BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (KERO) — Bear Valley Springs looks to maintain its police department. Community Services District Board of Directors declares support for police department.
- The board of directors recently approved the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee for a Police Tax Study.
- Bear Valley Spring has had $80 per parcel special police tax since 1996.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Residents in Bear Valley Springs are fighting to keep its police department. I’m Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter. The community is facing hard times financially and is looking at options for providing police services.
Virgen: Why do you think it’s important to have police in this community?
Leana Mitchell: “I think I want to ask you a question back. Would you move anywhere that didn’t have police? I wouldn’t move anywhere that didn’t have law enforcement.”
Leana Mitchell is among several Bear Valley Springs residents who support their police department.
Yet, the support has hardly shown when it comes to paying taxes. Residents have paid the same $80 per parcel police special tax that started in 1996.
"The only thing that has not gone up since 1996 is the Costco hot dog-soda combo for $1.50. Everything else in our life has gone up and so too should our parcel tax to offset the actual cost of our police department," Mitchell says
Even though it's a small department with 4 full time officers and one part time, residents like Carolyn Corporon believe the price of safety is well worth it for the community of just under 6,000 people.
“I think what’s unique about having local community police, it’s unmatched and really can’t be replicated by larger agencies such as Kern County Sheriffs,” Corporon says.
That would be one of the other options if the police department went away, the Kern County Sheriff's Office could take over. But for current Sgt. Jay Rivera with Bear Valley Springs Police, It's the support of the community that makes his job enjoyable.
“This is very much a community oriented policing style where we have very strong community support. We truly appreciate that. As a police officer it makes you want to come out and do the work when you have strong support from the community.”
The board of directors recently approved the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee for a Police Tax Study.
I’m Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter.
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