POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — After Deerfield Beach voted to part ways with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and start its own police and fire departments, Pompano Beach could be next.
On Tuesday night, Pompano Beach city commissioners reviewed a report about the logistics of the city starting its own police department.
Pompano Beach already has its own fire service, but relies on BSO for policing.
Staying with BSO would cost $75 million a year, while starting its own police force would run around $108.1 million in annual operating costs, including building a brand-new headquarters, according to the report.
The price tag concerned some commissioners.
“Really an astronomical number, and it seems very complicated,” Commissioner Rhonda Sigerson-Eaton said.
Deerfield Beach ultimately decided to go at it alone, citing population growth, rising BSO costs and relying on a consultant’s report, claiming getting rid of BSO would bring huge savings.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony blasted that report as incomplete and wrong.
If BSO loses Pompano Beach too, that’s certainly a blow to the sheriff’s office, as Pompano Beach is the largest city in BSO’s jurisdiction.
Tony, alongside many BSO deputies in the crowd on Tuesday, thanked commissioners for doing their due diligence.
“I came here to say thank you to this commission,” said Tony. “There has been a lot of contention with some of our partners to the north.”
The consultant also said it doesn’t have to be one way or the other.
Pompano Beach could stay with BSO for some special units, like bomb squad and dive team.
If the city fully starts its own police department, that’s projected to take around two-and-a-half years.
“We’ve got a lot of homework to do before we come together and make decisions,” Pompano Beach Mayor Rex Hardin said.
It’s unclear when a final decision will be made.
The consultant who prepared the reports on BSO’s feasibility in Pompano Beach will be hosting a pair of meetings to review the study.
Those meetings will be on Feb. 26 at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center, located at 520 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. at 6 p.m., and on March 12 at the Cultural Center, located at 50 W. Atlantic Blvd. at 6 p.m.
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