We in Woods Cross again find ourselves between new chiefs and a sign in front of WX city hall hiring police officers. Reality is that the small towns like WX just cannot pay the wages and offer the opportunities for training and advancement that the larger cities can.

We share ambulance services, animal control services, schools, fire and sheriffs deputies with other cities. When an officer responds to calls in WX sometimes, if not often other cities accompany them or back them up. We are already consolidated just not in name.

Yet WX City Council believes we will “lose our identity” if we join North Salt Lake, West Bountiful Police Departments (and perhaps some others) if we consolidated.

As it looks to me, consolidation of the WX Police could result in savings for WX residents.

WX Council intends to build a new city building too. (Perhaps a police dept. too?) A big chunk of WX law enforcement is overtime costs. And often the recently hired officers can get better deals with bigger cities so WX is an eternal “training ground.”  That is not good for the citizens, the department or the officers. With consolidation the officers would have opportunity for increased training, and would be able to get the time off they need to have a more normal life with their families, perhaps even increased salaries. Council has told us that they will raise taxes most likely hereafter every year.

If the Council would seriously look at consolidating they wouldn’t have to build a new City Hall; they wouldn’t have to find a new police chief and they could stop the eternal turnover that WX officers and citizens have to endure too frequently.

D L Weeks