Deep cuts to SPD - crime rises

[webdev]

Originally Posted by kc6zlv

before any tax increases we need to get a handle on city counsels giving themselves $30k a year raises, university administrators giving themselves raises while raising tuition, stadiums, arenas, and on and on.

The tax increases wouldn't bother people so much if they thought the money would be applied the way it should.

bingo!

[tijlover]

Alternative?

When I considered building a house in a marginal southern Tijuana neighborhood, I asked my real estate agent: Given the lack of police here, what protection will I have here?"

"Every neighborhood has a President, he collects donations from its residents, he erects Wanted Posters in the neighborhood, with reward $$, to help nab the offenders! Works quite well!"

Well, if it comes to that.............................................. ...it comes to that!

[wburg]

Or, we could, y'know, vote to raise taxes a small amount so we can afford more cops. Which is what we did, so hey, let's see how that works. If not, we can always go with the wanted posters...

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by wburg

Or, we could, y'know, vote to raise taxes a small amount so we can afford more cops. Which is what we did, so hey, let's see how that works. If not, we can always go with the wanted posters...

Well, the only trouble with wanted posters is they're put up after the fact and the crime has already occurred. But I guess that's no less pro-active than policing these days. Still, it will be interesting to see how much of the new taxes, if any, actually goes to increasing law enforcement. Let's hope so!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by wburg

Well, that's what the "CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT" mentality gets you. The plan is a tax increase, which, of course, has the CUT CUT CUT crowd screaming bloody murder. They also scream bloody murder when they are told that a police officer won't visit your house when you are burglarized because of staffing cuts, and you just fill out a report online.

Without money, no, there is no plan. Citizens' groups are doing what they can to pay attention and bring attention where it is needed, but the fact is that we need higher taxes to pay for more cops.

In a nod towards reality, it is also easier (as in, not impossible) to get a CCW these days.

I don't know about Sac...but they may need pension reform. In San Jose, where I live, cops can retire as early as age 50, at 90% of their salary after 30 years, and they can cash in all of their unused sick leave at retirement (with no cap). Our outgoing police chief retired about 2 years ago with 300K in unused sick leave paid out. Several top ranking staff in the fire department also retired with over 200K in unused sick leave.

300K is enough money to keep a medium sized San Jose branch library open for a year (the libraries were severely cut).

San Jose voters passed pension reform but it is currently being challenged in the courts.

If the San Jose police and firefighters hadn't pushed for better pensions around the years 2000-2001 (going from 70% after 30 years to 90%), San Jose wouldn't be in its current predicament. The other unions also got pension enhancements, but not as much as the police & firefighters got.

Similar issues with sweetening pensions happened throughout California in the early 2000s, so I suspect similar things may have happened in Sac.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

This really does concern me, however, since we have children, grandchildren and great grandchild still in Sacramento and environs. Perhaps it's my bias as a former peace officer but it seems to me that protection of the populace should be the prime consideration. That apparently it's going begging to some extent tells me it's not a priority of the city government. I guess sports teams are more important. Pity!

Your bias is showing on this one, Curmie. You're ignoring the fact that the police, firefighters and other unions throughout the state got really greedy and pushed for expensive pension benefit enhancements in the early 2000s. This even though everyone knew the Boomers were going to start retiring en masse in a few years.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I don't know about Sac...but they may need pension reform. In San Jose, where I live, cops can retire as early as age 50, at 90% of their salary after 30 years, and they can cash in all of their unused sick leave at retirement (with no cap). Our outgoing police chief retired about 2 years ago with 300K in unused sick leave paid out. Several top ranking staff in the fire department also retired with over 200K in unused sick leave.

Dangerous to derail into pension reform, but the only way to retire at 50 with 90% of salary is if you started with the police department at age 20. Sick leave is an earned benefit, so that is money owed to the officer, don't see much of a problem with it. It's also the exception, not the rule--the assumption that every cop retires with salaries and benefits like that simply doesn't match up to the reality. And part of why police asked for those benefits was in order to be able to afford living in horribly expensive places like San Jose!

[Zelva]

Just a note, that the 'crime billboards' in Stockton were put up by the police officers union..... more scare tactics to get (or retain) funding.

A sign of the crimes
A sign of the crimes | Recordnet.com
Police Officer Steve Leonesio, president of Stockton Police Officers Association, said about 20 more billboards are planned, a media buy he put at about $20,000.

The billboards appeared three days after a pivotal budget hearing at which the City Council declared a fiscal emergency, a legal measure intended to pry open existing labor contracts with firefighters and police.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Your bias is showing on this one, Curmie. You're ignoring the fact that the police, firefighters and other unions throughout the state got really greedy and pushed for expensive pension benefit enhancements in the early 2000s. This even though everyone knew the Boomers were going to start retiring en masse in a few years.

Oh my goodness. Both a former cop and a Boomer. What could be worse?

For the record, I think the retirement provisions are ridiculous. Yeah, it's hard work and can be risky. But compare the pay and benefits to what our military receives - also a former soldier here - and it's nothing less than an unsustainable gravy train that doesn't require 3-4 combat tours of duty and being on duty 24/7 with family separation, constant relocations, et al.

I side with cut-backs!