Marin County’s investigative police unit that probes illegal drug activity and major crimes will dissolve this fall after 43 years due to the coronavirus’ strain on city budgets.

The decision to end the Major Crimes Task Force, which is led by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, came after city managers representing municipalities that contribute to the unit forecast budget deficits.

Officials began stating their intent to withdraw from the program, resulting in the dissolution of the joint powers agreement that allowed law enforcement to deliver the task force service. Managers agreed to fund the first three months of the 2020-21 fiscal year and will later decide individually with their city and town councils how to redirect the remaining cash, officials said.

“It’s disappointing,” said Sheriff Bob Doyle, “but I understand all the cities are undergoing financial difficulties.”

The move comes on the heels of the Black Lives Matter movement and increasing calls for reform and defunding of police. However, the agreement to disband the police unit was strictly a financial one, officials said.

“Politics had nothing to do with this decision,” said Todd Cusimano, town manager of Corte Madera. “It had everything to do with what services we provide, how we provide it and how much does it cost.”

Cusimano is the former police chief of the Central Marin Police Authority, which serves Corte Madera, Larkspur and San Anselmo.

He is also the vice chairman of the Marin Managers’ Association that was formed more than 20 years ago on a recommendation by the League of California Cities to allow municipalities to collaborate on issues that affect the county. That association is comprised of the city and town managers of Marin’s 11 municipalities, as well as the general manager of the Marin Municipal Water District and the county administrator.

In a letter addressed to Doyle on June 19, the association stated that agencies representing at least 50% of Marin’s population intended to withdraw from the program. Under the terms of the JPA, that meant the agreement was deemed terminated.

The association agreed the current JPA model is “fiscally impossible,” adding that its members are “open to reimagining a new, countywide approach to jointly work together on public safety issues.”

Cusimano said officials are working on a fresh agreement model, hoping to build a new, similar investigative unit. Details have not yet been fleshed out, he said.

“We’re going to reinvent this service. It’s needed,” Cusimano said.

The Major Crimes Task Force was formed in 1977 and operated with the financial participation of the county and 11 cities. It was formed on a recommendation by Marin’s police chiefs, who said there was a need for a countywide approach to cracking down on drug trafficking. Such crimes often can be tied to burglaries, thefts, gang problems and assaults, according to the chiefs.

The task force is staffed with 15 sworn officers, including a sheriff’s lieutenant and detectives from the sheriff’s office as well as Novato and Central Marin police agencies. There is also a California Highway Patrol officer, a drug enforcement officer and probation officers who are part of the team.

Under the task force umbrella, there is the Coordination of Probation Enforcement and the Marin County Auto Theft Unit programs.

Sausalito, which dropped out of the agreement in 2013 citing budget concerns, is the only Marin municipality not participating in the JPA. San Rafael withdrew for 12 years before rejoining in 2014.

The task force budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 was approximately $1.7 million, according the sheriff’s office. The county is the largest contributor and would have provided about $860,000 this year. The remaining $840,000 was to be split by the cities and towns.

Novato’s contribution was $48,307 in addition to providing an officer, an amount equal to about $235,000, according to City Manager Adam McGill. Central Marin Police Authority also budgeted to provide an officer and $14,283 from Larkspur; $12,928 from San Anselmo and $11,341 from Corte Madera, equaling a total contribution of about $228,552.

San Rafael contributed $190,433; Mill Valley, $63,124; Tiburon, $52,063; Fairfax, $23,316. Belvedere and Ross were set for less than $20,000 each.

Last year’s budget was approximately $1.4 million with similar contributions, according to the sheriff’s office.

San Rafael police Chief Diana Bishop said in the weeks after California was shut down that the COVID-19 crisis meant budget cuts.

This year the department is operating on a $24.3 million budget. Bishop said without the task force, the agency will have to rely on their own ranks. The majority of the time, the task force would assist the San Rafael agency by providing undercover investigations and surveillance, she said.

“It was not a decision we took lightly. It was a business decision,” Bishop said. “Right now for our city, this isn’t the best way to spend money.”

She added, “We will miss that group and the hard work they do on big cases.”

Likewise, Novato police Chief Matt McCaffrey, said considering the dire financial situation “this was the prudent thing to do.”

McCaffrey said he spent seven years as a narcotics officer and he understands the ability a specialized unit has over beat cops who are tasked with patrolling designated areas in the city.

“As chief, I would have loved to see the task force continue, but we have to be realists,” he said. “Unfortunately, I think we could see more cuts as we look forward.”

Central Marin police Chief Mike Norton, too, said he was hoping the task force would stay intact, explaining the value of services it provided.

“Anytime we caught someone in possession of narcotics, even the smallest amount, we would contact the task force and they would track the source up the stream to the dealers,” he said.

Norton added that the task force’s absence “is going to be noticeable and felt in Marin over the years.”

While larger agencies have the capacity to absorb the loss, the Fairfax Police Department, which has 10 sworn officers, are left in the dark, said police Chief Chris Morin.

“It’s a big loss,” Morin said. “If there is a crime where we don’t have the capacity to investigate, we’re going to have to call on other agencies. It’s a shame this is going away.”

In addition to Fairfax, Doyle said there is already interest from Belvedere, Tiburon and Central Marin police agencies and the California Highway Patrol to form a new task force under a fresh agreement.

There are activists in the community who don’t want to see that happen, including Robbie Powelson, founder of the Tam Equity Campaign, which is calling for racial justice and police reform in Marin County, among other things.

“I’m glad,” Powelson said of the disbandment. “I think we need to be looking at how cities and towns need to start reinvesting their police dollars into countywide health services and community development.”

The existing task force will continue working through September.