Fresno Police Should Stay Out of County Islands

A festering issue that just won't go away is what level of City of Fresno services should be provided to county islands. Some county islands are relatively small. Others like Old Fig are large.

The City has provided water and sewer to county islands for many years. While I was serving on the City Council, the city extended fire protection services to county islands. These services were not forced on the residents but rather, were requested due to superior fire protection services that the city could provide.

And then there is police protection for county islands. Police protection is currently provided by the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. This is unusual since the county islands, particularly Old Fig, are surrounded by the city. County island residents must, of course, pay for the Sheriff deputies to patrol the area. Many residents feel that the level of protection provided by the deputies is inadequate. These same residents, however, are not about to pay for more protection.

Enter the City of Fresno's offer to provide police services to county islands. It makes sense since Fresno's finest have always responded to calls as a means of augmenting the limited presence of deputies in the county islands. The union representing the deputies is adamantly against the city providing the service because they fear the loss of deputies.

I was both sympathetic to and amused by the recent Fresno Bee op-ed by Mayor Ashley Swearengin complaining about the union's misrepresentations of the city's intentions to residents of county islands. Instead of complaining about the union's tactics, the mayor should instead call their bluff and prohibit the city's police from responding to calls in the county islands. The residents can then decide for themselves if they are willing to accept sole coverage by the deputies.

One would think that City of Fresno taxpayers would be miffed to know that their police department is subsidizing the Fresno County Sheriff''s Department.

This county island issue is just another in a long list of examples of the intransigence of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in consolidating City of Fresno and County of Fresno services. The inefficiency and ineffectivenes of duplicating public services should be an affront to all city and county taxpayers.

Coming Soon. . .

1. Why not buy a house? We taxpayers are paying for it.
2. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey?

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail .com.