indy-pd-shield-smaller-jpeg-1.JPG The idea almost never goes anywhere, however, for a simple reason: turf protection. People who are comfortable and even rewarded under current city-county arrangements will rarely feel much motivation to change them, even if doing so would serve the greater good.
That's happened time and again in regionalism battles. But never have the conflicts been so personal, and so clear, as in the current talks about combining the Indianapolis police and the Marion County sheriff's departments. Several of the officials involved in making the decision either work for or are married to employees of one of the two departments.
Matt Tully, an Indianapolis Star columnist, writes:
"Three council members ....work for either the sheriff or IPD. [City-County Councilwoman Sherron] Franklin, a Democrat, is an IPD arson investigator. Democrat Dane Mahern works in the sheriff's payroll department, and Republican Lincoln Plowman is a sheriff's lieutenant... Democrat Mary Moriarty Adams, who is chairing the committee studying the merger, is married to a police officer."
Making good on the promise of "Uni-Gov" and merging the local law enforcement agencies probably makes sense. Joining police and sheriff's departments was one of the first orders of business when Louisville, Kentucky and surrounding Jefferson County merged a couple of years back. (Indianapolis and Marion County merged many other local services back in 1970.)marion-county-shield-smaller-jpeg.JPG
The promise of mergers is more efficiency and monetary savings. But for money to be saved, some jobs have to be cut. What are the chances that individuals whose household incomes and benefits depend on current job descriptions and categories will be able to put aside their own interests and decide the matter dispassionately?
MORE: Louisville: Anatomy of a Merger (Governing, December 2002)
Joel Giambra: Regional Agitator (Governing, April 2001)
