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Evaluating the Feasibility of a JPA Police Agency in Riverside County, CA

Riverside County explored opportunities to enhance law enforcement efficiency and service consistency by evaluating regionalization models for multiple jurisdictions. The goal was to determine the feasibility of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) or other collaborative frameworks that could optimize resources while maintaining local control.

Challenge

Costs for contract law enforcement services with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office had risen steadily in recent years, leading nine municipalities to contract with Matrix Consulting Group to evaluate the feasibility of developing a joint powers authority (JPA) to form a regional police agency and replace the sheriff’s services. However, any potential consolidation effort would need to preserve each community’s unique identity and ensure that local priorities remain central to decision-making.

Solution

Working with the nine city managers throughout the process, the Matrix team developed a feasibility model to evaluate the financial considerations, service level objectives, governance structure, and capital costs involved in forming a regional JPA-based police agency for the nine cities. The model met these objectives while also maximizing both the cost efficiencies and shared service opportunities in a regional policing agency.

The analysis included:

  • Interviews with elected officials, law enforcement leadership, and key stakeholders.
  • Comparative assessments of different regionalization strategies, from shared services to full consolidation.
  • Evaluation of governance models, funding mechanisms, and phased implementation options.
  • Extensive research on compensation packages, amortized startup capital costs, and operating costs.

The study highlighted the immediate benefits of regional cooperation, such as enhanced training opportunities, streamlined administrative functions, and improved technology integration. While full consolidation presented logistical and political challenges, incremental collaboration—such as merging dispatch services or investigative units—was identified as a practical starting point.

Outcome

Riverside County was presented with detailed analysis and a cleaar roadmap for how a regional JPA police agency could be formed, balancing strategic law enforcement priorities with efficiency gains, as well as the need for community identity and local decision-making to be preserved.