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Guilford is Guilford and Greensboro is Greensboro and never the twain shall meet?

The City Council dropped talk of a merger between the Guilford County Sheriff's Department and the Greensboro Police Department faster than you can say "political hot potato" last week. Mayor Keith Holliday, who had broached the topic, says such a notion is "on the table far off into the future." But isn't that the whole idea of long-range planning? To begin, at least, to talk about it now?

Of course, the merger concept has come up many times before. For instance, it surfaced during the county commissioners' retreat in 2003, when then-Commissioner Mike Barber, who now sits on the City Council, suggested a merged metro police force under Sheriff BJ Barnes' supervision. Chief Robert White had just left the Greensboro Police Department for a new job in Louisville, Ky. Now might be a good time to consider a different approach, Barber figured.
Barnes agreed, saying then that he had talked to some members of the City Council, some of whom were receptive. And that was that. No action. No study. No way.

A merger certainly merits more discussion, but so many emotions, personalities and egos are attached that it's tough to do so rationally and objectively.

When the discussion came and went in 2003, an anti-police brutality group protested that Barnes would be the wrong man to head a consolidated police force that would consist of more than 725 officers. The group, which calls itself the October 22nd Coalition, say Barnes was unfit for such a job because of the fatal shooting of a mentally disturbed man, Gilbert Barber, by one of his officers. The group also contended that black residents had little trust or confidence in Barnes.

They are, of course, entitled to their opinions, but by most accounts, Barnes has been a very good sheriff. He'd probably do a fine job supervising a combined agency. But he should have to apply for the job.

The head of a county-city police agency should be appointed, not elected. That ensures a solid professional background in law enforcement and, at least theoretically, makes the position less political.

Yes, the Greensboro Police Department has been embroiled in its controversy in recent months with the resignation of Chief David Wray amid allegations that he abused his power. And yes, this proves bad things can happen even when a police chief is appointed and thoroughly screened by community representatives, as was Wray.

But an appointment process is still preferable to elections and less prone to distraction by partisan politics. And such an important selection requires the same kind of sensitivity, experience and skills that we expect from our judges. And they shouldn't be elected either.

But who and how to select a grand potentate of law enforcement is only one tough question a merger would create.

For instance, is bigger always necessarily better? Police departments depend on trust and good will in their communities to be successful. Smaller departments that focus on smaller communities might be less burdened by bureaucracy and more familiar with the citizens they serve.

And what about economies of scale?

If saving money is the object, it's probably worth noting that Charlotte/Mecklenburg, which has a consolidated city-county police force, has the costliest city government in the state, according to a study by the John Locke Foundation.

The study attributes that greater cost to Charlotte's mass transit tax. But the fiscal implications, as well as the impact on service, certainly deserve a closer look.

They won't get one. At least not anytime soon.

Big ideas like this one come and go around here. They make interesting headlines and editorial fodder. But they can get messy and involved and the political payoff may come years in the future, if it ever comes, so why bother?

What's more, today's City Council could lay the groundwork for such an initiative and some future council with different notions could pull the plug.
Plus, what are the realistic odds of a successful collaboration with the county commissioners?

And what about High Point, which traditionally has resisted efforts to combine anything with Greensboro? Shouldn't it be part of the equation?

So all this merger talk will fade for a few years until someone brings it up again.

And the ritual will repeat, in a dizzying whirl of good intentions headed nowhere.

Much like my perennial plans to clean out my garage. Tomorrow.