Town Council Hears Community Outrage as They Consider Police Merger Proposal

Over a Carrboro Town Council meeting Tuesday night that stretched into Wednesday morning, council members heard from nearly 30 town residents, most of whom spoke against the proposed merger of the Carrboro and Chapel Hill police departments.

“It is one step towards being swallowed by the Town of Chapel Hill and by the University of North Carolina,” James Scott told the council. “One of the things that I like about the Town of Carrboro is that it ain't Chapel Hill.”

Issues raised by those opposed to the merger included the following:

Process and Timing: Many commenters said the proposal seemed to have been developed in secret and the timeline for implementation, which could begin in December, seemed rushed.

“The question I have not heard answered is what's the rush? The Town hearing was two weeks ago or less than that and we're supposed to vote on this in December and implement it by the end of the year,” David Collins asked the Council. “What's the rush?”

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Town Manager Patrice Toney formally presented the proposal to the Town Council for the first time, and attempted to answer some of the questions and criticisms staff and council members had been hearing. Council members defended the process Toney had followed in developing and presenting the proposal.

“Identifying opportunities, bringing forward innovative ideas, and exploring potential cost saving measures are fundamental responsibilities of her position,” Mayor Barbara Foushee said at the outset of the meeting.

The next step in the process will be to draft an interlocal agreement setting out the details both town residents and council members want in order to more fully understand the intricacies of such a merger. Toney said that draft will be presented to the Council for consideration on Dec. 1. If Carrboro council members seem open to continuing to pursue the agreement, the Chapel Hill Town Council is ready to hold a public discussion on Dec. 9, Toney said.

Several speakers and council members expressed dismay at the personal attacks levied against Toney around this issue.

“Disagreement does not equate to disrespect,” Mayor Foushee said in her opening remarks. “Healthy debate and differing perspectives are important. The proposal will ultimately come before the appropriate decision-making process and result in a vote. Regardless of the outcome, we must be prepared as a community to respect that process and move forward together.”

Impact on Carrboro Police Department employees: Currently, Carrboro employs 28 police officers. If the merger with Chapel Hill is approved, the officers would need to re-train and re-test. Some may not retain their positions and questions were raised about seniority and retirement.

“Have you considered the havoc your plans are causing employee careers and lives?” Ken Krebs asked council members. “And what about the rank, pay, seniority accrued? What about specific differences in personnel policies between Chapel Hill and Carrboro police departments? How will the town council here provide meaningful oversight to the Chapel Hill Police Department?”

Toney, in her presentation, offered some positives that could accrue to the police officers.

“The officers would likely receive additional money so that the pay is equitable to the existing Chapel Hill PD staff,” she said, adding that “in a unified policing system, we would have access to the civilian crash investigators, 24/7 crisis responder, virtual reporting opportunities and then the CARE team. We will also, day one, have access to better investigative resources.”

Budget concerns: Town Manager Toney’s presentation highlighted the potential budgetary impact of the merger, which she and Chief Financial Officer Chaz Offenburg went over in  PowerPoint slides. Toney said the merger could help offset tighter budgets in the future due to the recently passed state constitutional amendments that would limit local property tax increases as well as increasing costs for fuel, and ongoing expenses for Chantal recovery. Projections show that a merger would offer a $3 million budgetary cushion after the initial three-year transition period.

“To me it comes down to budgeting – I mean, that’s the main reason [for the merger] is to save money,” David Beck said to the Council. “And to me, we just built a… library that I think everyone can agree was controversial and expensive. And here we are a couple years later and we can't fund our Police Department. So, that just puts for me some fundamental questions about where our budgeting is.”

Toney told the Council that budgetary considerations were only part of the equation.

“It is about evaluating whether a shared service delivery model can provide stronger investigative capabilities, expanded training opportunities, improved staffing flexibility, greater operational resilience, and more comprehensive public safety services for Carrboro residents,” she said.

Council Member Danny Nowell sought to reassure town residents that “our town's financial picture and management is healthier than it has been in some years consecutively. [This issue] is a question of values. It is a question of efficiency, it is a question of marshalling our resources to bring about the vision that is in the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan.”

Community policing and policies: Concerns also revolved around the potential to erode Carrboro’s unique sense of community and police officers that appreciate it.

“The Carrboro Police Department has worked to build a good relationship with our community. We all benefit from the trust we have in the department and the commitment they have to Carrboro,” Susan Spalt told the Council. “Why throw that away?”

Council Member Fred Joiner questioned if all voices were being heard on these issues. 

“One of the things that I think is missing in this conversation is the commentary of people of color, – Black and Brown people, people who actually are engaged, may engage with law enforcement in a way that may not be as constructive or as Mayberry as a lot of us, other folks in this room get to experience them,” Joiner said.

Both commenters and council members raised concerns about differences in policing policies. For instance, Council Member Jason Merrill wondered what would happen if Chapel Hill wanted to install Flock surveillance cameras and Carrboro did not want to do so. Council member Catherine Fray asked about how policies dealing with unhoused encampments might be handled.

Those in favor of the merger

Two commenters spoke in favor of the merger, and former Carrboro Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison urged council members to consider three paths forward.

“The organizational alignment makes total sense because, as a former public administrator, our role is to get the best results with the least amount of investment in resources, doing more with less,” Herman Foushee said. “This is what this proposal does.”

Hutchinson said that such a merger might offer benefits if it resulted in better public safety and service for Carrboro residents. According to research, she said, “larger departments do not consistently demonstrate lower cost, better crime outcomes, or greater efficiency. Other research highlights the importance of local knowledge, community relationships, and accountability,” she said.

She encouraged the Council to independently assess three options: maintain the status quo, expand already shared services, and fully consolidate.

In her presentation, Toney outlined additional benefits including stronger organizational resilience.

“Greater staffing depth means more capacity to manage vacancies, major incidents, special events and training,” she said.

She also said the draft interlocal agreement would be a detailed document outlining various contingencies.

“It’s a contract with provisions to end it, if needed,” she said.