Holladay » Weeks away from forging a stronger alliance with Salt Lake County for police services, this east-side 'burb is exploring the notion of putting police cars on the streets with the brand "Holladay."

Last year, Holladay scrapped plans to look into crafting its own police department, sticking with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office instead. But on Monday, neighboring Cottonwood Heights pitched a partnership between the two cities that could give Holladay its own black-and-white cars.

"We don't want to co-mingle you. We don't want to lose you in a mixture of everybody else," Cottonwood Heights Police Chief Robby Russo told the Holladay City Council. "We want to package you and show off the city of Holladay."

Holladay, Bluffdale, Riverton and Herriman are the only Salt Lake Valley municipalities that rely on the Sheriff's Office for policing. Cottonwood Heights defected from the county last year, launching its own police department in September and following a trend set by Taylorsville and Draper in previous years.

But Salt Lake County, in a bid to give the cities it patrols greater oversight, is crafting a Unified Police District that would grant Holladay one vote on a seven-member board. The county plans to set up the UPD by July 1, and the Sheriff's Office would begin operating a Unified Police Department in January 2010.

"The Sheriff's Office and UPD is a known, trusted organization," said Sheriff's Office Capt. Chris Bertram, who serves as chief of Holladay's police services. "There are no uncertainties and no unknowns with us. "

Bertram, with Sheriff Jim Winder watching from the audience, countered Cottonwood Heights' proposal at the special Holladay City Council meeting, which was pushed up from a June date. The council, Mayor Dennis Webb said, wants to make a decision before July 1 and likely will hold a public hearing first.

Cottonwood Heights offered to match the price that Holladay currently pays for cops: $3.2 million a year -- at least for the first year of a five-year contract. The cost includes $900,000 of start-up expenses, such as patrol cars, uniforms and guns, that would be spread out over three years.

Russo and Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore touted the potential partnership as a way for Holladay to have greater control of police services and more officers on the streets. Cottonwood Heights has started foot and bike patrols.

"The most common complaint we get is the same as the most common compliment, which is, 'We see them everywhere ... How many [officers] did you hire?'" Cullimore said. "It's amazing what happens when you have them focused on your own community."

Both Cottonwood Heights and the Sheriff's Office said Holladay would get to invest in police assets the city could own. Currently, Holladay does not have ownership in sheriff vehicles or equipment, but it would gain a controlling interest in the UPD.

Bertram picked apart Cottonwood Heights' police budget, suggesting Holladay could be asked to shoulder additional costs that are "hidden" in other parts of Cottonwood Heights citywide budget, such as dispatch services and liability insurance.

Bertram told the council that Holladay gets more specialized services with the Sheriff's Office, which has a 30-member SWAT team, a crime lab and an evidence room. Russo said Cottonwood Heights offers the same services through alliances it has formed with nearby cities and the state crime lab.

Winder, in an interview, said "decentralized" police agencies are "too doggone expensive."

"Cottonwood Heights, in the infancy of its department, has significant problems," Winder said. "I think they are seeking to ameliorate these problems by drawing Holladay into a model that they berated for years -- which is contracting."

Winder and Russo have a tense history. As a sheriff's lieutenant, Russo supervised police services for Cottonwood Heights but, in 2007, was suspended and reassigned when the city was pursuing a split from the Sheriff's Office. The county cleared Russo's personnel record earlier this year.

rwinters@sltrib.com