The five most important trends related to the study issue included complexity of police work, level of service sharing by smaller agencies, level of labor pool of qualified applicants, extent of police accountability to the community, and level of public expectation of police service. In addition, five probable events were selected: a funding crisis in local government, passage of no victim-no crime legislation, expansion of illegal drug trafficking activity in the area, ethnic race conflict, and reduced funds for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). The preferred scenario revolves around the creation of a model joint powers agency, in which government would follow the lead of industry in consolidating organizations to remain viable in the early 21st Century. The paper presents strategic and transition management plans to implement this scenario. 10 figures, 14 notes, 23 references, and 4 appendixes