RCPD Update: Some Officers Saved from Transfer

The Rancho Cordova Police Department may be only minimally affected by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department budget shortage, Chief of Police Reuben Meeks said to the City Council yesterday.

Since the County’s first announcement that 300 deputies would be laid off, the number has since been reduced to 132. As a result, the County may not require the RCPD to transfer as many deputies as previously thought.

“Many of the issues the county is concerned about are not the same issues which will affect Rancho Cordova,” Meeks said to the Council. “There have been no concrete decisions made at this point.”

The RCPD has a contract with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department that lasts until 2010. One of the contract provisions is that the county can transfer RCPD personnel back into positions within the county after two years of service with the RCPD. Since the county has been left with a budget shortfall, however, the county is requesting officers from Rancho Cordova sooner than normal.

Officers are being transferred based on seniority. So far, RCPD has transferred 25 officers to the county; two were school resource officers and the rest were patrol officers. There are now 22 new officers at the RCPD and three vacant positions.

Meeks was able to save some specialty officers’ positions, though.

Officers in the traffic unit, the canine officer and Police Activities League officer Zach Hatch have been able to stay with the RCPD despite their low seniority.

“That was not in the contract,” Meeks said. “It was something I had to discuss with the Sheriff’s administration… it was not an easy task.”

Joe Chinn, the assistant city manager, reassured the Council that the city will not be greatly affected by the county Sheriff’s budget crisis, but the city will continue to monitor the situation.

“Rancho Cordova will continue to enjoy similar levels of service as we’ve had in prior years,” Chinn said.