The Los Angeles County Sheriff is discovering the complications of taking over small-town police departments, reports the L.A. Times. The sheriff moved into Maywood, Calif., a month ago to fill in for the city’s disbanded police force. Sheriff’s Capt. Henry Romero said there are challenges when his agency suddently assumes law enforcement responsibilities, including taking over unfinished police work. It’s a scenario that may become increasingly common as municipalities across the county consider outsourcing public safety.
Amid fiscal problems, Pomona, Sierra Madre and other L.A. County cities are talking about following Maywood’s lead and dropping local policing in favor of sheriff’s patrols. Cudahy, which was patrolled by Maywood police, is now also relying on the Sheriff’s Department. Maywood decided in June to disband its police department after learning that the city was losing its insurance. Its provider found the city too risky, mainly because of the high number of claims filed against the police force. The move came as Maywood moved to outsource other municipal operations to the city of Bell, which is now embroiled in a controversy over high compensation to top city officials.