NewsHound
08-05-2008, 02:41 PM
LAKE WORTH - City commissioners voted 3-2 Monday night to merge their police department with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
NewsChannel 5 reports that officers will take a pay cut and there may be shift changes and re-assignments, but Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said almost everything will stay the same.
The merger includes an estimated $13.8 million annual contract between the city and county.
Some residents who packed the meeting at the Lake Worth Scottish Rite Masonic Center weren't happy about the plan, according to NewsChannel 5.
"We always want to have a military solution to everything or police solution to everything. Folks, we're going to break ourselves financially trying to find solution to eveything with military, with police," said Javier Del Sol.
Lisa Maxwell said police have needed more resources for a long time.
"They're outgunned, outmanned, they struggle to deal with prostitution and drugs and gangs and it's a never-ending cycle, gotten more and more dangerous," Maxwell said.
The contract for the merger will be ironed out in the next two weeks.
The deal keeps the police department intact, but the building's sign would change to become a Palm Beach County Sheriff substation.
Source (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-805lakeworthmerger,0,3798102.story)
NewsChannel 5 reports that officers will take a pay cut and there may be shift changes and re-assignments, but Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said almost everything will stay the same.
The merger includes an estimated $13.8 million annual contract between the city and county.
Some residents who packed the meeting at the Lake Worth Scottish Rite Masonic Center weren't happy about the plan, according to NewsChannel 5.
"We always want to have a military solution to everything or police solution to everything. Folks, we're going to break ourselves financially trying to find solution to eveything with military, with police," said Javier Del Sol.
Lisa Maxwell said police have needed more resources for a long time.
"They're outgunned, outmanned, they struggle to deal with prostitution and drugs and gangs and it's a never-ending cycle, gotten more and more dangerous," Maxwell said.
The contract for the merger will be ironed out in the next two weeks.
The deal keeps the police department intact, but the building's sign would change to become a Palm Beach County Sheriff substation.
Source (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-805lakeworthmerger,0,3798102.story)