California City Cuts Police Force to Avoid Bankruptcy

Maywood will contract services out to sheriff's office and neighboring town.

In order to avoid filing bankruptcy, a city in Northern California is planning on cutting much of its municipal services, according to a recent report from the Los Angeles Times.

The paper said the Maywood City Council opted to eliminate its police department, along with most of its employees. The city will continue to pay council members to set ordinances, and the town will keep its manager and attorney.

Policing duties will be contracted out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Meanwhile, administrative affairs will be handled by Bell, California, which is a neighboring city.

"We don't want to file for bankruptcy," Felipe Aguirre, a member of the council, was quoted as saying by the Times. "We don't want to disappear as a city."

Because of past lawsuits against the city's police force, finding insurance to cover that service was difficult. That is coupled with lower sales and property tax revenues to create the municipality's current financial situation.

Maywood is not alone in California when it comes to facing financial crisis. Other towns are also facing the prospect of filing bankruptcy if they can't find solutions to budget shortfalls