Congrats FOP! Thank you. I could go on and on. For those who do not know the FOP voted down ALL of the options Abramson laid out before them to cut costs. As I pointed out in my previous article the Police have been UNDER budget for years. $35 million under over the last 3 years alone.
Mayor Abramson has made a killing for himself and cronies as Mayor and to ask that we jeopardize police protection is absurd. Since the police have been under budget by $35 million REAL dollars over the last 3 years why should we citizens ask them to give up more. They have done a good job saving money and are already undermanned.
I keep hearing stories about "doubling up" in police cars allowing less cars on the road as an option. This is not a workable plan nor should it be. Police presence is a great deterrent to crime period. How many times have you slowed down when speeding for example because you noticed a police car? It served as a deterrent in that case as it does in so many others. Less cars on the road will lead directly to increased crime. This is common sense.
It is no wonder the police have morale problems with leaders like Abramson, and his hand picked patsy Police Chief Robert White, continuing to try to force them to do more with less.
I spoke in 2006, when a candidate for Mayor, about the need for a minimum of an additional 200 officers in our community. This has not been addressed so we are falling further behind in public police protection. One of the problems I identified then was one of "radio hopping."
Radio hopping is a situation where an officer is responding to a call at one end of his district and even before he finishes that run is called to the other end. How effective can they be when forced into this scenario? Not very.
More importantly how much crime is committed in the district while he is busy responding from one end to the other that he flat out does not have time to see or take care of.
To eliminate take home cars or start doubling up without adding officers will hurt our community overall.
I, for one, am glad to see that our dedicated officers have not lost sight of that.
So yep thanks FOP. It is time someone told this Mayor enough is enough. You have done your part saving money in the budget now let him do his by getting rid of the cream he wastes on cronies.
Keep up the good work.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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I have reviewed the proposal for the police. I can see where this would be a large impact on an officers family budget and do not blame them for voting it down. Driving the cars home and parking them and not using them for personal use would be a valid request.
ReplyDeleteBut please, the FOP should not try to dupe the public into believing their vote is for Public Safty. Their vote is because it would cost them money plain and simple and I agree it's to much for them to take a personal hit. They each should get 3 days off without pay like the rest of the Metro Employees.
The best thing for this city is to give the Metro Council about 3 months off apiece and see how the system works. I would suspect that some things would work better. To keep on wasting tax dollars for the Metro Council members fiddling with everything is a travesty. A group of people who dont have a clue about what made this city a successful city in the 1800s up until today. Theyve destroyed about every vestige of industry, frugality, and common sense that was left. To the point that we are now a city with retail jobs, service jobs, and low wage employment. Not to mention creating a culture of corruption.
ReplyDeleteI wonder when the city government will get with the program and spend money on lasting economic development, not just have a few jobs based on some low wage retail area.
Why dont they bar the cars for off duty uses and let them drive them home. That would save money and start enforcing some rules toward usage, gas usage, and mileage. That would cure the issue.
I agree with the poster suggested banning the officers from using the cars or anything outside of work except driving to and from work. Why should they be using a public asset for their second job or to drive the family to and from the grocery store?
ReplyDeleteIf they continue to be allowed to use the cars for a they want $1980 is a great deal. Who wouldn't like to have a fully insured maintained car with free gasoline for less than $200 a month? I certainly would love to get a deal like that.
As far as being $35 million below budget over the last three years, sounds like the police department is very good at padding the budget while making it, not good at saving money. Unless the budget has been reduced each year based on what wasn't spent the year before (which I'm sure they weren't) the savings and issues fallacy!
Bottom line: the police officers need to suck it up like everybody else during these hard economic times!
What about suspending some of that "pork" neighborhood discretionary money?
ReplyDeleteThe police department does not make the budget Abramson does. The Metro Council then approves it. Simple concept. The Mayor says I am giving this much money to your department for the year.
ReplyDeleteThey could blow the money instead of returning it but they do not. This in itself should be an example of how well they can do with the money allotted not taken to task for NOT spending it.
I agree with the pork discretionary money you refer to.
I have been an advocate both as a candidate for office and private citizen that these separate discretionary funds should be eliminated. They are abused to buy votes in many instances.
If a council district has a legitimate need for funds then the entire Council should vote on the spending.
That is total accountability but will not happen.
It seems to me that if you keep losing money on a good horse, you would change the jockey. The people of this city gripe and complain about the failed policies of this city, but continue to elect Jerry Abramson at every opportunity. As long as Thief Jerry is allowed to remain in power, nothing will ever change. He has been attacking our first responders at every turn since the "Metro Louisville" concept was voted in. My question is: where is all the tax money from the county? It appears Jerry has taken the entire Jefferson County/Louisville population hostage and a majority of the population are too ignorant to realize it. When he get through stealing every cent from the treasury, reducing our police, fire and EMS departments to complete ineffectiveness, don't be surprised. Examples of Jerry's failed policies abound...look at Detroit, Atlanta and other metropolitan areas that have been destroyed by the same playbook our mayor for life has been following. Wake up Metro Louisville and pay attention to what the Thief and his lackey Police Chief have done to your city.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought, the Mayor has given the police cheif "bonuses" over the years for coming in under budget. This would seem to be a novel idea to control wasteful spending, however, it has only hurt the officers bottom line and indirectly affected public safety because the savings are acheived by curtailing overtime. Officers know that if you continue to be proactive towards the end of your shift there is a chance that you will need to work past the end of your shift to complete the required paperwork that must be turned in before you can go home. Therefore, the blinders must come on for the last hour of your shift. Cheif White and Mayor Abramsom know this and do not care. Less money spent on overtime means more money for pet projects. Don't get me wrong though, I can appreciate granite curbs, revitalization efforts, new arenas, and the like. But responsible spending dictates that these projects take place when they do not adversely effect core services that are vital to the public infrastructure. The Mayor doesn't see it that way. OBVIOUSLY! I am convinced that the Chicago machine politics mentality has invaded this town. The patronism and corruption have become commonplace through out our government. One needs only to take a cursory look our Mayor and council to see the evidence. What we need are elected officials who share our priorities and are not swayed by a desire to leave a legacy for themselves. Someone needs to tell Jerry that the downtown arena and the center city projects will not be named after him. If he wants to leave a legacy that badly he should leave one of a responsible and frugal government that respected ALL of its constituency.
ReplyDeleteLMPD has come in under budget the last few years, mainly because they are short-staffed and the money for those allotted officers goes back into the LMPD budget.
ReplyDeleteRather than a flat fee for off-duty, how about X amount per hour of using the car for off-duty work? That's what a lot of places do. Then the expense will be more fair, and they can pass on the cost to off-duty employers.
ReplyDelete