Rising policing costs could push Essex County toward one regional force, says warden

Amherstburg weighs options for policing, as the Essex County warden says one regional service could be possible. CTV Windsor’s Sanjay Maru report.

As Amherstburg faces a deadline to decide the future of its policing, Essex County Warden Hilda MacDonald says a regional approach could save money but would come at the cost of local control and community identity.

The town is considering several options after Windsor formally notified officials it would be ending its policing contract in 2028.

Amherstburg now has four years to determine whether to reestablish its own police force, contract the Ontario Provincial Police, explore a partnership with LaSalle or consider a county-wide policing model.

MacDonald said the idea of regional policing has come up before, but concerns about oversight and service levels have kept municipalities from moving forward.

“Regional policing, in theory, should be more efficient, and it should also be more cost-effective,” she said.

“You don’t have to have a chief or whatever the position would be at an administrative level in every municipality. You’d have one central [force], and those kinds of efficiencies from the top down would be seen at a regional level.”

However, MacDonald said there is a trade-off when towns lose their own police forces.

“Our residents don’t have that personal element with regional policing,” she said.

“Back in the day when we had Leamington police, we all knew our officers. Officers knew many of us. Some of them were local. You lose that sense of identity when you go regional.”

Beyond identity, she said smaller municipalities sometimes feel they don’t get the same level of service when policing is handled regionally.

“So much of the time is spent in municipalities like mine, where we have higher crime and social service issues that some smaller communities don’t have,” MacDonald said.

“The tendency is to go where the need is greatest, and sometimes the smaller municipalities that don’t have that need feel they’re not getting the same level of service.”

Even with those concerns, MacDonald acknowledged that rising costs may force municipalities to consider regional policing.

“That’s the part where you have to say, ‘Okay, we’re saving money, we’re more efficient, but we don’t have the service level that we used to have when we had our own policing,’” she said.

“But there may be a point in time where some of us may have to plug our noses, even if we don’t want to do something regional, but we have to do it because of the taxpayer.”

OPP currently oversee law enforcement in most of Essex County, including Lakeshore, Leamington, Tecumseh, Essex, and Kingsville.

Windsor oversees policing in both Windsor and Amherstburg, while LaSalle operates its own independent police service, covering only its municipality and no other region.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue said the town is now in the exact predicament that some residents feared when Windsor first took over policing in 2019.

“Many people in the town did not want to go down this route. They were mindful that we would be losing our own police service and that it would be difficult to get it back,” said Prue.

“But they were also mindful that at any point, if Windsor walked away, we would be in a predicament — and here’s where we are today.”

While Prue said Amherstburg will talk to Windsor about the possibility of renegotiating, he emphasized that the town is not without options.

“We are going to go back and talk to them and see exactly what they want,” he said.

“But I’m not being held hostage. There are other options we have, and we are going to explore those as well.”

Speaking on Mornings with Mike and Meg on AM800, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens pushed back on that characterization, saying Windsor’s decision was purely financial.

“This is not about holding anyone hostage or under the barrel,” he said.

“But I think anyone can appreciate that, from a financial perspective, it has to make sense for Windsor police and the City of Windsor to provide policing to that town without Windsor taxpayers subsidizing the cost of that service.”

Dilkens said the arrangement has benefited Amherstburg but is no longer financially sustainable for Windsor.

“It’s great for the residents in Amherstburg,” he said. “Where it’s not great is for the residents of Windsor. This is a relationship that has to make sense for both parties.”

One of Amherstburg’s alternatives is a potential policing partnership with LaSalle, though no formal discussions have taken place.

LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche confirmed that she has had a brief conversation with Prue but said no decisions will be made without careful review.

“Before we determine whether LaSalle will provide a cost estimate, there are many factors that need to be carefully considered, including Amherstburg’s service expectations, operational requirements, and financial implications,” she said.

“This will require thorough discussions and review to assess feasibility.”

She added that discussions are expected to continue in the coming weeks.

“We will ensure that any decisions made are in the best interest of our community and will provide updates as appropriate,” LaSalle’s mayor said.