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If a Mount Airy resident calls 911, chances are good that one of the five of the town's resident troopers from the Maryland State Police will respond.
And that won't change under a proposal by Carroll County Commissioner Michael D. Zimmer (R) to shift some law enforcement responsibility from State Police to the county Sheriff's Office.
"If my program were to proceed, it would not impact Mount Airy directly because the town has the ultimate say over their own law enforcement," Zimmer said.
He pointed out that the county's resident trooper program is separate from Mount Airy's program, and he is focusing on the former.
In a letter last week to Commissioners' President Julia Gouge (R), Zimmer proposed a five-year transition plan that would start with cutting nine resident State Police troopers from the county's budget and adding nine deputies to the Sheriff's Office.
"This process may have some initial up-front costs but the near-term and long-term prospects would lead to significant savings," Zimmer wrote to Gouge, though his letter did not specify dollar amounts.
He said he expects the next Board of County Commissioners will move in that direction. "If we believe that is going to happen, doesn't it make sense for us to go ahead and embrace that now and give the next board a bit of a head start?" he said.
The county pays the direct cost of the resident troopers plus the administrative fee for the resident trooper program.
The county's fiscal 2010 budget lists $5 million for the Sheriff's Office to patrol Carroll County, and $6.1 million for the State Police's resident trooper program.
"This makes for a very expensive program," Zimmer said, noting that when the program began as the county's primary law enforcement in 1973, the county paid only 75 percent of the cost and there was no administrative fee.
Currently, 45 resident troopers are paid for by Carroll County funds. These positions are up for elimination if Zimmer's proposal is approved. The 42 troopers who serve Carroll County and are paid by the state will continue to report to the Westminster Barrack and the five resident troopers serving the Town of Mount Airy would also remain intact.
Police hope to continue providing an effective community service — no matter the uniform that responds to an emergency call.
"We kind of work hand in hand," said Lt. Andrew Winner, the commander of the Maryland State Police's Westminster Barrack, saying that if a Mount Airy resident trooper is busy, a state trooper, sheriff's deputy or even town police from a nearby community might show up. "That's the great working relationship we've built."
Phil Kasten of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said that the impending changes to the State Trooper program would not impact the Sheriff's Office's emergency response in the town.
Mayor Peter Helt said the town pays the state individually for the officers and has participated in the resident trooper program since 1975. In the town's fiscal 2010 budget, there is $536,896 set aside for the program, said town employee Charlene Singleton.
"For that we get a certain number of troopers fully equipped," Helt said, saying that the troopers have access to the State Police resources like helicopters, laboratories and insurance. "It's a good deal for both ... the state gets money and we get troopers."
He thought the program benefitted the town in other ways as well. The resident troopers are state-based and can operate both the Frederick and Carroll county sides of Mount Airy. The Sheriff's Office has no jurisdiction in the Frederick County side of the town, he said.
The program also holds some familiar faces for Main Street. Helt noted that the trooper in charge before the current officer had stayed for 18 years.
"There's something to be said about stability," he said. The town had even made a move to pay the corporal's pay increase when he became sergeant just to keep him in place.
"We would probably do the same with Dan Pickett [the current corporal]," Helt said.
Helt said that most towns Mount Airy's size do have their own police force, but it's limited in what it can do or expensive.
"We are certainly happy with the program we have," he said.
E-mail Angie Cochrun at acochrun@gazette.net.
Maryland State Police, Westminster Barrack
-45: Resident troopers paid by Carroll County (in jeopardy of losing jobs)
-42: Troopers serving Carroll County paid by state
-5: Resident troopers serving Mount Airy
Carroll County Sheriff's Office
-73: Deputies serving all of Carroll County