Consolidating North Shore police departments could save money and provide better services, a report says
Seven municipalities on Milwaukee County's North Shore could save money and improve quality of law enforcement services by combining their police departments, according to a new report.
The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum reported Tuesday that the amount saved from consolidation would vary depending on several factors, including whether participating communities would decide to maintain existing police patrol levels.
The report presented two options for consolidation:
If consolidated, municipalities could maintain patrol staffing, but adjust command staff, sergeants and non-sworn staff. This model yields an annual estimated personnel cost of slightly under $22 million, an estimated annual savings of $677,000.
Alternatively, the second model suggests a consolidation that includes cutting 20 patrol officers but adding a handful of other positions that could improve police response, such as crime analysts or behavioral health specialists. This model costs an annual estimated personnel cost of $18.6 million, a savings of $3.75 million.
The report noted that its models did not include cost estimates for elements beyond personnel, such as vehicles, facilities and more "because of the highly speculative nature of such estimates."
Right now, each North Shore municipality — Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay — operates with a police department that is headquartered within its boundaries. The combined seven departments currently employ 162 full-time employees, ranging from 11 in River Hills to 41 in Glendale, according to the report.
In late 2021, Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy asked for the report; the city paid $19,350 to complete the analysis.
"There are so many things that we just can't do any one of the seven of us that I believe by consolidating we will be able to offer far greater services to the 68,000 North Shore residents," Kennedy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The report said it found no clear-cut answers as to whether the departments should combine. A concern for smaller communities is that the much higher call volume in larger communities would leave them with a reduced patrol presence, the report noted.
"From a village board perspective, it’s our role to keep an open mind, listen to residents, and give police consolidation proper analysis. No one would disagree that consolidation is a steep hill to climb and resistance may be high," said Whitefish Bay Village President Kevin Buckley in a statement.
"Personally, I’m very satisfied with our current police department and its command staff," he added.
North Shore police chiefs have not responded to requests by the Journal Sentinel to discuss the study.
Additional model details
Under the first model, the report said it envisioned increasing the number of patrol officers, but reducing the number of sergeants and command staff.
Under that model, the study envisioned dividing the North Shore into two patrol bureaus, one covering Bayside, Fox Point and River Hills and the other covering the remaining communities. Officers assigned to one bureau would not respond to incidents in the other bureau, except in an emergency.
The savings achieved by the first model "are somewhat modest, however, and it is questionable whether they would overcome the perceived negative elements associated with loss of local control over police services," the report said.
Under the second model, the report envisioned reallocating patrol capacity and fortifying specialized areas. A commonly used standard has officers spending up to 60% of their time on community-generated calls and 40% on officer-initiated activities. But this model suggests spending about 33% of patrol officer time on community-generated calls and 67% on officer-initiated activities. Under that plan, the model would reduce the number of patrol officers.
The plan would "bulk up" services like parking enforcement and would add four "specialist" positions such as a public information officer, crime analyst or behavioral health specialist/social worker.
"This model would reduce the number of patrol officers on the street at any one time in the North Shore but it would add other capabilities that do not exist currently in most departments," the report said.
Wisconsin Policy Forum does not endorse any plan or model. Its report said the decision whether to consolidate could come down to two questions: How will each community be affected, and how important is local control?
If the seven municipalities move forward with consolidation, Kennedy said he would not support terminating any existing positions, and instead would focus "right sizing over time as people retire or leave the force."
The forum plans to give a presentation to each municipality to answer any questions about the report. Kennedy said he hopes to reach an agreement by 2023, and if the municipalities support the consolidation to phase the plan in by 2025 or 2026.
The seven municipalities previously consolidated their fire, public health and dispatch services. Policing remains one of the large areas that has not been consolidated.
Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: North Shore police could consolidate, says Wisconsin Policy Forum
