Police Considering Sharing Services, Too

Police in Norfolk, Wrentham, and Plainville are look­ing for ways to share services and cut costs and are even considering a long-range plan to make the three police departments into one, said Norfolk Police Chief Charles H. Stone Jr.

Stone has been in talks with police chiefs in the other two towns. He likened the discussions to the recent at­tempts by the Norfolk School Committee to promote effi­ciency by possibly sharing a superintendent with the King Philip Regional School District.

The police talks come at a time when selectmen are asking town department heads to submit budgets for next fiscal year reflecting a 5 percent decrease in spending from the current fiscal year, which could lead to significantcuts in local services. “We have decided to initially look at lesser functions that we all provide and if those could work, then for dis­cussion purposes expand our study as far as making all 3 departments into one,” Stone said in an email message. “There are many issues that would need to be resolved be­fore

such a venture would come to fruition and it is clearly only in the initial discussion stages. We have to date dis­cussed police court prosecutor, detectives, communica­tions and funding initiatives that might be available to make this joint venture a possibility.”

Stone emphasized that the talks among the police chiefs are in the early stages, and that no decisions have been made.

“This is without a doubt discussion that is in its in­fancy stage and enacted with the thought of maintaining some semblance of police services during a time when we have already cut back as far as we can without initiating further layoffs or not replacing officerswho have already been laid off or not replaced in each or all three depart­ments,” Stone said in the email message.