Dana Point joined a 13 City task force to address the rising cost of police services provided by contract with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. These costs are putting many cities under financial hardship. Dana Point’s police service costs are budgeted to be $13,299,000 in FY 2019.
For fiscal year 2018, the OCSD contract cost Dana Point $12,073,000, which is approximately what Dana Point is projected to earn from our largest revenue source, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), for the same period. There are additional charges such as pension funding changes, overtime charges in excess of contract estimates, changes in OCSD personnel salaries and benefits and any enhanced law enforcement services and equipment.
Dana Point pays approximately $343 per capita, or $100-200 per capita over all other OCSD contract cities to get OCSD’s Premium Service. Dana Point’s policing model, particularly its Crime Suppression Unit, is considered the best practice for those communities that can afford it.
According to the contract, 41 law enforcement professionals, each working 80 hours per two-week pay period, will be dedicated to policing Dana Point’s 6.6 square miles: our Chief of Police, one Administrative Sergeant, five Patrol Sergeants, two Investigators, one Investigative Assistant, 20 Deputy Sheriffs II — Patrol/Traffic, one Deputy Sheriff II — Motor Traffic, one Crime Prevision Specialist, five Community Services Officers — Parking Control, three Deputy Sheriffs II — Community Support, one Deputy Sheriff II — Directed Enforcement and extra help as needed.
According to the contract, Dana Point will also share the services of the following OCSD Regional/Shared Team: approximately eight Traffic personnel, four Auto Theft personnel, two Detectives, one Office Specialist — Subpoena, two Investigative Assistants — Courts and one Motorcycle Supervision Sergeant for a total of 17.90 additional police personnel along with helicopter services.
Thank you to our dedicated police force. We appreciate your service. Residents look forward to:
- Significant reduction in property crime
- Significant increase in enforcement of speed limits and traffic laws
- An active partnership with an effective Homeless Task Force
- Enhanced public visibility on our streets and in our neighborhoods
- A robust, effective city-wide Neighborhood Watch Program
The District Attorney advised that a visible police presence and a strong neighborhood watch are two of the most effective tools in the city’s arsenal to reduce crime.