To the Editor:

With local municipalities feeling the pressure to fund existing functions and the state of the economy affecting most of their constituents, it may be time for local governments and the county to think about functional consolidation.

One of the areas I believe where consolidation makes sense is in law enforcement. I understand that many municipalities like the autonomy of having their own police force, but is that really necessary? I, for one, dont think so. Having a county police force to handle all responses may make sense. Theres no question it makes sense financially for all municipalities but it also may make sense from a crime prevention/investigation point of view. Lets review some the past arguments for maintaining autonomy.

One of the arguments made is that having a police department locally provides a deterrent factor based on presence and also provides faster response times to crimes. Sounds good but not necessarily valid. As an example, a local presence in Tryon didnt deter criminals from vandalizing vehicles in Stotts Ford or protect Tryon Pharmacy from being broken into numerous times. Theres no question that having police presence locally might provide faster response than a dispatch response from a central location but it seemed to have little effect in the example sited.

Another argument made is that the local force is better equipped and knowledgeable to handle local crimes. Again, not necessarily valid. For example, after a past break-in at the Dollar Store, the Columbus police dept. called on the county for backup and investigative support. Now these 2 police forces are located only a few hundred feet apart, so one has to question the benefit of 2 responders when one would have been sufficient.

A very important issue raised in the past is response time to areas most distant from county headquarters. I would respond to this concern with a question: Is life more important than loss of property? Well we have a centrally located county EMS function that seems to be able to dispatch vehicles very well to respond to potential life threatening situations all over the county. Yes, I know that EMS support is sometimes augmented by local responders. But this is no different than a central police dept. dispatch function being augmented by roving and/or stationed patrol cars or off-duty officers responding to emergency alerts.

Finally, I believe that for a central county police function to be effective that success lies with having a dedicated and stable force and experienced leadership. Right now, I believe that we have that situation with Sheriff Donald Hill and his hand picked staff. I think the time is right for the county and local governments to consider making this change for the better of all concerned.

Karl Kachadoorian