Consolidation was a term rarely used in municipal governance just a few years ago. The glut of resources inspired new and ambitious services. Now, the dearth of available resources has many looking for ways to cut costs and maintain services.

That challenge has four cities in Orange County considering studying the value either a partial consolidation or complete consolidation of police services. The four already cooperate for SWAT services, but the proposal would look to see if cost savings could be realized by sharing a command structure, crime scene investigation units, or other services.

The proposed study had already been approved by the Brea city council. Other councils are expected to learn more about the study and decide in coming weeks or months.

From the Orange County Register:

Four north Orange County cities are wondering if there might be safety in numbers – financial safety, that is.

Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton and La Habra city councils are being asked by their staffs to green light an $114,838 study by Citygate Associates to see if there could be savings by sharing some police services or even creating a joint police department.

Read the full article here.