The possibility of a merger between the MSU and East Lansing police departments should be investigated as thoroughly as the cases each department handles.

On Tuesday, the departments unveiled a plan to improve their efficiency and reduce costs through cooperation.

A committee of city and MSU officials will work to develop recommendations about how the agencies can work together - which could possibly include a merger. The departments hope to continue talks into February 2001.

Even if a merger does not take place, the two agencies should look for new ways to collaborate and work together.

The agencies already work together in a number of ways. They have consolidated their dispatch services, an alcohol training team and the Pro-active Crime Team, which deals with narcotics enforcement.

Still, law enforcement in the area would improve if the two agencies joined forces. If they pooled their knowledge and resources, their departments would be stronger than the sum of their parts.

With MSU students living both on campus and in East Lansing, students have to deal with two separate departments. MSU students should be able to deal with the same police department whether they are living on campus or off.

Students should not have to worry that an MSU police officer would handle a situation differently than would an officer from East Lansing. MSU police and East Lansing police have to deal with many of the same people and situations, and they should have the same procedures.

A merge into one department would reduce costs. New equipment could be purchased that the separate agencies could not afford to buy independently. The police would have access to new technology that would make their jobs easier and the area safer.

The agencies are taking an adequate amount of time to decide if a merger is the best decision. Other police agencies in the country have merged only to unravel again. While on the surface a merger seems like a positive step, the committee should take its time to assess the unique situation of these departments.

Each agency has different philosophies and policies, and if a merger does occur, there would be disagreements between the departments about the best procedure. Each department has a different focus and emphasizes different methods.

While it may be difficult for the two departments to compromise their existing philosophies, a merger would require them to evaluate the effectiveness of their current procedures. The departments could learn from each other and abandon methods one department has found to be unsuccessful.

The merger could mean a larger police presence on campus, which could improve safety in the residence halls. The departments could increase the number of officers involved in community policing, which would help create more cooperative relationships between police and students.

The MSU and East Lansing police departments have the opportunity to move in a positive direction as long as they proceed with caution and careful investigation.