" how did holtville come to this? holtville residents do you see golf carts in cities such as brawley, el centro, calipat, and westmorland being driven all over town? come on people, golf carts are for GOLF COURSES or else they wouldn't be called GOLF carts. "

" to bob_bear: Yeah, like Dispatch has returned... "

" Well, a contract with the Sheriff's office doesn't mean this is a forever thing. Maybe one of these days, the Holtville Police Department will return. "

" I think it will be better if Holtville has the Sheriff's instead of the Holtville PD. "

" Why is everyone talking about the ICSO being understaffed, deputies not being in Holtville more than ocassionally, and the low number of deputies on patrol at any given time? Did you miss the part about Holtville adding close to a million dollars to the sheriff's budget? The city would require certain things from that beyond having a deputy cruise through town every now and then, don't you think? I am sure Holtville officers aren't in favor of this idea, since at least some of them won't get hired by the ICSO. What is so funny about the whole situation is that the ones who won't get hired are the very ones who are screwing up and all but guaranteeing the the county will take over. Hopefully harassing Christmas carolers will soon be a thing of the past. "

" Santa Clarita is another example of a contract city with a Sheriffs Department. But let's face it, Holtville doesn't have much of a budget and they'd be lucky if they could support just one deputy at a time 24/7. "

" How will the Sheriff's Office respond to the additional manpower/equipment to police Holtville. It seems they always claim to be understaffed. "

" ay chiguagua incorporated and unincorporated are not the same thing. In a contract for services with an incorporated city, the contract will provide for the number of deputies and services to be provided. That will be part of the contract. The deputies will be assigned to Holtville and that will be their "beat." Yes, they could assist other deputies outside of Holtville if the need were there; so can other city police agencies. City police officers are not "bound" by their cities if a call for help goes out. This could be a very good solution to a very real problem in the City of Holtville. "

" Incorporated or not, it's the same thing! Un-incorporated towns are the deputies' first priority and they are not covered adequately enough. Yes, Holtville is incorporated, but it will receive the same scarce protection as the rest of the county does. Deputies are not bounded to "city limits" as police officers are. Your prejudiced posts will convince me of nothing, since you cite sources from outside of the Valley. "

" Imperial County will always be the training ground for law enformcement, fire fighters and most of the public sector. The wages just don't compare to those of the northern neighboring counties. The sheriff still has a hard time retaining personal, even with their pay raise. Why would you stick around if the benefits stink!!! But, if Hotville gets ICSO as their law enforcement agency, then there should be at least one officers (deputy) on duty at all times in the city. There is nothing wrong with contracting police services. Many cities do it, but for some reason not in Imperial County. Look at Westmorland, how can they retain officers paying them 12-13 dollars an hour with no retirement? "

" The communities of Niland, Heber, Ocotillo and Seeley are not incorporated. Their relationship with the Sheriff's Department is not based on a contract as it would be with an incorporated city such as Holtville. There is plenty of precedent of cities no longer able to afford police departments. Examples include Imperial Beach and San Clemente. Those were not issues of bankruptcy but cities trying to stretch tax dollars. Those POA's were able to work out agreements and there is no reason why Holtville can't also. Holtville's financial situation is not unique to Imperial County. More energy should be spent trying to determine how this can work and if it is in the best interest of ALL parties. You are absolutely correct Traffic. It is a money related issue. The citizens of Holtville deserve to receive the most value for their tax dollar. If the Sheriff can provide that, a minority should not prevent it. "

" But there should be 1 "r" and 2 "f's". :) "

" My Opinion: There should be no apostrophe in the word "Sherrifs" "

" Niland- what a great example that town is for law enforcement! Get ready Holtville, you will be the new Niland South! Fact- There are many late nights in the County when there are only 2 sheriff units patroling, one in the North and one in the South. Sad part is the crooks all know where they are! "

" There seems to be ongoing references to sheriff contracts with cities outside of the valley. Let's look closer to home right here. Seeley, Niland, Heber, and Ocotillo do not have 24/7 protection. The members of those towns deserve it though. Kay014, don't you think the bad guys know that all they have to do is wait to see the deputy cruise, then leave the city? Learn from what is happening here, not San Diego County! "

" Everyone should do their research. How about this little tid bit, The court of Appeal in a published decision dated Oct. 3, 2007 in what the court described as as "an issue of first impression: held that a city must first meet and confer with the applicable bargaining unit prior to contracting out police services. The court concluded that "without question, the city's decision to enter into a contract with the Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services affects wages, hours and conditions of employment of the city's police officers." If the city of Holtville was going bankrupt and closing its doors for lack of a better word then they could outsours the police services, but Holtbille is not. They are just trying to get Law Enforcement services for a better rate. There is no question Holtville's desire to have the Sheriff's Department take over is money related. This is a collective bargaining issue first with the POA, not with the Sheriff's Department. "

" From the above op ed piece and comment, it looks as if no one in Imperial County has done much research into the idea of contracting with the Sheriff. If a Holtville contract is modeled after many of the other incorportated cities throughout Southern California who contract with their county Sheriff for law enforcement, those deputies would belong to the City of Holtville. That would be their primary responsibility, only responding to calls outside of the city in emergencies. They would literally be the Holtville P.D., only driving county cars. Do your own research. There are plenty of examples: Lemon Grove, Encinitas, Vista, San Marcos, San Clemente, Temecula, Lakewood are all contracting with the Sheriff of their respective county. Those cities pay the county and those deputies are the cities' police force. Before anyone passes judgement, look around. There is no reason it can't work here, despite the negative attitudes. "

" Good luck! You might see a sheriff's patrol unit for the first few days, but after that kiss them goodbye. They're county sheriff's and I can assure you that's there first responsibility. Sometimes at night there are only four units for the entire county. Do you really think one is going to be only for Holtville? So the spoiled residents of Holtville won't be able to bit#h to anyone becuase they don't work for you. Resident deputies? Wishful thinking... Ha! "