Riley County Law Board

December 21, 2009
Bob Kruh, Observer

The Board heard a progress report on the jail expansion. Cells are finished, and utilities are being installed, with completion expected in February.

The Board noted that the triennial accreditation of RCPD has just been completed and that the outcome was described as "stellar." RCPD is the first of Kansas' six law enforcement agencies to be nationally accredited by the professional agency, CALEA. [NOTE: The League submitted a letter of support for RCPD as part of the process.]

There was a lengthy presentation by Chief Schoen on the possibility of consolidating the dispatch of emergency services now handled separately by RCPD, the Manhattan fire department, Riley County fire department, and county emergency medical services. The current situation works, but it suffers from inefficiency involving potential dangers. Although a single dispatch center might come later as the area continues to develop, a unified operation could nevertheless be established soon through additional staffing and integrated procedures. KSU police would remain as a separate entity. Required funding could be phased in over the next several years in order to make the public cost manageable. It was noted that, in Kansas, Manhattan/Riley County is the only population base of its size that does not have a unified dispatch center. The separate agencies here are supportive, and there was general agreement as to the desirability of such a move. The proposal will receive further attention.

Another presentation by Chief Schoen laid out the comparative cost of operating RCPD, with reference to similar operations in the region. Notwithstanding marked differences in budget and accounting categories among various jurisdictions, considerable care was used to compare like quantities operationally. To allay concerns that decisions about comparable categories might be slanted, Chief Schoen explained that, in compiling data, such judgments were made to the disadvantage of RCPD.

Health insurance is the largest line item for RCPD, accounting for more than 10% of its budget. It was noted that total personnel costs account for about 86% of the budget, and, aside from salaries, the department now spends $19,500 per employee for health insurance, retirement, workers compensation, social security, and liability insurance.

The study included Leavenworth County, KS; Saline County, KS; Story County and Ames, IA; and Payne County and Stillwater, OK. It turns out that, per capita, Riley County's adjusted cost is at the lower end of the group -- $204 per person -- with the most spent in Saline County -- $309.

Beyond the effort to create valid structural comparisons, there was no good way to make allowances for different contexts -- with Riley County being the only one with both a major university and a large military installation within its area. It was nevertheless apparent that Riley County is the beneficiary of a highly effective police force operated at reasonable cost.