicles. Overall, the NYCRPD is providing police patrol and investigatory functions at the same level as the comparison municipalities but with 37 percent fewer police officers. The comparison municipalities require 52 officers and the NYCRPD is staffed with 33 officers.
Ancillary effects of the Northern York experience
According to the police chief of the NYCRPD, the citizens served by the Northern York County Regional experience have benefited by the combination of eight small rural police departments into one. He stated that the regionalized approach has provided citizens with a more effective delivery of police services simply by eliminating duplication of effort. Since 1972, when the departments originally merged, the service provided has become more sophisticated as records became centralized and communication systems were streamlined. The police department offers citizens specialized service such as a grant funded proactive policing unit, a canine unit, an investigations unit (detectives) and juvenile specialists. "It is doubtful that the individual departments would have had the means to provide this type of specialization, independently," said Chief Segatti.
Segatti further stated, "The amount of necessary equipment was reduced. The savings in vehicles alone is noteworthy." The regionalized project also saw better training opportunities. Prior to the regionalization, small departments were hard pressed to release patrolmen to attend training seminars. Thus, the regionalized department is able to offer more training opportunities. One important benefit the NYCRPD realized was strengthening specific crime control strategies. The NYCRPD was able to mobilize patrol functions and create hot spot enforcement strategies, drunk driving details and narcotics investigations. These efforts have served to enhance the bonds between the police department and the district attorney's office
The management style of the NYCRPD board contributed to the success of the consolidation. In Northern York each municipality involved in the police consolidation project appointed a representative to the Police Board of Directors. Each board member acted on behalf of his or her municipality as well as on behalf of the consolidated effort. The result is each board member is acutely aware of the service provided to his or her community as well as the services received by other municipalities.
This resulted in a management strategy that is closely connected to the community, perhaps even closer than before the consolidation. Chief Segatti stated that the Northern York Regional Police Department feels no pressure to fix tickets or alter investigations of any sort. This is due, at least in part, to the management style of the police board. Segatti said, "Each board member protects their individual turf while at the same time maintains an awareness of the turf of the others."
The NYCPRD experience has demonstrated that a regionalized approach can do more for less. The NYCRPD polices the same type of community and area as the comparison group with a third less manpower. At the same time the NYCRPD offers more specialized services to the communities they serve.
The NYCRPD experience has provided to their community a more effective delivery of police service, better crime control strategies and a more coordinated approach to police-fire-rescue operations. At the same time, the police are able to offer a formal proactive police strategy to the citizens, where prior to regionalizing no department would have been able to staff such a program.
In addition, the police officers have been able to take advantage of more training opportunities. Also, the interaction of the Police Board of Directors has created a positive management atmosphere. The bonds between the police department and the district attorney's office have been strengthened.
Discussion
The primary goal of this study was to assess the costs of police operations in a consolidated police department and compare them to a comparison group of similar "unconsolidated" municipalities. The bottom line for the NRCRPD experience is that the consolidated department does the job for less money than the comparison municipalities. There are some other reported benefits to this particular police consolidation experience.
According to the NYCRPD police chief, in addition to the cost savings realized by the consolidation, the experience permitted the department to receive more training opportunities, created more professional choices for the officers as well as higher salaries. The department was also able to compete for state grant money and received funding for proactive policing programs and a state-of-the-art fingerprint system.
Consolidating police services is not necessarily the fiscal answer for every struggling municipality. Research has identified some negative aspects of inter-agency approaches to policing. They include management problems with discretion and accountability and the inability to settle conflicts, especially when one agency dominates. The more powerful agency may tend to dominate the agendas. Small municipalities will give up control of their police operations if they consolidate. They risk loss of autonomy and realistic comprehension of the special needs of the smaller unit. Additionally, if departments consolidate without a careful plan they may not realize any fiscal benefits.
In addition to the type of municipal consolidation described in the Northern York County experience, Crank (1990) offers a description of possible variations. Municipalities may opt to consolidate fully as did Northern York County. They may select partial consolidation in which some of the municipality identities are retained. Municipalities may also consider selected consolidation strategies such as special units made up of officers from different municipalities (e.g. multi-jurisdictional drug task forces). This may allow municipalities to evolve slowly toward consolidating services.
Another negative aspect of consolidations is the potential loss of employment for some police officers. In general, the research on consolidation offers no counsel on this. However, in the Kenney et al. (1982) study the authors suggest contracting, on a yearly basis, with individual officers at the same salary and benefit level prior to the consolidation. Any contractual renewal after one year will be based on the performance of the individual officers. Thus, any employee not performing as specified in the contract can be eliminated after a trial year.
In closing, police consolidation may provide a viable alternative strategy for smaller municipalities searching for ways to control rising taxes. The research offers a cautionary note, consolidation may not be for every municipality. The experience in York County appears to be a positive one. The police department remains small (around 30 officers) and keeping a small-town police philosophy was not difficult to do. This may not be the case in every consolidation.
References
1. Babbie, E. (1995, The Practice of Social Research, Wadsworth Press, Belmont, CA.
2. Crank, J.P. (1990, "Patterns of consolidation among public safety departments 1978-88, " Journal of Police Science and Administration, Vol. 17, pp. 277-88.
3. Crawford, A. and Jones, M. (1995, "Inter-agency co-operation and community-based crime prevention, " British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 35 No.1, Winter, pp. 17-33.
4. DeRoche, C. (1994, "On the edge of regionalization: management style and the construction of conflict in organizational change, " Human Organizations, Vol. 53 No. 3, pp. 209-19.
5. Elsass, D. (1991, "Upheaval in New Zealand local government: wave of the future in the USA?, " PM, July, pp. 16-18.
6. Fisher, W. (1995, New York Times, September 17..
7. Hagen, F. (1995, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Macmillan, New York.
8. Kenney, J.P., Adams, G.B. and Vito, G.F. (1982, "Consolidation of police services: an opportunity for innovation, " Journal of Police Science and Administration, No. 10, pp. 466-72.
9. McAninch, T. and Sanders, J. (1988, "Police attitudes toward consolidation in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois: a case study, " Journal of Police Science and Administration, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 95-104.
10. Orndorf, D. (1995, Bucks County Courier Times, October 30, Levittown, Pennsylvania.
11. Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs (1992, "A study of the cost effectiveness of the Northern York County Regional Police Department, " an unpublished state document.
12. Pilla, B. (1995, Bucks County Courier Times, October 31, Levittown, Pennsylvania.
13. Rossi, P. and Freeman, H. (1985, Evaluation: A Systematic Approach, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.
14. Rubin, R.S. (1984, "Consolidation of police and fire services, " Journal of Police Science and Administration, Vol. 12, pp. 221-6.
15. Sampson, A., Stubbs, P., Smith, D., Pearson, G. and Blagg, H. (1988, "Crime, localities and the multi-agency approach, " British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 28 No. 4, Autumn, pp. 478-93.
16. Sobba, R.L. (1991, "Public service consolidation, " FBI/Law Enforcement Bulletin, Vol. 9, February, pp. 6-10.
17. Staley, S. (1993, "Bigger is not better: the virtues of decentralized government, " USA Today, March, pp. 10-15.
18. Wellington (1994, "The New Zealand success story, " The Economist, Vol. 332, p. 40.
Appendix. Pennsylvania municipalities compared in the study
The program municipalities in the study were:
Dover Township;
Dover Borough;
Manchester Township;
Paradise Township;
Conewago Township;
North York Borough;
Franklin Township;
Dillsburg Borough.
The comparison municipalities in the study were:
Conestoga Borough;
Fairview Township;
Manheim Township;
Marietta Borough;
Penn Township
Quarryville Borough;
West Manheim Township;
Wrightsville Borough.
