Merge WESO & BWPD together.

[Cole]

Discord ID/User: vexedvexing / Cole Wayne

Suggestion Outline:

As the title says, merge the West Elizabeth's Sheriff's Office and the Blackwater Police Department together. Either as a new 'county wide police force' (similar to state police/still using the uniform pack so it doesn't go to waste!) OR directly into the current standing Sheriff's Office.

This will offer more fluidity for local law to get things done and will not split potential players on which concept they may prefer. Furthermore, with no disrespect to players - Blackwater Police Department already have very little to actively patrol, unless the city/town is actively booming with 15+ players consistently, which was even rare when it was the main hub several weeks ago + the plains, which just turns into chasing ghosts.

Unsure about how this could go about In Character. Perhaps Blackwater is simply catching up to the modern world and the idea of a Sheriff's Office in duster coats prowling through Tall Trees is outdated and inefficient?

What script/development support will it require?: A new law society potentially?

Why will it benefit South Tahoma Roleplay?:  Bring local law together in West Elizabeth. More local law seen in Blackwater.

 

[augustus]

As someone who's been on and off in WESO for a year now, I agree with this idea. I think having both BWPD and WESO is counterintuitive and Blackwater is simply not big enough to have its own Police Department. This would allow WESO to grow stronger and keep it from having to fight with BWPD for recruits and activity.

The idea of using BWPD's uniforms is interesting and could set WESO apart as a more urbanized agency with Blackwater being a growing boom town compared to the other main settlements for the other counties. I wouldn't be against us using them.

[Lawliet]

West Elizabeth Police Department, headquartered in Blackwater with a station in Strawberry. Gives you the uniform, the combined force, and a decent chunk of single agency ability. 

 

My two cents at least.

[LokiHavok]

I think BWPD is the less active of the two WE LEO organizations.

WESO should just consolidate and absorb BWPD. Have it run under WESO oversight.
That way the uniforms and practices of BWPD could still be maintained as an outpost. 
But with consolidation it would reduce redundency and allow for free movement between orgs.

Or even have WESO and BWPD under one umbrella with a unified command structure policing the whole West Eliz.
Cause having WESO in Strawb and BWPD in BW is just such a natural thing.

[OhNoPepto]

Don't have much to say other than that I agree with this wholeheartedly. I think it'd make things easier and run smoother. Especially since bwpd keeps going inactive.

[MiaMika]

I support the suggestion, because, makes sense. 

But if anyone shows up in Big Valley wearing the BWPD uniform they're gunna get clowned on. If as a combined faction they have a good roster; assigned deputies/PD to Strawberry could wear a more sheriffy-uniform. Or not, and get teased.

Tbh, you can wear the uniform in town. At launch before BWPD existed, when WESO did, WESO was just given defacto jurisdiction in BW. 

 

[Faledak]

Nothing stops you from wearing cowboy outfits in a smaller town like Blackwater. Look at 1923 (TV series) and William McDowell (guy in black) and his deputies.


Blackwater should fall under WESO jurisdiction, it doesn't need its own PD, nor its own uniform. It just simply isn't modern nor big enough.

[Acorn]

I dig it

[augustus]

Agreed on the uniforms topic - after discussing with WESO leadership we won't be using them period. But we're still in agreement that BWPD isn't necessary.

[Shahar586]

Fully agree with that, obviously as far as outfits go it should be down to the office but there is some certain middle ground between badass sheriff to police officer, almost similar to Marshals. But uniting the WESO and BWPD is basically a necessaity, as not only is Blackwater hardly big enough to get it's own small jurisdiction but if nothing else it'd just take away potential manpower from the already smaller WESO force. So strong +1 for that law pressence.

[Kushiel]

Outfits are neat but faction consistency is better, +1

[Bailey]

In theory, this makes sense.

In practicality, I think the listed benefits have nowhere to go. We saw a similar effort when folks called to “Close the Tahoma Rangers! Support local law!” — which we did, and then the SO’s saw no bolstering at all.

BWPD has been absent for a little over a month now; there’s no manpower that WEEO will siphon, because there’s nobody to siphon.

WESO would still have to assign a ‘head’ of the new urban efforts for anyone who wants to use those outfits realistically; if not a Police Chief, who? The Undersheriff I suppose?

14 hours ago, Cole said:

Why will it benefit South Tahoma Roleplay?:  Bring local law together in West Elizabeth. More local law seen in Blackwater.

I’m just not sure how much of this suggested benefit will actually happen. WESO would be merging with nothing & nobody right now.

[augustus]

In my opinion, comparing this to the Tahoma Rangers is comparing apples to oranges. The Tahoma Rangers were a state wide force, while Blackwater PD is an entire agency for a place the size of a city block. The idea is that Blackwater is not geographically large enough to sustain its own police force, therefore it is best to have any lawman in Blackwater as a sheriff's deputy so that they can respond more adequately to the needs of the county. 

[Koopa]

In my opinion it would absolutely benefit STRP because it would bring more law enforcement characters to West Elizabeth. I know a number of people that want to use the uniform, but have zero interest in roleplaying BWPD because their jurisdiction is 3 streets. My only concern is the uniform, because aesthetically, the BWPD unis simply do not match Big Valley at all. The way I figure it, an Undersheriff could be assigned to the Big Valley region and it could work as being sectionalized.

[stabsgefreiter]

WESO has been doing BWPD's job for the past month anyhow. The merge is real in all but name.