Honest Deputy wrote on Jul 26, 2008 11:36 AM:Here we go again. When the Sheriff's Department is contracted for this work it hurts everyone but the County's budget. The department does not hire new employees for these services they simply move them from the unincorporated areas into the new cities. Thus, the people that are supposed to be getting protection lose their deputies. This happens around all of the cities that the sheriff contracts with. The residents in unincorporated areas should be very angry when this happens. Then there is the supervision problem. Supervisors will be responsible for areas in the city of Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, and the unincorporated areas at the same time. The Sheriff needs to get out of the contract business and start patrolling unincorporated areas and run the jails which is required by law. The department will beef up staffing in Wildomar then it will slowly take it back to pre-contract date. Wildomar council made a mistake on this one, should have called MPD for a bid. Question: If Wildomar needs 3 deputies now, why didn't the Sheriff staff it with 3 before they became a City?

IAGREE wrote on Jul 26, 2008 4:24 PM:This is such a joke. The Sheriff's department is a for profit outfit that has substandard ethics when it comes to policing. So how much are we paying for this?? You know it is not free if they are painting the cars a different color and say Wildomar on them. Not to mention the contract fire protection we have with CDF, They will do anything to keep their foot in Wildomar because it is money maker for them. They will tell you a bunch of lies in the process just to keep it. CDF's employee integrity is less than professional and unbelievable. I stopped by one of their stations to inquire about my neighbors weeds and i end up talking to a gentlman who has a tear drop tatoo under one eye with other body art on his arms. A tear drop if you dont know means you have killed and have been in a gang. So that is who we have answering the call for help?? I really question the background checks that go into CDF. What a shame, we should of asked for a bid from Murrieta Fire and Police departments. They seem to be in the business of public safety and not making a profit. Our new born council needs to wake up and re-evaluate our public safety contracts, they are not as cheap as they seem!

Murrieta Resident wrote on Jul 26, 2008 11:56 PM:When Murrieta became a city, the residents were asked to come to a meeting at the community center. There we heard the pros and cons of having our own Police Dept or contract with the Sheriff's Dept. We, the citizens, voted to have our own. For several years the department ran out of a trailer on Cal Oaks. The first officers, I believe, 26, were all recruited from other agencies. Experienced, and eager to work where they live. A better decision could not have been made. Murrieta PD is proactive and they take pride in their job. They get to know the area and it's citizens. Not to say that Sheriff's deputies do not take pride in their job but they don't stay in an area for long. They rotate from the contract city to the county. Big difference in my opinion.

Observer wrote on Jul 27, 2008 10:44 AM:Don’t be deceived by all this hype about beefed up police protection – it doesn’t really exist! It’s a show, a show with limited-time engagement, to make Wildomar think we got better police protection along with cityhood.

With only three sworn officers on duty at any given time to cover the nearly 24 square miles of the city, chances are that the illusion of “elevated police presence” won’t be sustained for very long.

Capt. Louis Fetherolf admitted openly that he had “made a special request to the (county’s) Helicopter Unit that we keep the west end helicopter in the southwest end of the county for at least a month…then we will back off and patrol as needed…”

Numerous studies set acceptable ratios of deputies or sworn officers per 1,000 residents way above what we have now. Given the current population numbers, any way you slice or dice it, the number of sworn officers is inadequate for Wildomar’s protection. This will be especially true as the economic downturn continues and the crime rate keeps growing.

Get Real - The Truth wrote on Jul 27, 2008 4:58 PM:You people couldn’t be further from the truth. Why three you ask, well for one thing, they now handle traffic. Did the Sheriff staff it with three before? No, CHP handled the traffic portion, now that it is incorporated, that falls to the PD to handle. A little research is all that is required to see the numbers. The Captain isn’t hiding anything, its all written down, every contract city pays the same amount per deputy or service they request. The reality is, the Sheriff’s department maintains one of the best officer to citizens ratios in the county and has the largest resources to provide service. One only needs to look at the budgets of Murrieta and Temecula to see how much “bang for the buck” you are getting with the Sheriff. If the Sheriff’s Department is such a “bad” deal, why do the cities of Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Moreno Valley, and Temecula contract with them? The leaders of these fine cities, must be blind to all this money making the department is doing by contracting with them, right? Let’s not forget the Board of supervisors, of course, they have no problem with the Sheriff short changing the unincorporated areas. Yes, Murrieta has a great bunch of Officers and every department starts small, heck when they first started Murrieta PD officers were told not to drive unless needed to save gas and wear and tear on the cars. The trailers they started in, only supposed to be there for 3 to 4 years, reality, in there over ten. Why, the Department has champagne tastes on a beer budget. As for the great fire department, you might want to question why over a third of the N/W part of Murrieta is still served by County Fire engines? The reality is Murrieta is not serving its citizens with a 100% fire and police, so to look at them for a contract is questionable.

To All wrote on Jul 27, 2008 7:04 PM:As grandma used to say, “the proof is in the pudding”. Only time will tell just how well the county sheriffs’ do for Wildomar’s residents, and whether they will provide the level of service outlined in their pre-election sales pitches to voters.

I trust the city council is wise enough to insist on building an escape clause into the contract Capt. Fetherolf and the city manager, John Danielson, are now negotiating…just in case people aren’t satisfied.

In the meantime, let’s hope Wildomar’s newly adjusted budget allows us to pay for these public safely services after taking into consideration the negative impact of decreasing property tax revenues, slowing sales tax income from almost every sector, and reductions in Vehicle License Fee revenues.

Mars wrote on Jul 29, 2008 7:51 AM:I've lived in Wildomar for over 15 years. I have noticed an increase of sheriff's. Many years ago I would see maybe one car a month, now I see them almost daily. I just wish they would hang out on Clinton Keith/ Hidden Springs with all the people that think it's okay to block the intersection. They could make some money for the city there handing out tickets.

To Mars wrote on Jul 30, 2008 6:34 AM:We'll see how long this elevated level of policing lasts. In the meantime, I'm all in favor of having sheriffs out there writing more tickets for speeding and other violations.

Maybe they'll even get around to doing something about the ATVs and pocket bikes that are illegal on our streets? One can hope.

Options wrote on Jul 30, 2008 12:27 PM:Why do the cars need to be painted (additional cost)? Can't the Sheriff's department keep the black and whites and place a city seal on the doors. This is an accepted practice in other counties; it gives the black and white the city presence needed and doesn't cost the city an arm and a leg. It also gets the deputy and the vehicle on the road. Less down time. Duh! The city's staff should know this.

Renae wrote on Aug 23, 2008 11:35 PM:THREE officers is OVERKILL!!! Come on people they hangout at the AM/PM or in the Wildomar Elem. school parking lot!!! 23 square miles maybe but a good portion of it is nothing but WEEDS. We didn't need THREE officers before (heck we were lucky to see ONE officer a week) With THREE patrol cars in the area one might think they could catch the person responsible for the gang writing (if u want to call it that) on the fences & market!!! Come on NOT that much happens at night in Wildomar!!! So where r they say after midnight?