HERKIMER COUNTY, N.Y. -- It's an agreement between police departments in Dolgeville, Herkimer, Ilion, Frankfort and Little Falls. They will all work together when making purchases.
"Initially, it was trying to reorganize our police departments, because there's so much overlap from one village, we three or four villages, one having their own police department. And you're looking at duplication of services, duplilcation of funds," said Herkimer County Legislature Chairman Bernard Peplinski.
The idea had been discussed for a while, but picked up speed when an outside organization got involved.
"You mention consolidation, it scares people," Peplinski said. "And I think this is where Genesis was a real plus, because they come in sort of as an outside group, they're neutral, and they actually bring out the best of a lot of people that were involved."
"We need a lot of the same equipment," said Frankfort Police Chief Ronald Petrie. "We all need bullets for our guns to go to the range every year. We all need tires for our cars."
The agreement allows police departments to buy items in bulk, which means lower rates.
"Even if it's $50 here, $100 on something else, those savings add up, and it's beneficial for everybody," Petrie said.
An advisory committee with representatives from each area will be organized to determine needs. Herkimer County leaders say they're hoping to continue this trend of consolidation and shared services in other departments.