Pompano Beach officials begin a week of in-person and virtual meetings tonight asking residents to speak up about whether the city should stick with the Broward Sheriff's Office or form their own police force.
Mayor Rex Hardin says they've also given a consultant until the end of the year to crunch the numbers.
"For what we're paying, what kind of service are we getting from Broward Sheriff's Office, and what kind of results are they delivering for our community as far as, you know, clearance rates and crime trends."
He says they're paying about $60 million for BSO's services, and admits, that's a lot, "but policing is a very expensive proposition, and without having some sort of benchmark to compare it to, we really don't know if we're getting a good deal, a bad deal or just a perfect deal."
The city just signed a one-year extension with the BSO, and if the commission were to decide to form their own force, the BSO would offer a two-year phase-in period.
Pembroke Park opened its own police force in 2022, and a handful of other Broward cities including Deerfield Beach and Cooper City are weighing their options.