King City decides whether to outsource or renew police department.

Tomorrow night, King City City Council will chart a new course for its police department.

At 6pm, they are scheduled to consider whether to pursue a $3 million contract with the sheriff's office to provide policing services, or to try and rebuild their own beleaguered PD. 

About a third of the city's police department was arrested in February, 2014, on various charges. Since then, two have entered plea deals.

Former Acting Chief Bruce Miller, his brother Brian Miller and Officer Bobby Carrillo were all arrested in connection with an alleged car-towing scheme, in which they reportedly targeted marginalized people, impounded their cars, delivered most to Brian Miller's tow pound, and kept some vehicles for themselves. 

Since the PD was gutted in the aftermath the arrests, the sheriff's office has been supporting patrol functions on a temporary contract.

Interim Chief Dennis Hegwood served until December, and currently Tony Sollecito, a retired Seaside Police Chief, is currently at the helm after being appointed as interim chief in January.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, City Manager Michael Powers is City Council for a direction on how to proceed: Build up their own PD again, or agree to the sheriff's contract on a long-term basis. 

"The city of King has reached a crossroads regarding the provision of law enforcement,"  Powers wrote in his report to City Council. 

Powers recommends the city keep its own department, despite the challenges. 

"Restoring the reputation and trust of the King City Police Department will be the number one challenge and opportunity moving forward," he wrote. "This will be a very difficult, but highly attainable task." 

To do that, Powers recommends recruiting a credible new chief, and raising officer salaries to attract top talent; King City PD currently pays the lowest in the county. 

The recommended salary increase is $414,000 per year for the city, or about $800 to $1,000 a month per police officer pay, to compete with neighboring Soledad and Greenfield. 

Another challenge: Solving a backlog of open homicide cases. "Not pursuing these investigations to arrest or closure is a form of dereliction," according to Powers' report.

Sheriff Steve Bernal has proposed two possible service contracts to continue to police King City, for either $3 million or $3.6 million a year. 

Powers estimates the costs to maintain an independent police force would also be about $3 million a year.