Law Enforcement Deal on the Table in Goleta

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Tom Schultz
June 1, 2007

A proposed five-year contract for law enforcement services between Goleta and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department would cost the city more than $5 million annually and give it more say in public safety operations, officials say.

In the next fiscal year, Goleta would spend $5.63 million to keep residents safe, according to the draft agreement, which was released Thursday.

After months of closed-door negotiations between City Hall and Sheriff's Department brass, the public and City Council will have their first crack Monday night at commenting on the proposed deal. The contract would start July 1 and expire in 2012.

Key provisions cited by city officials include: enhancing the city’s participation in the deployment of resources and orientations of new deputies; ensuring the continuance of a motorcycle traffic unit; establishing cost reimbursements for use of city-owned equipment; and, boosting the city’s participation in the selection and evaluation of the "police chief," who is typically a lieutenant appointed to the position by the sheriff.

These changes do not suggest the existance of a poor relationship, City Manager Dan Singer stressed Thursday.

On the contrary, Singer said, much of the new language serves to memorialize practices already informally in place since an inaugural deal between Goleta and the department kicked off in July 2002, shortly after Goleta incorporated as a city.

Lt. Chris Pappas, Goleta chief of police, agreed: "A lot of these (issues) are perfecting processes that are already in place."

"All of it's been very positve," he said.

Councilman Roger Aceves was a key player in the negotiations along with Councilwoman Jonny Wallis.

"The sheriff has done a great job in keeping costs down," said Aceves, a recently retired veteran Santa Barbara Police officer. "Having this five-year contract ensures great service."

In addition to the Goleta council, county administrators must also sign off on the contract before it is finalized. Monday's council meeting is meant only to gather input before a final vote sometime within the next two months.

In addition to discussing the contract on Monday, the council will discuss a proposed memorandum of understanding between the city and Camino Real Marketplace that would carve an around-the-clock Sheriff's substation from a storefront space at the big-box shopping center.

The Marketplace would provide 1,100 square feet to accomodate four to six officers who would use the facility as an operations base.

In addition, Camino Real would give the city more than a half-million dollars over the next five years — at an average of more than a $100,000 annually — money city officials say could be used for a community resource deputy specifically assigned to dealing with citizens' concerns.

These duties would include: liaison activities with business owners; coordinating neighborhood watch and business watch programs; planning city and domestic violence prevention and outreach programs; and, connecting with youth and community organizations.

Last week, Councilwoman Jonny Wallis said she was concerned about a perception that the Marketplace would reduce its private security force and, in essence, buy the use of public law enforcement.

However, city and law enforcement officials said that was not the case — a point they reiterated Thursday.

The offer, Singer said, "has no strings attached."

No patrols of the property would be required of the department, he added.

While the move definitely could lead to an undetermined reduction in private security at the Marketplace, that shift would come from an added and general presence of Sheriff's deputies at the shopping center and not from any formal patrols required of them there, Camino Real president Mark Linehan said.

"We're not buying the service," he said Thursday, adding Camino Real security personnel currently do little more than call authorities when problems arise. "If more and more sheriffs are out there, we don't really need as many security people out there all the time."

The annual financial donations would roughly equate to the amount of money saved by the shopping center following a reduction in private security, Linehan said, adding that the offer of the money to the city would stand -- even if the substation idea falls through.

Overall, the proposed contract between the city and Sheriff's Department calls for maintaining staffing levels — at a minimum 33 law enforcement positions focused on the entire city of Goleta, or 34 with the repeat inclusion of a gang officer funded by an outside grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Public safety has and continues to be a very important issue for the city with regard to levels of service, budget and addressing the needs of the community," Vyto Adomaitis, city neighborhood services director, said in a city report released Thursday. "Over the past 12 months, city staff has been working closely with Sheriff’s Department representatives.

"Staff has reviewed contracts from several jurisdictions located within Santa Barbara,Ventura and Los Angeles County to identify potential opportunities to enhance and improve the city’s existing agreement," Adomaitis stated.

"This agreement provides clarity, accountability and facilitates the strengthening of an already excellent and continually improving relationship."

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